Set for Olympic glory

Brian Pinelli reports…
Navigating a snowy 746m course with a 70m elevation gain, while launching off a jump approaching the finish, Skimo competitors battle shoulder-to-shoulder, ascending and descending the Cortina d’Ampezzo World Cup Finals sprint course. This thrilling, fast-paced sprint event provides a fan-friendly glimpse of longer, more gruelling ski mountaineering competitions. Sprint athletes battle across three phases: climbing uphill around obstacles with skins fastened to their skis, bootpacking up a series of steps and inclines and, after clicking their heels into their bindings, skiing downhill to the finish. Six competitors race alongside one another in a series of elimination heats.
Ski mountaineering will soon make its Olympic debut, as men’s and women’s sprint races and a mixed-gender relay will be contested at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Emily Harrop of France won the Cortina women’s sprint race last April and is a three-time Skimo Overall World Cup champion. The 27-year-old, who was born in France’s Tarantaise Valley to English parents, is the favourite for Olympic gold. “Our sport is really gearing up for the Games and we can definitely feel it growing – we’re also seeing more athletes specialising in the Olympic disciplines,” Harrop said after her victory.
Three-time US Olympic speed skater Maria Lamb is a relative newcomer to Skimo, with aspirations for a fourth Olympics, this time on snow. “It’s interesting being in a sport that’s about to go to the Olympics for the first time, whereas speed skating has been part of the Winter Olympics from the beginning,” says the 38-year-old American. “It’s such a different experience and atmosphere, but as an athlete you learn things training in one sport that transfer to another, so it’s been a fun learning experience.”
While 126 athletes representing 26 countries competed at the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF) World Cup in Cortina, just 18 men and 18 women will punch their tickets to the Milano Cortina Olympics. Qualification opened last month, and the sport will brandish the Olympic spotlight on the slopes of Bormio, in Northern Italy’s Valtellina Valley, in February 2026.
Harrop’s French countryman Thibaut Anselmet took top honours in the men’s sprint race, also clinching a season title. “The sprint format is dynamic and the mixed relay also – for sure these new races in the Olympic Games and world of Skimo will be interesting and very good for the spectators,” he says. Harrop elaborated on the all-out sprint format, which is a tactical test of speed and explosiveness. “The sprint race is a really stressful event: a three-minute race with lots of transitions, it’s really dynamic and a big lactic effort,” she says. “There is a bit of elbowing and battling for position… We’re all wearing our warrior hats when we go into a sprint race and that’s what makes it exciting and lots of fun.” The icing on the Italian cake for Harrop and Anselmet was a shared victory in the mixed relay.
Ski mountaineering was unanimously approved for Olympic inclusion into the Milano Cortina 2026 Games by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in July 2021. The sport received an earlier boost through a positive showing at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland. Skimo’s new-found Olympic status also benefited from its popularity in Northern Italy, and it is considered one of the fastest-growing winter sports among recreational participants.
Olympic Skimo does not represent epic Alpine climbing in the more traditional sense. It doesn’t compare to the decades-old ski mountaineering classics like Italy’s Trofeo Mezzalama or Switzerland’s Patrouille des Glaciers. Italian three-time national champion Giulia Compagnoni believes both recreational and competitive ski mountaineering will benefit from greater exposure and interest along the journey to Milano Cortina 2026 and beyond. “We are not a rich sport, but the Olympics is a great opportunity for new sponsors, and that will inspire our young athletes to work harder,” Compagnoni explains.
“We’ve definitely felt more interest from brands, and money is coming in,” says Harrop. “It’s just the beginning and we’ll need this Olympic debut for the public to see it for the first time and that will bring in more media. The sprint races and relay are opening a small door to the other disciplines,” Harrop adds, referring to the vertical races and other longform competitions.
Speaking of which, an individual vertical race was also part of the World Cup series, held on Cortina’s scenic slopes just above Falzarego Pass, a 2.6km test of stamina with a 680m elevation gain. The men’s race was won by Swiss Remi Bonnet, who clocked 24 minutes and six seconds. “I love the individual race; it’s the queen discipline of our sport and I hope it will be included in the next Games in 2030,” says Thibaut.
The 2030 Olympic Winter Games were awarded to the French Alps region by the IOC, in July in Paris. Depending on how successfully Skimo captivates audiences in the Italian Alps of Bormio in 2026, the 2030 Winter Games could present a golden opportunity for Thibaut and Harrop on home snow in additional disciplines.
Harrop is confidently leading the charge: “I can’t say that I wouldn’t want a gold medal, but we’re going to focus step-by-step on getting there and then we’ll try as hard as possible to go for gold.”
∞ Brian is a regular reporter on the Alpine World Cup circuit. Follow him on Instagram: brian.pinelli
∞ In collaboration with SKI magazine