The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics are set to be quite a show, with many of our favorite athletes getting ready to perform and compete at one of the world’s biggest sporting events. This year a new sport is set to make its Winter Olympic debut: ski mountaineering, and while France, Switzerland, and Spain will be sending the most athletes, two top competitors are set to represent the United States in one of the three Ski Mountaineering events.
Athletes Anna Gibson and Cam Smith will be representing Team USA in the ski mountaineering mixed relay event on Saturday, February 21st, at the Stelvio Ski Centre in Italy. Cam Smith began competing in ski mountaineering after heading to Western Colorado University in 2014, racing with his sister in the iconic Grand Traverse race. He’s now an 11-time US Ski Mountaineering national champion and five-time North American Ski Mountaineering champion. He’s also qualified for the Mountain and Trail Running World Championships.
Raised in Jackson, Wyoming, Anna Gibson has won 17 overall Wyoming state titles in three sports: track, cross country, and Nordic skiing. Smith recruited her to the sport of ski mountaineering because of her background in Nordic Skiing and track and field. In her first-ever World Cup Race, Gibson and Smith became the first American team in history to win a mixed relay World Cup event. Their success in that event earned them a slot at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
U.S. viewers will be able to watch the 2026 Winter Olympics on NBC or Peacock. Ski Mountaineering is set to begin on Thursday, February 19th, with the sprints. The mixed relay begins on Saturday, February 21st, at 7:30am ET (1:30am local time).
