Ski mountaineering is a skiing discipline that involves climbing mountains either on skis or carrying them, depending on the steepness of the ascent, and then descending on skis. There are two major categories of equipment used, free-heel Telemark skis and skis based on Alpine skis, where the heel is free for ascents, but is fixed during descent. The discipline may be practiced recreationally or as a competitive sport.
The International Council for Ski Mountaineering Competitions (ISMC) located in the Floridablanca 84 in Barcelona was part of the Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme (UIAA) and responsible for ski mountaineering and vertical race competitions. The ISMC, which was founded in 1999 as follow-up institution of the Comité International du Ski-Alpinisme de Compétition (CISAC), merged into the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF) in 2008.
A vertical race is a special kind of ski mountaineering without the typical downhill skiing after ascending. At the mountain running and climbing passages the runners have to carry their skis in their backpacks. Vertical races for women and men are part of all international ski mountaineering competitions of the International Council for Ski Mountaineering Competitions as well as at many national competitions. The Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme (UIAA)is working toward the goal of having vertical race become an Olympic discipline at the 2018 Winter Olympics,.
The World Championships of Ski Mountaineering are biannually held ski mountaineering competitions.
The 2002 World Championship of Ski Mountaineering was the first World Championship of Ski Mountaineering sanctioned by the International Council for Ski Mountaineering Competitions (ISMC), held at Serre Chevalier in the former French province Dauphiné from January 24 to January 27, 2002. In due to the heavy snowfall all events were postponed one day
The 2004 World Championship of Ski Mountaineering was the second World Championship of Ski Mountaineering sanctioned by the International Council for Ski Mountaineering Competitions (ISMC), held in the Spanish Aran Valley (Catalonia) from March 1 to March 6, 2004.
The 2006 World Championship of Ski Mountaineering was the third World Championship of Ski Mountaineering sanctioned by the International Council for Ski Mountaineering Competitions (ISMC), held in the Italian Province of Cuneo from February 27 to March 4, 2006.
The 2008 World Championship of Ski Mountaineering was the fourth World Championship of Ski Mountaineering sanctioned by the International Council for Ski Mountaineering Competitions (ISMC), held in Portes du Soleil, Switzerland, from February 23 to February 29, 2008.
The 2010 World Championship of Ski Mountaineering was the first World Championship of Ski Mountaineering sanctioned by the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF), successor organization of the International Council for Ski Mountaineering Competitions (ISMC). The competition was held in the skiing area of Gran Valira in the Pyrenees, Andorra, from March 1 to March 6, 2010. This was decided by the ISMC in 2006. The event was supported by the Federació Andorrana de Muntanyisme (FAM) and the Club Pirinenc Andorrà (CPA). Andorra was also venue of the European Championship of Ski Mountaineering in 2005.
The European Championships of Ski Mountaineering were the European championships for national ski mountaineering teams from 1992 to 2009. They were held biannually and were separated into men's and women's competitions.
The 2007 European Championship of Ski Mountaineering was the seventh European Championship of ski mountaineering and was held in Avoriaz, Morzine between the Mont Blanc and the Lac Léman from March 24–28.
The 2005 European Championship of Ski Mountaineering was the sixth European Championship of ski mountaineering and was held in Andorra from March 1, 2005 to March 5, 2005. The competition was organized by the International Council for Ski Mountaineering Competitions (ISMC) of the Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme (UIAA).
The 2003 European Championship of Ski Mountaineering was the fifth European Championship of ski mountaineering and was held in the Tatra Mountains, Slovakia, from March 28, 2003 to March 30, 2003. The competition was organized by the International Council for Ski Mountaineering Competitions (ISMC) of the Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme (UIAA).
The 2001 European Championship of Ski mountaineering was the fourth European Championship of ski mountaineering and the first, that was organized by the International Council for Ski Mountaineering Competitions (ISMC), that was founded in 1999 as a suborganization the Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme (UIAA).
The 2009 European Championship of Ski Mountaineering was the eighth European Championship of ski mountaineering and was held in Alpago from February 19, 2009 to February 24, 2009. The competition was organized by the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF), successor organization of the International Council for Ski Mountaineering Competitions (ISMC).
Tove Alexandersson has won gold medals at world championships in five different sports plus a silver medal in a sixth sport. She is a Swedish foot orienteer, ski orienteer, skyrunner, trail runner, ski mountaineer and skysnow runner. Alexandersson has won a total of 19 gold medals at the World Orienteering Championships and 10 gold medals at the World Ski Orienteering Championships. In 2018, she won the Sky Marathon event at the Skyrunning World Championships, in her second skyrunning race ever. In 2021, she won the combined discipline at the World Championships of Ski Mountaineering, and in 2023 she won a silver medal in the up and down discipline at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships. In 2024 Alexandersson won all three events in the SkySnow World Championships in her first such event ever. She competes for Stora Tuna OK in orienteering and Alfta-Ösa OK in ski orienteering. Alexandersson holds the record for the number of gold medals in a row at the World Orienteering Championships, winning 11 in a row between 2018 and 2022.
The 2011 World Championship of Ski Mountaineering were held instead of the originally 9th edition of the European Championships of Ski Mountaineering, why it was the first World Championship in an odd-numbered year, besides the Trofeo Mezzalama in 1975, which was the real first world championship of ski mountaineering. Instead, the 9th edition of the European championships was held in February 2012.
Asian Championships of Ski Mountaineering as multinational ski mountaineering competitions for participants of the Asian continent have been held since 2007.
The 2009 Asian Championship of Ski Mountaineering was the second edition of an Asian Championship of Ski Mountaineering.
The 2009 South American Ski Mountaineering Championship was the third edition of a South American continental championship of competition ski mountaineering, and the first that was sanctioned by the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF), which emerged from the International Council for Ski Mountaineering Competitions (ISMC) in 2008. Furthermore, the competition was sanctioned by the Unión Panamericana de Montaña y Escalada (UPAME).
