Elite Alberta athletes racing to make Olympic team in 'punishing' new sport
CBC
Before she was speeding through snow-covered peaks in the European Alps, Cochrane's Kylee Toth represented Canada on the national speed skating team.
She has pivoted to become a national champion in ski mountaineering, competing to qualify for the sport's Olympic debut.
"We're running at our anaerobic threshold as long as we can.… It's not uncommon to see people fall over at the end or vomit," said Toth.
"If you've ever run uphill yourself for any reason, you'll feel that burn, that lactic acid. We're feeling that from 30 seconds after the start until we end. So it's a pretty punishing sport."
Ski mountaineering — or "skimo" for short — involves racing up and down mountains, either on skis or carrying them.
Competitors place synthetic skins on the bottom of their skis to keep from sliding backward while racing uphill. Racers remove the skins to move downhill.
Skimo has been added to the Olympic program for the first time for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games.
Toth is one of the 18 athletes selected to compete on the 2024-25 Canadian ski mountaineering national team.
"This is a really European-dominated sport, much like nordic skiing or alpine skiing in the '80s," she said.
"I think in order for us to get on the world stage in North America, I think it would just take sponsorship, honestly. We just need more dollars."
Canada has no guaranteed spots in Milan-Cortina 2026. Qualification is based on performance at the 2025 World Championships and international rankings.
Toth and the other national team skimo racers spend much of the winter in Europe, competing on the World Cup circuit.
One of Canada's best candidates to earn Olympic qualification is Emma Cook-Clarke of Canmore.
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