Olympic Qualifying: Skimo @ Solitude
There is Lycra, and the smell of victory or defeat in the air. While we would rather avoid the binary, it’s true: this weekend brings either a high or a low for North American skimo. And here, yes, by skimo, we mean the racing, lycra, curated courses, and stopwatch-type skimo.
For the first time, skimo will be featured as a sport at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics. On December 6th at Solitude ski resort, up Big Cottonwood Canyon, the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF) will hold a World Cup race that will ultimately decide the U.S. and Canada’s 2026 Olympic skimo fate.
In short, neither North American country has auto-qualified athletes for the Games. And so…it comes down to a winner-take-all event on December 6th’s ISMF mixed relay race at Solitude. If Canada finishes ahead of the U.S. team, then yeehaw for the Maple Leaf flag. And…if the U.S. outpaces our peeps to the north, the U.S. sends a team to Milano Cortina. So, it will smell like victory and defeat, which is not how we like to associate mountain craft. But so be it, the international federations need rules and quotas.
THR Readers: If you are keen on watching the Solitude ISMF mixed relay live on 12/6 @ 1 p.m. Mountain Time (that’s Utah time), it appears that the CBC YouTune channel will broadcast the event (live). Here is the CBC Link.
The 2026 Games will feature three skimo races, two sprints, with male and female events, respectively, and a mixed relay. There are 36 skimo-athlete spots at the games, 18 for women and 18 for men. Qualifying countries can secure up to four athletes total (two/gender) in skimo.
At this point, Canada or the U.S. can qualify a maximum of 2 skimo athletes (1 male and 1 female). However, each respective national skimo federation will name those athletes in January.
The East is the Beast: from Cow Mania to Powder Shots
With nearly 50 inches of snow recorded atop Vermont’s Mount Mansfield this season, with near-historically dry conditions out West, the East is beasty. Snow, and certainly powder snow, has lured tourers into terra incognito back East.
According to a Stowe Mountain Rescue’s Facebook post (and articles in outlets like the Boston Globe), TikTok and those easily lured by finger-swiping good short-form content have become a problem in the backcountry.
“This summer, hordes of tourists descended on Stowe in search of the Highland Cattle at The Trapp Family Lodge—the result of a viral Social Media post that launched cow-mania. And why not? Highland Cattle are undeniably cute and there’s nothing to lose. However, there’s a more dangerous trend happening, where TikTok videos of whooping skiers in knee-deep powder are luring inexperienced skiers and riders into Stowe’s backcountry at a time of year when the snow pack is unreliable. Mt Mansfield Ski Patrol is currently plagued by unprecedented numbers of lost skiers in backcountry terrain accessible from the resort. Our team has been called in to help several times and at least one of the skiing parties we rescued quoted TikTok as their inspiration.”
Various reports state the rescue group assisted two distressed 19-year-olds from New York City on the night of November 29th. Additionally, the uptick in early-season users is attributed to many users following tracks out of bounds into unfamiliar zones.
Although this is a news post, and not an opinion, THR readers, please do not be lulled by those lull-worthy TikTok posts. Powder snow is divine. No argument there. And certainly, who hasn’t (in the privacy of their own kingdom) looked through the socials to decipher where the good snow can be found? With enough time spent in a region and just the right amount of visual clues in a post, sleuthing for good snow can be entertaining. But, please, take precautions; cow mani is one thing, being rescued due to ill-preparedness is another.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.