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Ski Mountaineering

Racing (Randonnée)

UK Governing Body

- British Mountaineering Council


International Governing Body

- International Mountaineering

and Climbing Federation (UIAA)

Ski Mountaineering Racing Overview

Ski Mountaineering Racing is a combination of the skills employed in skiing and mountaineering. It is thought to have originated from John "Snowshoe" Thompson, who used skis to deliver the mail up and over the steep eastern scarp of the Sierra Nevada mountains to remote California mining camps & settlements. His deliveries began in 1855 and continued for at least 20 years. The concept of ski mountaineering was brought to Europe by Englishman Cecil Slingsby, who crossed the 1,550m high (5,800 feet) Keiser Pass, Norway, on skis in 1880.


The sport involves climbing a mountain via a worthy route and skiing down the mountain, preferably from the summit following an elegant line. The use of skis means that participants climb otherwise inaccessible slopes and gain access to previously impassable terrain.


In 1999 the UIAA approved the inclusion of competitive Ski Mountaineering as one of its events and the first World Championships took place in 2002 in the French Alps. A Ski Mountaineering race is a timed event that follows an established trail through challenging winter alpine terrain while passing through a series of checkpoints. Racers climb and descend under their own power using backcountry skiing equipment and techniques.