Ski mountaineering will make its Olympic debut this year, the first winter sport to do so since 2002. Skeleton, luge, ski jumping and moguls are also getting new events.

This sport will make its official Olympic debut at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games, alongside seven other new competitions across existing disciplines.

In Milan, the new sport is ski mountaineering, otherwise known as skimo. It's a combination of alpine climbing and backcountry skiing. Athletes ascend a mountain with either skis or on foot then descend down, where the fastest back wins gold.

Competitors ascend steep slopes with ‘skins’ on their skis, strap gear to their backpacks, and race downhill in a test of endurance and precision. Move over, figure skating and ice hockey: There’s a new Olympic sport taking to the slopes of Italy.

The 2026 Games will feature just one new sport in the program: skimo. It follows in the IOC’s tradition of experimentation that has brought us several mainstays, as well as a few oddballs.

There is a good reason why Courchevel, the star of the Trois Vallées, commands a premium over other ski resorts: everything is here in great quantity – from Michelin stars to karaoke bars – and