Ski mountaineering or ski touring, also known by the abbreviation "skimo", refers to the ascent of mountains and alpine pastures on skis and the subsequent descent away from groomed ski slopes. Special touring skis are used, which are lighter than conventional alpine skis. The bindings on touring skis allow the heel to be released on the ascent and reattached for the descent. Ski skins made of mohair or synthetic fibre are used to stick to the skis to make the ascent easier. Avalanche safety equipment such as a shovel, probe and avalanche transceiver are also part of the equipment. Ski mountaineering combines challenging ascents with descents in unprepared terrain.

Ski mountaineering will be included in the Olympic programme for the first time at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. There will be a total of five medal events: one sprint and one individual race per gender as well as a mixed relay. This decision emphasises the growing popularity of this sport, in which more and more people go ski touring in winter and combine the challenge of the ascent with the joys of the descent.

As ski mountaineering is an endurance sport where the body performs a considerable amount of work, training in the summer months is also part of it - if possible on snow. However, as most glacier ski areas close in May and only reopen in October, an important training opportunity has disappeared. 

The Slopetrax sliding mats remedy this shortcoming. In combination with the ski jumps, which also have the long-fibre mats in the landing area, a Slopetrax mat track can be laid in serpentines up the side of the jump. The ski mountaineer climbs up the track with the skins, once arrived, the skins are removed, packed in the rucksack and the descent begins with the skis. Once at the bottom, the skins are strapped back on and it's back to the top on skis. The faster, the better. 

See the explanatory video below.