Ski mountaineering (abbreviated to skimo) is a skiing discipline that involves climbing mountains either on skis or carrying them, depending on the steepness of the ascent, and then descending on skis. There are two major categories of equipment used: free-heel Telemark skis and skis based on

Alpine ski ''Alpine Ski'' (アルパイン・スキ一) is an alpine skiing arcade video game released by Taito in 1981. The player controls a skier on a vertically scrolling video game, vertically scrolling course who can move left, right, or increase for ...

s, where the heel is free for ascents, but is fixed during descent. The discipline may be practiced recreationally or as a competitive sport. Competitive ski mountaineering is typically a timed racing event that follows an established trail through challenging winter alpine terrain while passing through a series of checkpoints. Racers climb and descend under their own power using

backcountry skiing Backcountry skiing ( US), also called off-piste (Europe), alpine touring, freeriding or out-of-area, is skiing in the backcountry on unmarked or unpatrolled areas either inside or outside a ski resort's boundaries. This contrasts with alpine s ...

equipment and techniques. More generally, ski mountaineering is an activity that variously combines

ski touring Ski touring is skiing in the backcountry on unmarked or unpatrolled areas. Touring is typically done off-piste and outside of ski resorts, and may extend over a period of more than one day. It is similar to backcountry skiing but excludes the ...

Telemark Telemark () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway. Telemark borders the counties of Vestfold, Buskerud, Vestland, Rogaland and Agder. In 2020, Telemark merged with the county of Vestfold to form the county o ...

, and

mountaineering Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become mounta ...

. Ski mountaineering is set to make its debut as an

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

event in the

2026 Winter Olympics The 2026 Winter Olympics (), officially the XXV Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Milano Cortina 2026, is an upcoming international multi-sport event scheduled to take place from 6 to 22 February 2026 at sites across Lombardy and North ...

History

Military patrol Military patrol is a team winter sport in which athletes compete in cross-country skiing (sport), cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. Formerly ski mountaineering was also part of the sport. It is usually contested between countries or milit ...

was an official event at the 1924 Winter Olympics, followed by demonstration events at the

1928 Winter Olympics The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games (; ; ; ) and commonly known as St. Moritz 1928 (; ), were an international winter multi-sport event that was celebrated from 11 to 19 February 1928 in St. Moritz, Swit ...

, in

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

and in

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

. Military patrol is considered to be a predecessor of the

biathlon The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not ti ...

. From 1992 to 2009, the Comité International du Ski-Alpinisme de Compétition (CISAC), founded by the skiing associations of France, Italy, Slovakia, Andorra, and

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, sanctioned the European Championship.Claude Défago
''Die Geschichte des Skialpinismus''
(German). Then the CISAC merged with the International Council for Ski Mountaineering Competitions in 1999, which in 2008 became the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF). Outside Europe, international championships started with the 2007 South American Ski Mountaineering Championship and the 2007 Asian Championship of Ski Mountaineering. The 2012 North American Ski Mountaineering Championship was the first edition of a North American Championship of Ski Mountaineering, sanctioned by the United States Ski Mountaineering Association. In July 2021, the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...

announced that Ski Mountaineering had been added as an optional sport at the

in Milan Cortina, following a successful debut of the sport at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics. In October 2021, The Organizing Committee of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games announced that the competition venue chosen for the event was the resort of Bormio. In addition, the sport is scheduled as an optional event during the 2025 Winter World University Games, to be held in

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, Italy.

Competition

International competition is sanctioned by the International Ski Mountaineering Federation, holding the ISMF Ski Mountaineering World Cup. National bodies sanction national competitions: for example, the United States Ski Mountaineering Association (USSMA), Ski Mountaineering Competition Canada (SMCC), and the Schweizer Alpen Club (Switzerland). Three important races are the Italian Mezzalama Trophy, the Swiss

Patrouille des Glaciers The Patrouille des Glaciers (PDG) is a ski mountaineering race organised every two years by the Swiss Armed Forces, in which military and civilian teams compete. It takes place once every two years at the end of April, in the south part of the ca ...

, and the French Pierra Menta.

Equipment

* Bindings: Should be reliable, light, and durable. *

Boots A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearl ...

: Should be light and flexible. * Skis: Width: 60-90 mm to balance performance and weight. Skinnier skis lack performance in softer snow but are lighter while wider skis lack performance in firmer snow and are heavier. Lightweight skis make ascent easier. Length depends on a person's height but going shorter than your normal length will be lighter and will be easier on steep terrain. *

Ski skins Climbing skins are strips that attach to the bottom of Nordic skiing, Nordic, ski touring, alpine touring or randonnée skis to help while ascending backcountry slopes. They are designed to be removed for skiing downhill. They are typically attac ...

: Attached to bottoms of skis, used for walking up slopes. *

Rope A rope is a group of yarns, Plying, plies, fibres, or strands that are plying, twisted or braided together into a larger and stronger form. Ropes have high tensile strength and can be used for dragging and lifting. Rope is thicker and stronger ...

: Are not always used in ski mountaineering, but if the approach to the summit or drop-in is treacherous, having a rope can help mitigate risk. When choosing a rope, one needs to make sure it is a proper climbing rope, paracord and ropes found in gas stations are not suitable. Some popular climbing rope companies are Sterling, Mammut and Black Diamond. * Crampons: Are used to help walk and climb on hard packed snow and ice. They usually have 10 or 12 spikes and are secured to your boot using three different methods. The first method is strap-on crampons which are attached by stepping into a basket and then securing with webbing and these fit with any type of boot. The second is hybrid or semi-automatic crampons. These use the welt on the back of your boot along with a basket in the front to hold onto your boot, and also use webbing to help secure them; these are made to work with a certain type of boot. The final type of crampon is an automatic or step-in crampon. These use both the back and front welt on a person's boot with webbing to secure them to the boot. These types of crampons are the most secure, but also the most specialized crampon and need specific boots to have them work. * Touring Bindings: Lightweight alpine touring or telemark bindings. For AT, the pin style toes are the lightest and tour the best. * Avalanche search and rescue equipment:

Beacon A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location. A common example is the lighthouse, which draws attention to a fixed point that can be used to navigate around obstacles or into port. More mode ...

(transceiver) – digital transceiver, Probe – at least 2 meters in length, Shovel – any snow shovel works but collapsible shovels are more lightweight and packable, Snow kit- used to help examine snow and snow quality. *

Ice Axe An ice axe is a multi-purpose hiking and climbing tool used by mountaineers in both the ascent and descent of routes that involve snow or ice covered (e.g. ice climbing or mixed climbing) conditions. Its use depends on the terrain: in its si ...

: Used to assist safety in steep snow and ice. No longer than 60 cm, 50-55 cm is preferred.

Safety

* Avalanche Education: Is education in how to safely travel in avalanche terrain and how to rescue others in case of an avalanche. Knowing how to identify and react in avalanche conditions is vital to being safe while ski mountaineering. Most areas with backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering have organizations who teach these courses. Two popular ones are AIARE and AAA. * Wilderness medicine: When recreating in the outdoors it's crucial to possess medical skills and equipment. The importance of medical skills is even more pertinent when you're deep in the backcountry. There are multiple companies who teach wilderness specific medical skills, the main few being NOLS and SOLO. They offer certifications ranging from Wildernesses First Aid to Wilderness EMT. With these skills a person should also be carrying a first aid kit with all the necessities for a particular location and terrain.

References

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Mountaineering Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become mounta ...

Types of mountaineering

History

Competition

Equipment

Safety

See also

References