Cam Smith in the ISMF Mixed Relay
After exploding in popularity in the US over the last few years (decades behind Europe), Skimo makes its Olympic debut at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Games. If you or someone you know has raced the Elk Mountains Grand Traverse, Cam Smith probably set the course record that year. After not just securing an Olympic spot, but also winning the Skimo World Cup in Utah, Smith and trail runner and Nordic phenom Anna Gibson are in Italy prepping for the start line.
What we won’t see when these two burst off the starting line is the months and years of intense and highly specialized training. TrainingPeaks devotees may have already stumbled across it, but the platform’s training blog just published an in-depth background on the duo’s training and preparation for racing on the world stage, including performance data screenshots that made my quads quiver.
There’s a lot of data in here for top sprinters and everyday backcountry skiers alike. A much savvier athlete and coach explained it to me this way: “[Cam’s] sprint heavy approach shows the power of short hard efforts, and there are a lot of other takeaways for average athletes as well, including the power of consistency, and why less volume can lead to better performance.” I won’t try to reproduce what they’ve put together, just go check it out for yourself at this link.
While you’re at it, learn more about the Team USA’s newest skimo star, Anna Gibson, in a new story in the Athletic.
Anna Gibson in the ISMF Mixed Relay
Training Peaks
I’ve been using Training Peaks for the last year or two to train for various endurance and skiing related endeavors. The platform is slick, integrating with training programs like Uphill Athlete and even personalized coaching programs. That familiarity with the platform made this data a little bit easier to digest. For folks unfamiliar with the training lingo, check out this TrainingPeaks primer video or read more in their learning center here.
Bergen Tjossem is a ski fanatic, conservation professional, and nature nerd based in Vail, Colorado. His life and career have centered around protecting the natural environment and public lands that raised him, but as Ed Abbey put it, “It is not enough to fight for the land; It is even more important to enjoy it.” So when he’s not working his day job, you’ll find Bergen ski touring before dawn, ice climbing in the dark, running trails until his legs fall off, skiing 13er’s with his friends, or making the world’s best pizza with his wife, Rachel. You can find him on Instagram.
