Olympians Anna Gibson And Cam Smith Reflect On Skimo’s Historic Debut In Milano Cortina

As they look back on their performances at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, Anna Gibson and Cam Smith can’t help but feel optimistic about the future of ski mountaineering in the U.S.

Competing in the sport’s Olympic debut, Smith and Gibson exceeded all expectations. After both reached their respective semifinals in the individual sprint races, Gibson and Smith teamed up to place a surprising fourth in the mixed relay event , finishing just 17.39 seconds short of the podium at the Stelvio Ski Centre in Bormio, Italy.

“I’m definitely still processing things and trying to wrap my head around it all,” Smith said in March, a month after the Olympic races. “It was just such a wild experience. We had a blast, and (it was) just such an honor to have been a part of it. I think we did as well as we possibly could have.”

Smith, 30, grew up in Rockford, Illinois, and now resides in Crested Butte, Colorado. He only began competing alongside the 26-year-old Gibson, from Jackson, Wyoming, a few months prior to the Games. Their results in Milano Cortina showed that their approach, preparation and training had paid handsome dividends, he said.

Smith felt he and Gibson each crushed their individual portions of the relay, resulting in their thrilling chase for a podium finish in the relay. Despite ending up just shy of a bronze medal, Smith said he was “super stoked” to come in fourth.

Smith compared the Olympics with the world cup circuit, which he’s competed on since 2017.

“In between the lines, it was pretty similar,” he said. “It was all the same athletes and characters and a pretty standard-fare course. But definitely the energy on the sidelines and the attention to (the racing) was absolutely unique, just having that many eyes on us.”

Gibson agreed that the energy level was elevated compared to other international events.

“That was one of the coolest experiences ever, and I was so grateful that I had the opportunity to compete there,” Gibson said. “It was truly so, so special. I just had one of those experiences that make your whole athletic career, if not your life.

“I did something that I didn’t really know I was capable of. There’s something mentally very settling about that.”

A former Nordic skier, Gibson only took up ski mountaineering last summer, upon Smith’s encouragement. Her first international competition came in December, when she teamed with Smith to win the mixed relay at a world cup  event at the Solitude Ski Resort in Utah. Their result clinched Team USA’s quota spot in Milano Cortina.

Gibson pointed out that she and Smith had entered the 2025-26 season ranked 13th in the world in the mixed relay. Their win in Utah moved them up to ninth ahead of the Games, and then they jumped to fourth in Italy.

“By any standard, that trajectory is incredible,” she said. “It was a total surprise, and I think it also is somewhat of a blessing.”

Almost two months since their success in Italy, Smith and Gibson continue to talk about what they accomplished at the Olympics.

“We catch up every week or two just to kind of check in about … how crazy this has all been,” Smith said. “It’s been fun to have someone to go through this all step-by-step with. It’s been nice to kind of bounce things off her.”

Smith said the international skimo community also took notice that the U.S. team is here to stay. The Olympic results showed that the Americans can compete with anyone, and Smith only expects that to continue as more and more athletes come through the developmental pipeline in the years to come.

Smith didn’t pick up the sport until age 18, while Gibson only began training for skimo last summer. The young Americans coming up behind them started much earlier and already are experiencing success on the international stage.

“All the juniors are just so far ahead of where Anna or I were going into this,” Smith said. “The sky’s the limit for that next generation.”

While the next generation could be set up for future success, Smith and Gibson are hoping to qualify for a second Olympics if the sport is included four years from now at the 2030 Winter Games in the French Alps.

“I just had such a great experience before, during and after the Games,” said Smith, “and just feeling the impacts that we had on the sport and the impact that we had on our team and our team’s future was such a special thing to be a part of. I definitely want to be part of it again.”

For now, they can savor the part they played in Olympic history.

“We were going to be making history no matter what,” Gibson said. “It kind of took some pressure off of the performance itself. We still had this incredible opportunity to be the first-ever Olympians in skimo, first-ever team from the U.S.”

“To become an Olympian for the first time with everyone else in the sport was really exciting,” Smith added. “It was really cool to be a part of introducing our sport to the world. That’s something that we’ll cherish forever.”

Bob Reinert spent 17 years writing sports for The Boston Globe. He also served as a sports information director at Saint Anselm College and Phillips Exeter Academy. He is a contributor to TeamUSA.com on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.