As one of the few winter sports, ski mountaineering is growing significantly worldwide, not only by the number of athletes, but also in the field of recreational practitioners. Skimo has its roots in the Alpine countries of Europe where it has become a very popular winter sport, but there are also significant developments in the United States (very popular as "backcountry skiing"), Canada and South America. A considerable potential and interest can be identified in East Asia, mainly in Japan, China and South Korea, as well in Russia, which regularly host national and international competitions.

High popularity and significant market growth

The global ski mountaineering market has been growing steadily and stands at around 3,100,000 pairs of skis with a promising prospect of improvement in the coming years. The share of ski mountaineering in the total number of mountaineers is now about 15 per cent worldwide, an increase is expected within five to seven years to take ski mountaineering to over 50 per cent of the total snow market, according to the estimates of some of the world's leading manufacturers of materials and equipment.

The sport's increasing popularity and success is mainly driven by its modern values which are deeply rooted in the traditions of winter sports and mountaineering. Constant improvements in World Cup elite race standards by the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF), but also to the widespread desire of many enthusiasts to practice a sport that respects the environment and nature have fueled the positive development. More and more, skimo has become a real alternative to the classical Alpine or cross-country skiing, and winter resorts are increasingly offering defined skimo locations, called "rando parks".

Added value for the Olympic Movement

The inclusion of skimo into the Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Games confirmed the relevance of ski mountaineering within an Olympic programme, the maturity of the discipline representing modern and exciting competitions formats, the ability to excite a broader audience and the skills of the competing athletes. 

The skimo community will be able to share its own, special values with the Olympic Movement: sportsmanship, freedom, safety, cleanliness, sustainability, simplicity. And it can be assumed that the inclusion of ski mountaineering in the 2026 sport programme will strongly support the IOC’s ambition to attract youth, promote gender equality and increase the number of mixed-team events.

Good governance and ambitious global strategy

The ISMF is the global governing body of ski mountaineering. With its new vision, to become the global platform for recreational and competitive ski mountaineers, it has defined a clear ambition to develop the sport systematically and sustainably. Cornerstones of this strategic direction include a comprehensive sustainability programme, maintaining skimo as a safe and clean sport and promoting gender equality. Key guarantors for this as well as a sound governance are the 38 member federations representing national ski and mountaineering federations from three continents.