Anna Gibson And Cam Smith Enter Skimo’s Winter Olympic Debut Ready to Make their Mark

The Americans will compete in their receptive sprint races on Feb. 19 before racing in the mixed relay event on Feb. 21.

There was a chance ski mountaineering’s Olympic debut wouldn’t feature any American athletes.

Back in December, the U.S. sat one point behind Canada in the world mixed relay rankings. With the top team from each eligible continent making the Games, the Americans needed to finish ahead of the Canadians in the mixed relay race on Dec. 6 at the Solitude Mountain Resort near Salt Lake City to punch a ticket to Italy.

Not only did Americans Anna Gibson and Cam Smith finish in front of the Canadians, but they earned the first U.S. mixed relay win in the history of the world cup circuit.

The 30-year-old Smith is an accomplished skimo veteran, but Gibson, 26, a world bronze medalist mountain and trail runner, only picked up the sport in 2025 at Smith’s urging. Despite the recent win at Solitude, Gibson sought to temper expectations before the Games.

“All of that makes me super excited, but I think in my head, I’m going to approach (the Winter Olympics) the exact same way that I approached the world cup,” said Gibson, “which was loose and without a ton of expectation, and just going in hoping to learn stuff.”

Gibson and Smith will look to carry their momentum from Solitude into the Olympic mixed relay race, which will take place Feb. 21 at 7:30 a.m. ET at the Stelvio Ski Centre in Bormio in the Italian Dolomites.

Having earned a quota spot in the relay, both Americans will compete in the men’s and women’s sprint event, with heats and finals spanning from 3:50 to 9 a.m. ET on Feb. 19.

All races can be viewed on USA Network, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com.

Ski mountaineering — or “skimo,” as it’s known to those familiar with the sport — is the first sport added to the Winter Olympics since snowboarding debuted at the Nagano Games in 1998. The sport features challenging uphill climbs with skins on skis or on foot, followed by descents on skis. Athletes switch equipment during crucial transitions between race sections.

The roots of skimo extend back to the late 19th century when German Wilhelm Paulcke crossed a Swiss mountain range on skis. The sport has experienced explosive growth in recent years, with France hosting the first world championships in 2002.

There are five different types of races in ski mountaineering, but the Olympics will host only two of them: men’s and women’s sprints along with a mixed relay race.

The sprint races will consist of four sections — an uphill ascent on skis, a “bootpack” section on foot where competitors carry their skis on their backs, another short ascent on skis then downhill skiing through turns and gates.

The mixed relay will have two ascents and two descents with an on-foot section during the second ascent. Each athlete on a relay team completes two laps on the course in a woman-man-woman-man sequence.

The world’s top athletes got a good look at the course in Bormio last February during a world cup event.

Athletes have described the Stelvio Ski Centre skimo course as well-manicured, fast and wide open both uphill and downhill. It’s viewed as clean, straightforward and not overly technical. The downhills feature big, banked turns similar to what might be found in a freestyle ski race.

Smith and Gibson have competed together only once since their win in Utah. On Feb. 1, they finished seventh in the mixed relay world cup race at Boí Taüll Resort in Spain.

As Gibson pointed out, the Olympic mixed relay will mark just the third skimo race of her life.

“I just have so much to learn and so much experience to gain,” Gibson said. “For me, a win in terms of the outcome, is just to have another really cool experience. I think we know what we’re capable of. And we know that we are now part of the conversation more than we’ve ever been.”

Any Olympic experience can be rewarding, but Gibson said it’s been even more meaningful to share the journey with Smith.

“It’s been cool to go through this experience of qualifying for the Olympics and having this massive life accomplishment with another person and feel like I’m in it with someone,” Gibson said. “It’s been fun to have someone to talk to about it.”

Smith said that other Olympic athletes are excited to see a new sport. He added that he and Gibson are ready for their big moment.

“Anna and I have talked a lot about our expectations for the relay race,” Smith said. “Our focus is just on enjoying being on this stage, celebrating what we’ve done for the sport, and racing all out for each other.

“At the end of the day we’re accountable to each other for executing a great race because we share the experience, and that’s super motivating to have someone we’re racing with and racing for. We feel confident about putting together a good one when the moment comes.”

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.