From February 2024, FISU will have one more sport in its program, Ski Mountaineering. This decision was made this week with the formal approval of the organization after receiving the green light in July, following a meeting in Chengdu, China.

This announcement was promptly followed by the Torino 2025 Olympic Games Organizing Committee, which included the discipline in its schedule of activities. University athletes practicing this sport now have an added motivation. It won't be alone; alongside cross-country skiing, Ski Orienteering, another specific discipline requiring additional specialization, will also be part of the Torino event.

The decision went through all the procedures since it was recognized in Chengdu as a sport by FISU, through a memorandum of understanding between FISU and the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF), to its formal approval.

Nevertheless, the Jennerstier event in Berchtesgaden, Germany, this coming February, will mark the debut of competitions in this demanding and daring discipline for student athletes. Just two months until FISU can enjoy a new sport.

For Torino 2025, two disciplines have been included in this sport: sprint and vertical races, both for women and men. There will also be a mixed relay competition. For these events, the mountain resort of Sestriere was chosen, an area steeped in sports history as it not only hosts ski competitions but its steep ramps leading to the resort have served as iconic stages in professional cycling, particularly in the Tour de France.

Sestriere will be the venue for the mountain skiing events in Turin 2025. © Getty Images
Sestriere will be the venue for the mountain skiing events in Turin 2025. © Getty Images


"FISU is pleased to follow the path of very popular sports among university students, and both Ski Orienteering and Ski Mountaineering are no exceptions. The lengthy evaluation process and good collaboration with the ISMF (International Ski Mountaineering Federation) showed us that this sport is very popular in many winter countries. Being part of the program of the Torino 2025 FISU Winter Games will create a good legacy for university sport itself," said Milan Augustin, FISU Winter Games Director.

"And hosting it in the village of Sestriere, we recall the Winter Universiade of 1966, and we will all be happy to see this ski resort as part of the Torino 2025 FISU Winter Games," added the official.

Ski Mountaineering takes another step in its recognition after being acknowledged as an official discipline in the 2020 Youth Olympic Games and has recently been included in the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.