Cochrane Athlete Kylee Toth is gearing up to compete at the highest levels of ski mountaineering, also known as skimo, with her sights ultimately set on the 2026 Winter Olympics in Cortina.
Toth, a previous Olympian, explained that the mountain sport is heavily endurance-based where competitor ascend and descend mountains on skis.
“This is a new sport to the Olympic program for 2026,” Toth explained. “The sport itself originated with army patrols in Switzerland, in the high mountain passes, and that’s how this sport started.”
Although her participation in the upcoming winter Olympics is not guaranteed, Toth said she plans to compete in several skimo World Cup events to try and secure a spot among the 18 men and 18 women that will compete.
“There’s nine of them actually, so I’m leaving for Azerbaijan, then after that is the World Cup in Andora, one in Spain, and then I’ll return for three weeks or so and I’ll head back to Europe for another five or so World Cups,” she said. “It’s a lot of travelling and a lot of racing.”
With previous experience as a short-track speed skater who made it onto the national roster, Toth said she was first introduced to her new sport by a friend that lives in Canmore.
“The same friend said – well, I’m heading to Fernie in a few weekends, you should try it, and I thought, well I have nothing better to do [so] I’ll go give it a try, and I actually didn’t finish the race,” she said. “It was extremely challenging, the uphills are gruelling and the downhills are very steep and technical, but the challenge of it sparked my interest.
“So, I guess I was hooked and I just started to train for it.”
Alongside raising her two children, Toth said she would also practice skimo on the side. She originally planned to retire, but upon hearing that skimo would be added to the Olympic roster for Cortina 2026, she decided to push ahead.
“I absolutely love the mountaineering component of the sport; so not only the racing side of it, but the recreational side of it,” she said. “I have the fastest known time on the highest mountain in Alberta, Mount Columbia, and things like that.
“I think it’s a really neat way of challenging yourself and exploring your backyard.”
Looking to the future, Toth said she ultimately hopes to bring skimo to the community as a sport that everyone can enjoy.
“Not only am I an athlete, but I’m the high-performance director of our sport,” Toth said. “So, look out in the future for posters about the skimo club in Cochrane.”
After her competition season is over, Toth said she really wants to expand skimo’s sporting horizons in Cochrane.
“I think this is such a wonderful town for sports,” she said. “I cross-trained with mountain biking, so I just love what the mountain bike community is doing here, and I just really see a vibrant outdoor community that con grow here, which I think is really cool.”
