Surprising military roots of Winter Olympics' brand-new sport discipline

The Winter Olympic Games have been held since 1924, when the first official edition took place in the French resort of Chamonix. This year’s Milano Cortina 2026 is underway, with athletes competing in 16 winter disciplines. The Games are making history by introducing ski mountaineering to the Olympic programme for the first time. Commonly known as skimo, it is the only new sport debuting in Italy this month, despite a heritage that stretches back generations.

Skimo is a demanding blend of uphill endurance and downhill speed. Athletes attach removable fabric “skins” to the base of their skis for traction and use bindings with detachable heels to climb steep slopes.

At transition points, they remove the skins to ski downhill and, in some sections, carry their skis on their backpacks while ascending on foot. Precision and efficiency in these transitions are critical, with mere seconds often separating victory from defeat.

The sport features several formats, including individual races, sprints and team relays. However, only the men’s and women’s sprints and the mixed relay are included in this year’s Olympic schedule. Sprint races are particularly intense, typically lasting around three minutes and involving one ascent and one descent, leaving little margin for error. The mixed relay pairs one man and one woman, who complete four alternating laps of a slightly longer course featuring two ascents and two descents per lap.

Military connection

Skimo’s roots run deep across the high-Alpine world. Before ski lifts existed, backcountry skiing was often the only way to traverse snow-covered mountains. The discipline evolved from European hunting traditions, exploration and military patrol, as highlighted in an article by the Smithsonian magazine. Armies operating in mountainous terrain relied on skinning uphill and skiing down as a practical means of movement, particularly during World War I and II.

That military connection remains visible today. Elite infantry units across Europe continue to use ski mountaineering for specialized warfare, patrol and reconnaissance. As a result, military personnel frequently compete in the thriving Alpine skimo circuit. Troops from the Italian Army’s Alpini corps are among those aiming for success at the 2026 Winter Games.

“In Europe, almost all of the skimo teams are funded by their government’s military,” says Sarah Cookler, head of sport for USA Skimo at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. “Many wear a military badge on their jackets. Their athletes are sponsored, and their faces are on billboards. This is how they make a living year-round."

The Olympic skimo competition begins on February 19 with the individual sprints, followed by the mixed relay on February 21. Fourteen nations have qualified athletes for the discipline’s historic debut, underscoring how the sport has expanded beyond its Alpine heartland. Participating countries include Spain, Switzerland, France, Italy, Norway, Austria, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Belgium, the United States, China, and Australia, alongside one Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN).

Sustainability goal

Skimo’s inclusion in the Games also reflects evolving priorities around sustainability, accessibility and the nature of athletic challenge. The Winter Olympics face mounting scrutiny over their environmental footprint, particularly as rising global temperatures threaten reliable snow conditions in traditional host regions.

Against this backdrop, ski mountaineering may serve as a test case for how the International Olympic Committee can better align with its climate goals. Unlike traditional alpine events that depend heavily on energy-intensive lift systems, skimo athletes ascend and descend under their own power — a format that places human endurance, rather than infrastructure, at the center of competition.

By Nazrin Sadigova