Looking to reach peak popularity

The latest addition to the Olympic winter sports program — ski mountaineering — is expected to scale new heights of popularity, piquing the interest of fans in Harbin, with its Winter Asiad inclusion serving as a dress rehearsal for its much-anticipated Olympic debut.

Despite being the smallest among all six snow sports in terms of medals up for grabs on the program at Harbin 2025, ski mountaineering is drawing increasing attention at the 9th Asian Winter Games as participating athletes, fans and sports officials all look forward to its critical test run ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

Harbin 2025 features exactly the same events as those that will be on the program of Milano-Cortina — men's and women's sprints, and a mixed relay combining two sprint races, with three gold medals up for grabs in total.

An endurance sport originating from transportation across snow-covered regions, ski mountaineering — known as skimo — combines ascents and descents over alpine terrain with long, rugged uphill sections that require athletes to climb, challenging skiers more physically than its counterpart cross-country event.

Traditionally only popular in the European Alps, the growth of skimo in North America and China has helped the sport gain more international exposure, prompting the International Olympic Committee to decide in 2021 to add it to the official program for next year's Winter Games.