Venue: Stelvio Ski Centre

Competition Dates: February 19, 21 (Days 13, 15)

Events: 3 (1 men, 1 women, 1 mixed)

Ski mountaineering (or skimo as a common shortform) combines uphill and downhill skiing with mountaineering skills. The sport is set to make its official Olympic debut at Milano Cortina 2026 after being proposed for inclusion by the Organizing Committee. Ski mountaineering has deep historical roots in the European Alps.

In its first Olympic appearance, ski mountaineering will feature two forms of racing: sprint events for men and women and a mixed relay event.

The sprint race is, as the name indicates, very fast. It includes the essential features of ski mountaineering: an ascent on foot while carrying skis on a backpack, an ascent on skis with skins, and a single descent on skis.

The total ascent and descent in a sprint race is about 100 metres and elite athletes will typically complete a course in approximately three to three-and-a-half minutes. In contrast, the individual race (which is not part of the Olympic program) includes at least three ascents and descents with a total height gain of up to 1900m and typically lasts one-and-a-half to two hours.

Sprint events begin with a qualification round held with interval starts as each athlete begins 20 seconds after the one ahead. Those times are used to seed athletes into elimination heats of six for the final.

The mixed relay features teams of one man and one woman. Each athlete will do two circuits of the course, alternating between each circuit. It will take approximately 15 minutes to complete each circuit, which includes two ascents and descents and a total height gain of 150 to 180 metres.

The skis used in ski mountaineering are lighter than those used in alpine skiing but, like those used in cross-country skiing, have moveable bindings to allow for proper joint movement. Boots are made to be easy to wear whether the athlete is ascending on foot, ascending on skis, or descending on skis and they feature quick fastenings to adapt to each situation.

To help athletes make their ascent on skis, skins are attached to the bottom. These bristle-like, self-sticking straps allow for forward gliding and gripping the snow during push-off but stop the skier from sliding backwards. Once made of seal skins, they are synthetic in the modern world.

Ski Mountaineering History

As with other skiing sports, ski mountaineering evolved from the need that prehistoric humans had to move effectively over hilly and mountainous terrain during snowy winter months. While archaeologists have discovered images depicting figures moving across snow on what look to be wooden skis, there are also paintings from the Middle Ages which seem to show the use of skins for snow covered ascents.

The first official world championships for ski mountaineering were held in 2002, sanctioned by the International Council for Ski Mountaineering Competitions, a body of the Union Internationale des Associations d’Alpinisme. The independent International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF) was founded in 2008 and has since organized the biennial world championships.

Ski mountaineering was included at the Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games where Canada was represented by Findlay Eyre and Ema Chlepkova.

Early in the 20^th century, three Olympic gold medals were awarded for notable exploits in alpinism. In 1924, it was to recognize the participants of the 1922 Mount Everest expedition, who made three attempts to reach the summit but were unsuccessful. In 1932, the gold medal went to German brothers Franz Schmid and Toni Schmid, who were the first to successfully climb the north face of the Matterhorn. The last was awarded in 1936 to Swiss husband-wife climbers Günter Oskar Dyhrenfurth and Hettie Dyhrenfurth. Two years earlier, they had climbed the Gasherbrum and the Sia Kangri in the Himalayas. On the latter mountain, Hettie set a world altitude record for women by reaching 7442 metres.

The International Olympic Committee officially elected Salt Lake City–Utah as the host of the 2034 Olympic Winter Games at the 142nd IOC session in Paris on July 24, 2024. IOC members voted in support of Salt Lake City-Utah by a margin of 83-6.

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee chose Salt Lake City as its host candidate for future Games in 2018, and entered targeted dialogue with the IOC in 2020.

The United States of America has hosted the most Olympic Games of any country. Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 will mark the USA’s 10th time as an Olympic host nation. Previous Olympic Winter Games in the country include Lake Placid 1932, Squaw Valley 1960, Lake Placid 1980, and Salt Lake City 2002. It hosted the Olympic Summer Games of St. Louis 1904, Los Angeles 1932, Los Angeles 1984, and Atlanta 1996 and is set to host Los Angeles 2028.  

The 2034 Games will extend the legacy of Salt Lake City 2002, with 100 percent of competition taking place in pre-existing venues. The maintenance of legacy venues aligns with the IOC’s commitment to sustainable practices.

Getting to know Salt Lake City and the USA

The United States is the third-most populous country in the world, with more than 326 million people calling it home. 

The United States is a constitutional federal republic divided into 50 states and one district, which is the location of the nation’s capital city, Washington, D.C. The president is both head of state and head of government.

Salt Lake City is located in the landlocked state of Utah in the western USA. The state shares a western border with the state of Nevada, a northern border with the states of Idaho and Wyoming, an eastern border with the state of Colorado, and a southern border with the state of Arizona.

Salt Lake City runs on Mountain Daylight Time, which is two hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

The United States declared independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776, but it was not recognized until September 3, 1783. The lyrics of the national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner” were written by Francis Scott Key during the War of 1812 but it wasn’t officially adopted until 1931. The American flag features 13 equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white (representing the original 13 colonies) as well as a blue rectangle containing 50 stars for the 50 states.

The International Olympic Committee named the French Alps as the host of the 2030 Olympic Winter Games at the 142nd IOC Session in Paris, France, on July 24, 2024. IOC members voted 84-4 in favour of the French Alps 2030 bid.

French Alps 2030 will be the seventh Olympic Games hosted by France. The nation played host to the Olympic Winter Games three previous times – Chamonix 1924, Grenoble 1968 and Albertville 1992. The country has hosted the Olympic Summer Games in the city of Paris three times (Paris 1900, Paris 1924, and Paris 2024). 

French Alps 2030 will draw inspiration and expertise from France’s most recent Olympic Games hosting experience. As was the case at Paris 2024, sustainability will be a priority for these Games, with 93 percent of venues being pre-existing or temporary to reduce the carbon footprint of the Games. Many of the venues for French Alps 2030 are legacy venues from Albertville 1992.

The Games will take place within four clusters across the northern and southern areas of France, united as the “French Alps.” The competition clusters will be located in Haute Savoie, Savoie, Briançon and Nice. The latter is the most populated area of the host clusters, and is the fifth most populous city in France. 

These will be the second consecutive Olympic Winter Games to take place in the European Alps, following Milano Cortina 2026. 

Getting to know the French Alps and France

One of the most modern countries in the world, France is a leader among European nations. Its global influence can be felt through its role as a permanent member of the United Nations’ Security Council as well as its positions in NATO, the G-7, G-20 and the European Union.

Although the largest portion of France (551,500km2) is located in western Europe, five overseas entities – French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, Reunion – also became part of France proper in the early 21st century.

With a population of more than 67 million (62 million in western Europe), France is the 21st most populous country in the world. France is a semi-presidential republic divided into 13 metropolitan regions along with the five overseas regions. The president is the head of state while the prime minister is the head of government.

The official language of the country is French. The national anthem, “La Marseillaise,” was first adopted in 1795 and restored in 1870. It was made famous when the National Guard of Marseille sang it while heading into Paris in 1792 during the French Revolutionary Wars. The French flag, featuring three equal vertical bands of blue, white and red, is known as “le drapeau tricolore” and dates back to 1790.

The French Alps run on Central European Time, which is six hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.

Gangwon Province in northeast South Korea will host the 4^th Winter Youth Olympic Games in early 2024.

The Opening Ceremony will take place on January 19, 2024 with competition continuing until the Closing Ceremony on February 1, 2024.

Gangwon was officially selected as the host of the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games at the 135^th IOC Session in January 2020.  

These will be the first Winter Youth Olympic Games to be held in Asia. They will build on the Olympic legacy of the region, which hosted the Olympic Winter Games of PyeongChang 2018. Many venues used for those Games will see the same sports return for another multi-sport event.

Most outdoor mountain events will take place in PyeongChang. The Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre will be home to ski jumping and Nordic combined. The Alpensia Sports Park will host biathlon and cross-country skiing (Alpensia Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing Centres), as well as bobsleigh, skeleton and luge (Alpensia Sliding Centre).

Indoor ice events will be held at four venues in the coastal Gangneung Olympic Park: Gangneung Hockey Centre (ice hockey), Gangneung Curling Centre (curling), Gangneung Oval (long track speed skating), and Gangneung Ice Arena (figure skating, short track speed skating).

Existing standalone venues in Hoengseong and Jeongseon that were not used for PyeongChang 2018 will host freestyle skiing, snowboard, and alpine skiing events.

Maintaining the precedent set at Lausanne 2020, the 4^th Winter Youth Olympic Games will have complete gender balance. The 950 male and 950 female athletes will add up to a record total of 1900 participants, topping the 1788 athletes who competed at Lausanne 2020.

Gangwon 2024 Official Event Program

The competition program includes 32 men’s events, 32 women’s events, and 17 mixed gender events for a total of 81 medal events in the 15 core Winter Olympic sports/disciplines.

For the first time, the Winter Youth Olympic Games will not include any mixed NOC events in which athletes from different countries competed together on teams. Though the event program resembles that of the Olympic Winter Games, it does include some unique events, such as 3-on-3 hockey and women’s Nordic combined.

The Gangwon 2024 motto is “Grow together, shine forever”, which fits with the aim of the Games to drive positive change and social unity in the region while impacting society in the areas of sport, culture, and education.

The Republic of Korea occupies the southern half of the Korean Peninsula, sharing a border with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the north. With a population of almost 52 million, South Korea is the 28^th most populous country in the world. Nearly 10 million of those people live in the capital city of Seoul while Gangwon Province has a population of more than 1.5 million.

The official language of the country is Korean, although English is widely taught in school. South Korea runs on Korea Standard Time which is 14 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.  

Marquis added to his World Cup résumé in 2012-13, when he captured the bronze medal at the Sochi 2014 test event, sharing the podium with fellow Canadian Mikaël Kingsbury. He was also one of four Canadians ranked in the top seven in the World Cup moguls standings. Marquis had his best competitive season in 2014-15 when he finished third in the overall World Cup moguls standings and won silver in the dual moguls at the world championships as part of a Canadian podium sweep. He stood on three World Cup podiums in 2016-17, bringing his career total to 12, including a bronze medal at the PyeongChang 2018 test event.

Just a month before the start of PyeongChang 2018, Marquis tore his right ACL during training at the World Cup in Deer Valley, Utah. He immediately began rehab with a plan to compete in Korea. Remarkably, he not only competed at his second Olympic Games, but advanced from the qualifying round in eighth place before being unable to finish his run in the first final.

A little more about Philippe…

Getting into the Sport: Started skiing at age 2 and began competing at age seven, following his big brother into freestyle… Watching Jean-Luc Brassard win gold at Lillehammer 1994 was his “wow” moment when he decided he wanted to do freestyle… Outside Interests: Enjoys hockey, surfing, cycling… Studying administration at TELUQ through distance education… Affiliated with Right to Play, Active for Life and Motivaction… Odds and Ends: Has a pair of lucky boxers that he wears for competition… Always travels with a hockey stick… Favourite quote: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow, learn as if you were to live forever”…

Appiah made her World Cup debut in January 2016 in an all-woman four-man sled piloted by Kaillie Humphries. She got into her first elite two-woman race at the 2016 World Championships in a sled driven by de Bruin. During the 2016-17 season, Appiah began competing in the two-woman event on the World Cup circuit and won gold in her first race in Whistler in December with Humphries. She also spent time in Rissling’s sled, which included a sixth-place finish at the world championships and a bronze at the Olympic test event for PyeongChang 2018.

After being an alternate brakewoman for PyeongChang 2018, Appiah nearly walked away from bobsleigh, having been so close but so far from her Olympic dream. With encouragement from teammates and coaches, she decided she would learn how to drive and control her own destiny in the sled.  

Her first international two-woman race as a pilot was in a North American Cup event in November 2018. In January 2019, she competed in her first monobob race in Calgary. She returned to the brakewoman position in Rissling’s sled for the 2019 World Championships. 

Appiah was back in North American Cup races in 2019-20 and won her first medal on the circuit as a pilot when she grabbed bronze in Lake Placid in January 2020. She made her World Cup debut as a pilot a couple of weeks later in Innsbruck.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian bobsleigh team only competed in the second half of the 2020-21 season. In late January, she finished fourth in both the two-woman and monobob races at the World Cup in Innsbruck. In her first world championships as a pilot in 2021, Appiah was the top Canadian pilot in the monobob (placing fifth) and two-woman races (placing ninth).

During the 2021-22 season, Appiah reached the podium in four of seven monobob races at the World Cup level and never placed lower than fifth to rank her third in the overall standings. She also slid to three top-eight finishes in World Cup two-woman races.

During her official Olympic debut at Beijing 2022, Appiah placed eighth in both the monobob and the two-woman events, joined in the latter by brakewoman Dawn Richardson Wilson.

Appiah competed in athletics at York University where she was named the 2013 York Female Athlete of the Year. She was a three-time silver medallist in shot put at the CIS Championships (2010, 2012, 2013) and won two medals in 20lb weight throw. In 2012, Appiah represented Canada at the NACAC U23 Championships, making the hammer throw and shot put finals.

A Little More About Cynthia

Getting into the Sport: Was introduced to bobsleigh in 2011 but didn’t pursue it seriously until 2013 after she had finished university… She had gotten to a point in her throwing career that she knew she couldn’t progress enough to be an Olympian, but felt there was an opportunity for her to be great in bobsleigh, knowing the power and strength she possessed… Outside Interests: Graduated from York University in 2013 with an Honours Bachelor of Arts in history with a psychology minor… Might like to do a degree in physics or pursue a masters in history… Supports Fast and Female, Classroom Champions, and the Jays Care Foundation… Loves watching and playing Jeopardy!, huge fan of Sporcle quizzes, enjoys knitting and crocheting (though she never finishes projects), watching the Toronto Blue Jays, anime, trying new foods… Used to work in subscriber services for the Toronto Blue Jays… Odds and Ends: Biggest athletics inspiration is Serena Williams but also admires Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles for their prioritization of mental health… Favourite motto: “Every storm eventually runs out of rain”… Always puts her socks and shoes on left to right and has specific race-day clothes…

In 2016-17 he was the overall Nor-Am Cup champion and also finished atop the giant slalom standings. Brown debuted at the FIS World Ski Championships in 2013 with a 35^th place finish in the giant slalom. He was also a member of the Canadian team that narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth in the team event. Through the 2016-17 season, Brown’s career-best World Cup result is a 21^st place finish in the giant slalom in Soelden, Austria in October 2014. Brown had a standout performance at the 2011 FIS Junior World Championships when he won bronze in the combined while finishing seventh in the super-G and 10^th in the slalom.

A little more about Phil…

Getting into the Sport: Learned to ski at age three… Started racing at age eight… Outside Interests: Loves playing other sports including hockey, mountain biking, golf, volleyball, water skiing… Odds and Ends: Nicknames: Downtown Phil Brown, Philly and Brownie… Affiliated with the Nik Zoricic Foundation; Zoricic had been a friend growing up whose father Bebe coached Brown when he was young and one of the reasons he took ski racing more seriously… Admires Erik Guay for his work ethic and professionalism… Favourite quote: “Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob of us today.” – Robert J. Hastings… When he was 10 his family took a vacation to watch the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and were among the few Canadian fans in the stands when Daniel Igali won wrestling gold… Underwent hip surgery in 2015, leading to 3 months on crutches and 6 months of rehab but didn’t miss any racing…

Nicoll has been representing Canada in World Cup competition since December 1999, just a couple of years after she first made the switch to snowboard from skiing. She has eight World Cup podiums to her credit and twice finished fourth in the overall World Cup standings for halfpipe (2004-05 and 2009-10). Another career highlight was her fourth-place finish at the 2010 Winter X Games Europe. Nicoll has always had a drive to make it to the next competition. That was especially important after she fell during the opening round of competition at Turin 2006. She finished 27^th and knew that she needed to return to the Olympic Games. She made her fourth Olympic appearance at PyeongChang 2018.

A little more about Mercedes

Getting into the Sport: Started snowboarding at age 13… Had been a skier but after moving to Whistler when she was 12 she found friends who were snowboarders so she made the switch the next year… Had also been a figure skater as a child… Outside Interests: Studied social media and online marketing at BCIT… Enjoys painting and used it as a form of therapy during her concussion recovery… Enjoys yoga and outside sports…  Works casually during the summer for the Whistler Resort Municipality in operations and events… Volunteers with the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation Odds and Ends: RBC Olympian… Favourite Olympic memory is the love that Canadians had for all of the athletes at Vancouver 2010 and seeing how the country could come together to support them… Collects her competition bibs and accreditations… Favourite quote: “Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” – Marilyn Monroe…

Johnson scored once for Canada at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship before the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His first experience with the national program was as a member of the Canada West U-19 team at the 2019 World Junior A Challenge.

Johnson played junior hockey with the Trail Smoke Eaters of the BCHL. In 2019-20 Johnson scored 101 points in 52 games to be the league’s top scorer and was awarded the MVP and Most Sportsmanlike Player. He also received the CJHL’s Top Forward honours. He committed to the University of Michigan where he is majoring in sport management and was named to the Big Ten All-Rookie team in 2021 with 27 points in 26 games. Part way through his sophomore season, he had already bested his point total from the year before, with 30 points in three fewer games.

He was selected fifth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.

Ellis played junior hockey for Cape Breton in the QMJHL and was team captain in 2010-11 and 2011-12. At the 2012 trade deadline he was dealt to the Shawinigan Cataractes, helping lead them to the Memorial Cup championship. That season he won the Kevin Lowe Trophy as the QMJHL’s Best Defensive Defenseman, was named a second-team all-star, and served as an assistant captain for the QMJHL All-Stars in the CHL Canada/Russia Super Series.

Ellis was selected in the fourth round, 117^th overall, by Montreal in the 2010 NHL Draft. Upon turning pro in 2012-13, he joined their AHL club in Hamilton. He played there for three years, splitting the 2014-15 season in the ECHL with the Wheeling Nailers. In 2016 he made his NHL debut with the Canadiens, appearing in three games. He spent the majority of the season in the AHL with Montreal’s new affiliate in St. John’s.

Ellis signed with St. Louis during the off-season and was named assistant captain of their AHL team in Chicago in 2016-17. From there, Ellis continued his career overseas, first in Sweden in 2017-18 with Skellefteå AIK and then Färjestad BK. He played with German team Kölner Haie in 2018-19 and led the DEL in goals by a defenseman. He played with HK Sochi in the KHL in 2019-20 and began 2020-21 with Latvian KHL club Dinamo Riga before moving back to Germany and joining ERC Ingolstadt. In 2021-22 he joined Eisbaren Berlin and made his Champions League debut.