The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, the 25th edition of the Winter Games, features eight sports and 16 disciplines, with 116 gold medals up for grabs, including the Olympic debut of ski mountaineering.

Long practiced in the Alps, the sport was approved by the International Olympic Committee in 2019 upon lobbying by the International Ski Mountaineering Federation, which emphasized its growing global participation, sustainability and natural fit with the host region’s alpine terrain.

Ski mountaineering combines endurance, speed and technical skill, as athletes ascend and descend snow-covered mountains using lightweight skis and specialized equipment. Courses require repeated transitions between climbing and skiing, and on steep or technical sections, competitors carry skis on their backs while climbing on foot before resuming skiing, testing both stamina and strategy.


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