Skimo World Cup coming to US in UT for first time in decades

Skimo returns on the Worl Cup international competition level and it's coming to the Wasatch Mountain Range.. Photo: Image courtesy of USA Skimo

BIG COTTONWOOD CANYON, Utah — For the first time in 20 years, a Skimo (ski mountaineering) World Cup will held in the USA and it will be hosted in Utah at Solitude Mountain Resort on Dec. 6 and 7.

On this first stop of the season’s curcuit the Skimo USA Olympic berth all hinges this one.

Like every Olympic sport, ski mountaineering has strict quotas that limit how many athletes from each country can compete. In the run-up to the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Games, earning a spot often depends less on raw talent or ambition than on the math of allocation formulas and qualification spreadsheets.

The sports that American sports fans are used to spectating and supporting seem generationally present in our culture. There are, however, several sports we simply don’t compete on an Olympic level so it’s a bit of a game of ‘out of sight, out of mind.’

This will be the first time ski mountaineering appears in the Olympics, and athletes and organizers are eager to be part of the debut in Italy next February. Nowhere is that excitement stronger than in the United States—and perhaps for no one more than Park City’s Griffin Briley. For him, the dream depends on two things: that the U.S. secures a quota spot, and that his name makes the final roster.

The Park City High School alumni told TownLift, “It’s great that we get to hold a World Cup here in Utah, the crowds are super savvy and so stoked for this event. The skimo team from Solitude, they’re called the Silverfork Team, is so stacked with talent and are amazing at putting on wold-class competitions like this.”

In Dec. in Solitude, the outcome of the Mixed Relay event, one of many events within the World Cup format, will determine if the U.S. sends athletes to the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Currently, USA sits one point behind Canada with the winner securing the ‘Americas’ continental quota.

So, in Dec. although the athletes will have a lot on their plates, the spectators will simply have to show up, clap fast, cheer loud, and ring those cow bells like crazy. 

Skimo sees skiers racing up a mountain with their skis on their backs and on their boots, then racing through the quick second’s-long pit-stopesque transition before racing down the mountain to be the first one across the finish line.

Approximately 70% of ski resorts now offer uphill skiing. Skimo is the second fastest growing sport in the U.S.Of the 32 athletes on the US Skimo National Team, 16 are from Utah.

The total estimate of the economic impact of the World Cup coming to Solitude and the Salt Lake Valley is more than $650,000. 

The event organizers are looking for sponsors and community partners to help make this event an unforgettable success. Interested businesses or organizations in supporting the World Cup or becoming a sponsor may email alyssa.erickson@gmail.com. 

Volunteer lists are also being formulated for the World Cup, no experience is necessary.