'Skimo' takes center stage at Solitude ahead of 2026 Olympic debut

BRIGHTON — Athletes from around the world converged on Solitude Mountain Resort over the weekend with hopes of qualifying for the Winter Olympics in ski mountaineering's 2026 debut in Italy.

Sprint and mixed relay races are planned for the Milan Cortina games in February, and more than 100 athletes from 24 countries participated in the weekend's International Ski Mountaineering Federation World Cup event.

"I mean, this has been really cool to bring the world here," said Sarah Cookler, race director of the Salt Lake City "Skimo" World Cup event and the head of sport for the U.S. Ski Mountaineering Association.

Sunday featured men's and women's sprint races.

"These athletes ran as fast as they could on skis straight up the mountain and then had to transition and ski aggressively downhill," Cookler explained.

Jon Kistler of Switzerland took 1st place in the men's sprint with a final time of 2:40.7, topping Arno Lietha of Switzerland at 2:45.9 and Maximilien Drion Du Chapois of Belgium at 2:51.7.

Margot Ravinel of France clocked a first-place time in the women's sprint final of 3:14.8, followed by Giulia Murada of Italy at 3:27.9 and Katia Mascherona of Italy at 3:28.0.

The U.S. saw greater success on Saturday, with Anna Gibson and Cameron Smith capturing the Mixed Relay Final A with a time of 32:17.6

Kistler said he arrived in Utah last week to train for the strenuous sprint event.

"It's a lot of endurance and hard sessions to, yeah, get the motor running," Kistler said during an interview with KSL-TV. "It's really hard, but it's really rewarding."

Ravinel was also grateful to come away with a victory in the intense event.

"It's hard, but I like to go outside my comfort zone," Ravinel said. "I liked my transitions. They were clear, so I'm happy and congratulations to everyone!"

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