Best of the 2025 ISMF World Ski Mountaineering Championships

Morgins, Switzerland. The 2025 ISMF World Ski Mountaineering Championships (March 2-8), wrapped up last week after showcasing the sport’s top talent from around the world. What makes this year’s championship all the more exciting? The event served as a qualifying event for ski mountaineering’s Olympic debut in 2026.

Ski mountaineering, or skimo, is a high-intensity style of skiing that combines steep ascents, technical descents, and quick transitions between skiing, skinning, and hiking. Using lightweight touring gear, athletes race uphill using climbing skins or occasionally carrying skis on their backs, then descend rugged terrain with speed and precision. The sport has been mainstream in Europe’s Alpine regions, and now skimo is gaining international recognition, including throughout the U.S.

The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina will mark the first time that skimo makes an appearance. The Olympics will feature three skimo events:

• Men’s and Women’s Sprint: a short, intense race with uphill, a bootpack section, and a downhill race around gates.

• Mixed Relay: Two-athlete teams consisting of one man and one woman alternating sprint-style laps.

The events will take place in Bormio, Italy, a venue known for its technical and challenging terrain. The 2025 ISMF World Championships played a large role in Olympic qualifications, helping to determine which athletes will represent their countries in 2026.

The 2025 Championship highlighted the sport’s elite talent and staying power, serving as a final testing ground for those hoping to compete in skimo’s historic 2026 debut. As the countdown to Bormio 2026 continues, skimo is heading into the Olympic spotlight.

Men’s Events

• Vertical (March 4)

  • Gold: Rémi Bonnet (Switzerland)

  • Silver: Maximilien Drion du Chapois (Belgium)

  • Bronze: Aurélien Gay (Switzerland)

• Sprint (March 6)

  • Gold: Oriol Cardona (Spain)

  • Silver: Thibault Anselmet (France)

  • Bronze: Jon Kistler (Switzerland)

• Individual (March 7)

  • Gold: Rémi Bonnet (Switzerland)

  • Silver: Davide Magnini (Italy)

  • Bronze: Xavier Gachet (France)

Women’s Events

• Vertical (March 4)

  • Gold: Axelle Gachet-Mollaret (France)

  • Silver: Tove Alexandersson (Sweden)

  • Bronze: Sarah Dreier (Austria)

• Sprint (March 6)

  • Gold: Marianne Fatton (Switzerland)

  • Silver: Emily Harrop (France)

  • Bronze: Tatjana Paller (Germany)

• Individual (March 7)

  • Gold: Tove Alexandersson (Sweden)

  • Silver: Axelle Gachet-Mollaret (France)

  • Bronze: Emily Harrop (France) 

Mixed Relay (March 3)

• Gold: Emily Harrop & Thibault Anselmet (France)

• Silver: Ana Alonso Rodríguez & Oriol Cardona (Spain)

• Bronze: Marianne Fatton & Robin Bussard (Switzerland)

Medal Tally

• Switzerland: 4 Gold, 3 Silver, 3 Bronze

• France: 3 Gold, 1 Silver, 3 Bronze

• Spain: 1 Gold, 1 Silver

• Sweden: 1 Gold, 1 Silver

• Belgium: 1 Silver

• Austria: 1 Bronze

• Germany: 1 Bronze