The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are coming sooner than you might think, with the opening ceremony less than 2 months away. That brings the return of many favorite events, including freestyle skiing and snowboarding, cross country skiing, ski racing, and, of course, curling. But the 2026 Olympics also come with a new sport: ski mountaineering. If you don’t know what it is or how it works, this short video makes it a lot easier to understand.
Ski mountaineering (skimo) will have just two days to shine at the 2026 Winter Olympics. On Thursday, February 19th, the men’s and women’s sprints will take place, with heats, semifinals, and the finals all occurring in the same 24 hours. On Saturday, February 21st, the mixed relay will take place, a single event beginning at 1:30pm local time.
Team USA secured their only skimo spot in the 2026 Olympics this past Saturday at North America’s first ski mountaineering World Cup held at Solitude Mountain Resort in Utah. Teammates Cam Smith and Anna Gibson took home the gold and crushed Canada’s 6th place team, securing the only North American spot for the Olympics.
