The sport of ski mountaineering made its Olympic debut on a snowy day in Bormio

France's Emily Harrop, centre, followed by Switzerland's Caroline Ulrich, left, competes during a ski mountaineering women's sprint heat, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/John Locher)

BORMIO, Italy — In heavy snowfall, the sport of ski mountaineering made its long-awaited Olympic debut Thursday with the men’s and women’s sprint events.

A perfectly fitting backdrop for a niche Alpine sport that goes by “skimo” and combines racing uphill on skis with a downhill sprint to the finish line.

This particular gold medal carries a lot of weight given the stakes. They all want that coveted title of “first-ever” to earn one in their sport.

It’s going to take enduring three rounds that last about three or so lung-searing minutes each (a little less on the men’s side). The leaders after the opening heats were all the favorites — Emily Harrop of France and Marianne Fatton of Switzerland on the women’s side, Oriol Cardona Coll of Spain in the men’s race. The semifinal and final are set for later Thursday.

Just being in front of the crowd, though, was a special moment for athletes in a sport that traces its roots back to the late 19th century.

“Standing in the start and seeing the Olympic rings on the hillside got really real,” said American Anna Gibson, who advanced to the semifinal round.

The course made for entertaining theater, resembling almost a snow-park of assorted obstacles.

First, the athletes weaved their way through a diamond-shaped pattern before taking off their skis to climb the steep steps in their ski boots, storing their skis in a backpack. They put them back on for another sprint to the top.

Upon reaching the summit of the course, athletes hopped in the air to rip off their “skins,” pieces of fabric on the bottom of the skis that allow athletes to hurry uphill. After that, it was all downhill from there as they flew along the Stelvio course toward the finish line.

The individual sprints were set up in a bracket-style format. The top finishers keep advancing until they reach the final, which will consist of six athletes.

It’s been a tough road for Spain’s Ana Alonso Rodriguez just to get to the start line. In September, she was seriously hurt when hit by a car while training on her bike. Among her injuries was a damaged ACL. She advanced out of the first round.

“There were times when I thought I was not going to make it,” she said. “I’ve focused on taking it step-by-step.”

The final skimo event is a mixed team relay on Saturday.

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Pat Graham, The Associated Press