"At the Olympics, a select field of just 36 athletes - 18 men and 18 women - will compete across three medal events: men's sprint, women's sprint and a mixed-gender relay. Competitors will climb and descend steep alpine terrain on ultra-light gear that's about as stripped down as a ski setup gets, racing up with "skins" on their skis and ripping down through technical passages in incredible, breathless bursts."
"Over the past few winters, where I live - in one of the country's winter sport meccas - there have been a whole lot more people packing skins and stepping into the backcountry. Trails once quiet, save for the sinuous whoosh of a lone ski line, are suddenly dotted with fresh tracks. Backcountry skiing - long a niche pursuit of hardcore alpinists and telemark nostalgists - has spilled into the mainstream."
"But as more people fall for the draw of snow-covered landscapes and independent lines, climate change keeps chipping away at the very winters that make this lifestyle possible. A surge in popularity I first started skiing uphill six years ago, when many other people did - just as the pandemic hit. Obvious things were driving me away from traditional ski culture: the surprising cost of resort days and season passes, the drama of holiday weekend lift lines (or lift lines on"
Backcountry skiing has expanded from a niche to mainstream pursuit as more people pack skins and explore untracked alpine terrain. Ski mountaineering will debut at the 2026 Winter Olympics with 36 athletes competing in sprint and mixed relay events on ultra-light gear, climbing and descending steep technical terrain. Increased participation reflects pandemic-era shifts away from resort costs and crowded lifts toward independent lines. Rising popularity coincides with climate change eroding reliable winter snow, putting the seasonal conditions that enable backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering at growing risk.
Read at High Country News
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