“Maybe you need to be a little bit crazy to do skimo” says switzerland’s Thomas Bussard
Many sports involve specialist kit but ski mountaineering truly does stand alone.
Known as skimo, this is not your average pastime. Competitors hit the mountains equipped with, among other things, a survival blanket, snow probe and an avalanche detector.
“Normally the competitions are safe but you can never be completely free of risk so you always need your safety system,” said Switzerland's Thomas Bussard, pictured (above, right) with his twin brother and teammate Robin Bussard. “It’s particularly vital when you’re training. That can be dangerous.”
Skimo athletes race uphill and downhill, sometimes utilising specialist climbing equipment to traverse icy ascents on foot. Reaching some dizzying heights, many would baulk at the prospect of this competition.
“Maybe you need to be a little bit crazy to do skimo,” Thomas, 17, said. “But it’s all about keeping any risk to a minimum, and you can do that with the right know-how.”
Skimo is making its Olympic debut at the Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games, with 48 athletes competing from 10-14 January. There are five races: women’s and men’s individual events, women’s and men’s sprints, and a mixed relay.
The individual is the sport’s endurance contest, a mass start race incorporating three gruelling ascents, including a climbing section in which athletes carry their skis, and three descents.
The sprint competition is a three-to-four-minute blast, in which skiers have to go through transitions, ascending then descending about 80m. They must put skins on their skis to grip uphill, then attach the skis to their rucksack and continue on foot. At the top, they remove the skins, glide down a giant slalom-like course, then race to the finish in a skating style. It has timed qualifiers then knockout heats and a six-athlete final.
“Endurance is the most important quality for skimo athletes, although for the sprint, you need dynamism,” Robin said. “You have to be able to push yourself mentally above the limit. It’s also a very technical sport, you’re always changing from uphill to downhill. Like in a triathlon, doing transitions quickly is vital.”
The mixed relay is a mixed-nationality, mixed-gender event featuring 12 teams of four athletes (two women and two men).
Thibe Deseyn (SUI), interviewed here, will be one to watch, as will the Bussard brothers, whose father was a Swiss champion in the sport. “We were always on skis with our dad, and it’s an advantage to compete with your brother,” Thomas said. “We always both want to win, but we are brothers and friends first.”