COLORADO — The sport of ski mountaineering is joining the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) unanimously approved adding it.
The sport has been growing in popularity over the last 20 years but it’s always been a pretty big deal here in Colorado. The state is home to the Colorado Ski Mountaineering Series and there are groups scattered around Colorado dedicated to training youth and athletes in the sport.
Ski mountaineering starts with athletes hiking up terrain in their gear.
“Skinning uphill, so putting adhesive skins on the bottom of your skis to walk uphill. Then you’re locking the binding, removing the skin and then skiing downhill,” said Joe Reesi, with Colorado Ski Mountaineering Series.
The athletes are taking what they do in the backcountry to a competitive environment.
“The descents are challenging. They’re your double black diamond runs, ungroomed surfaces. They’re going 50, 60MPH down ungroomed sections of trail.”
The Colorado Ski Mountaineering Series hosts races across the state and work with the National Ski Mountaineering Association.
“This past weekend I put on one in Telluride. It was over 10,000 feet of climbing and 7 different climbs and descents,” said Reesi. “What we’ve taken here and built as a hotbed of ski mountaineering racing and to be able to go up against the best in the world. And to be able to select a team in the next few years is extremely exciting.”
Ski mountaineering is a competitive winter sport which includes multiple race formats of individual, vertical, teams, sprint, and relay races. The Olympic sport will include 24 men and 24 women falling within the overall quota of 2,900.
In the 2026 Winter Games, ski mountaineering will consist of five events. There will be two men’s events, a sprint and an individual, a women’s sprint and individual, along with one mixed-gender relay event.
“Anything in the ski mountaineering realm definitely requires a lot of training. You’re actively moving constantly in the backcountry so making sure you have the strength to be able to get up where you want to at a high rate. And then get down safely,” said Shane Leva, General Manager of Mountain Chalet.
Mountain Chalet in Colorado Springs is your one-stop-shop for anything outdoor adventure related. They have specialty gear for ski mountaineering and pretty much every backcountry sport you might be interested in.
They host a free avalanche beacon course to help train and prepare people before going into the backcountry for ski mountaineering or any other adventure.
The Colorado Ski Mountaineering Series is hosting the last race of the season in Colorado on Sunday, April 3rd. It will be a teams race held at Breckenridge. Spots are open to participate and everyone is invited to come watch the race.
