Going for gold
Skimo, or ski mountaineering, debuts at the Winter Olympics this month — with a Husky Track & Field alum representing Team USA.
In many ways, Anna Gibson, ’21,’23, has been training for ski mountaineering her entire life: She’s been on skis since she could stand and running since she knew how to walk. Her parents competed in the Randonnee Rally, what’s believed to be the first ski mountaineering event in the United States, held in her hometown near Jackson Hole, Wyoming, when she was a kid.
But in reality, the former Husky track star and professional trail runner only started training for the lesser-known ski event in July 2025. In December, she competed in her first race — the International Ski Mountaineering Federation World Cup in Solitude, Utah, where she and teammate Cameron Smith won first place, securing them a spot in ski mountaineering’s debut at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Anna Gibson then...
...and now, with teammate Cameron Smith.
“It’s funny because people hear that story and they’re like, ‘That is insane!’ But anyone who has known me for a lot of my life understands this makes complete and total sense,” she says. “I’ve basically been doing this sport since I could walk — I just haven’t raced.”
If you’ve never heard of ski mountaineering, or skimo as it’s affectionately shortened, you’re not alone. Gibson describes it as a combination of Nordic (cross-country) and alpine (downhill) skiing: On the ascent, athletes race uphill wearing fabric strips called skins attached to their skis for traction, and on the steepest parts, pack their skis and race on foot. After a quick transition at the top, they ski downhill through the course. The first to cross the finish line is the winner.
These endurance events regularly take hours through the world’s most daunting ski terrain. The Olympic debut will consist of a sprint race for individual athletes that covers nearly 20 stories of vertical gain in about 3 minutes and a mixed relay race for male/female duos, covering approximately twice that elevation over four laps. Both courses are in Bormio, a mountain hamlet in the Italian Alps between the Games’ host cities of Milano and Cortina.
Skimo is a sport of endurance and extremes — one that takes the kind of speed, agility and stamina that Gibson trains for as a professional runner. Her dedication to running started in high school and grew during her time at the UW, where Gibson was part of the UW’s Track & Field team while she pursued a degree in environmental science and terrestrial resource management, followed by a master of jurisprudence in environmental law. Her team’s distance medley relay broke the NCAA record at the time.
During her time at the UW, Gibson participated in the Husky Track & Field team, even breaking an NCAA record.
“I’ve been an outdoor athlete my whole life. I loved track, but deep down, I always knew that I was going to end up running back in the mountains.”
Though she loved her time in Seattle and continues to visit annually thanks to her ongoing partnership with local sports brand Brooks Running, the “gravitational pull” of the Tetons called Gibson home. “I’ve been an outdoor athlete my whole life,” she says. “I was raised in a town full of mountain athletes who are skiing, mountain biking, trail running — doing all these things up in the high peaks all the time. I loved track, but deep down, I always knew that I was going to end up running back in the mountains.”
Gibson says she loves competition but would still spend her days chasing the feeling of freedom that comes from running — and skiing — if it weren’t for races. That said, she’s taking representing Team USA seriously and plans to give it her all in the women’s sprint race on Feb. 19 and with teammate Smith in the relay on Feb. 21. Regardless of the outcome, though, Gibson has no plans to hang up her skis. “I don’t know what skimo will look like in my life after this year,” she says, “but I know it’s here to stay.”
Story by Chelsea Lin // Photos by Gracie Hinz and courtesy of UW Athletics and Anna Gibson
Originally published February 2026
