The 2026 Winter Games in Milano Cortina will feature more medals than previous years, thanks to eight new events. The most notable addition is ski mountaineering -- or "skimo" -- an entirely new Olympic sport.
Skimo is a test of endurance where athletes climb steep mountains on skis and then race back down. It combines the physical challenge of mountain climbing with the technical speed of skiing. With three gold medals on the line, it's the biggest change to the Winter Olympics lineup in years.
The first two skimo events -- the men's and women's sprints -- are scheduled for tomorrow morning. Here's everything you need to know about skimo and when and where to watch.
Meet skimo, the new Olympic sport
As you might have guessed from the name, skimo is a new skiing event. Unlike other ski races, this one involves going both uphill and downhill, combining the endurance of Nordic skiing with the daring of alpine racing, with a pinch of NASCAR pit crew feeling at the top, as competitors transition from climbing to skiing down.
A skimo race begins at the bottom of the hill. Skiers start with carpet-like strips called "skins" on the bottom of their skis, which help them grip the snow as they race uphill. As if cross-country skiing wasn't enough of an aerobic test of pain tolerance, let's make it harder and race uphill!
As racers near the top of the skimo course, there will be a section too steep for skis, so racers will hop out of their skis, throw them on their back and hike up the hill in their boots. This exhausting section is called "boot packing."
Finally, at the top, racers will jump back into their skis, strip off the skins with shocking efficiency and then race down the hill through a series of gates to the finish line. This downhill section will look like a giant slalom race, for those familiar with alpine ski racing.
Before you race down, you must skin and hike up. Sylvie Husson and David Lory/AFP/Getty Images
What are the three skimo events?
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