FALLS Creek will play host in September to a new Winter Olympic sport that will be contested for the first time in Milano-Cortina 2026.

A Ski Mountaineering Sprint event - organised by Snow Australia in partnership with Falls Creek Ski Lifts and the Falls Creek Alpine Resort - will be held at the resort on September 23.

The event is being held in conjunction with a SkiMo talent development camp on September 21-23 and is open to all Snow Australia members (excluding free Snowracer).

Current Ski Mountaineering, or SkiMo World Cup series feature other race formats such as individual and vertical events, but the 2026 Olympic schedule includes a sprint and a mixed relay for the first time.

The SkiMo Sprint event consists of a time trial against the clock followed by head-to-head knockout finals, similar to the cross country skiing sprint format.

A race course typically consists of four main sections separated by transition zones, with climb of approximately 70m.

Skinning sections require skiers to have skins on the bottom of their skis, bootpack sections must be covered on foot, and in the final descent skiers must ski through gates similar to a giant slalom.

For the fastest racers a sprint event may take around three to four minutes.

For more details go Snow Australia’s website.