Canadian ski mountaineering team set for winner-take-all race vs. U.S. with Olympics at stake

Canada’s ski mountaineering athletes feature their Olympic dreams on the run along this weekend at a domain transfuse case in Solitude, Utah.

The mixed relay race doubles as a winner-take-all race between Canada and the United States to decide which country’s athletes claim the final two quota spots available for Milano Cortina.

Canada will have three teams in that race, but all eyes will be on the top-ranked mixed relay duo of Emma Cook-Clarke and Aaron Robson. They’ve spent the last year accumulating Olympic qualification points from six World Cup events and the world championships and have put themselves within striking distance of their goal.

Ski mountaineering is making its debut on the Olympic programme, and is an intensely physical sport that is a combination of uphill climbing and downhill skiing. Instead of using a chairlift, skimo athletes use 'skins' on the bottom of their skis to grip their way up the slopes and then ski back down.

Everything you need to know about the new Olympic sport of ski mountaineering

A trip to the Winter Games is the immediate prize for Cook-Clarke, 32, and Robson, 39, but the teammates believe their result will also have big consequences for the future of their sport in Canada, which could greatly use the spotlight that Olympic participation would bring.

“The prospect of becoming an Olympian for Canada is something that I can't believe…it's so surreal. It would mean the world to me to be able to achieve that for our country,” Cook-Clarke said. “I've done my best to control what I can control and I know that, regardless of the outcome in this final World Cup, I'm super proud of all we've done and where we are, and I'm excited to keep developing the sport in Canada.”

Canada’s final chance at qualifying skimo athletes for Milano Cortina rests in that mixed relay race on Saturday by way of the continental quota. The top-ranked relay team from each continent in the world earns a men’s and women’s quota spot at the Olympics.

The Canadians hold the absolute slimmest of leads heading into Solitude – a single point separates them from the U.S. – so whichever country’s team performs the best in Saturday’s mixed relay race will lock down those final spots at the Olympics.

The mixed relay event features teams of one man and one woman, where members of the team carry out a circuit one after the other, with each athlete racing twice. The team with the fastest total time wins the race.

Cook-Clarke said Saturday will undoubtedly be the biggest race of her career.

“I've never been in a competition before where the Olympics were at stake. And for it to be such a tight margin is a really exciting opportunity,” she said. “I'm really proud of our team for getting to be in this position. We dealt with a lot of adversity, and we did pretty much everything ourselves, which was great, but definitely not easy.

“I know that leading into this final World Cup in the qualifying window, we've all done everything we could. We've tried to control what was in our power, and we're ready to throw down as best we can, in true Canadian fashion.”

Competing at the Olympics has been a dream for Robson since he was seven-years-old, but that was seemingly dashed after injuries he picked up over his track career and he “hung up the spikes” in his mid 20s. But after discovering skimo, Robson began to see that becoming an Olympian was a legitimate possibility once more.

“It was almost like this recognition of a very, very old, old dream,” he said.

Now, only three years after joining the Canadian national team, Robson’s dream is once again within his grasp.

This is how ski mountaineering will work at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Games

But both admit that Saturday’s race isn’t just about trying to realize their own Olympic aspirations – Robson and Cook-Clarke believe an Olympic appearance would have a positive effect on their fledgling national sports organization. Especially when that comes to the funding its athletes receive, which includes getting more team members access to the  country’s Athlete Assistance Program – commonly known as ‘carding.’ 

“We got carding status, which has given us more financial resources than we otherwise would have had. Some of that can go to living as an athlete and, and in this case, a fully professional athlete,” Robson said. “I have a full time job that I work…but I'm currently on a six-week leave from that job to try to make sure I have enough time and energy to focus on this race. That carding funding also goes to just covering life expenses while I'm taking six weeks off of work. 

“That carding status would be huge for our sport in terms of getting more support for more athletes. Right now, there's two of us, which is better than zero, which it was the previous year, but if we're able to get a few more cards to give some [to] more people on the team, like financial support…that would kind of start to put us in a little bit more of an even footing with some of the other teams that we’re competing against.”

While Saturday marks the final step in their 2026 Olympic qualification pursuit, the journey Cook-Clarke and Robson have each taken to get to this point have been years in the making, and has included plenty of personal and financial sacrifice.

“I'd say the financial piece has been one of the biggest stresses,” Cook-Clarke said. “Last season, I spent over three months in Europe. So that's not only that time away from home, and loved ones, and routine, but that's also a lot of money.

“The equipment adds up very quickly, but fortunately, I have been able to get a few sponsors that help with that sum. I still do have to pay quite a bit out of pocket.”

Cook-Clarke also left her career behind to devote herself to skimo.

“In terms of sacrifices, I did leave my job as a professional firefighter,” she said. “I was with the city of Calgary for four and half years, and that was a really difficult decision to leave.

“I felt like I was letting the city down by leaving but I also knew that I had this special opportunity that was unique to myself at this time of my life. So that's probably the biggest sacrifice is leaving [my career] in order to pursue this dream for the country and give back in other ways.”

Robson navigated his skimo aspirations in tandem with his family life – he left his job as a math teacher to take on a job designing education curriculum. That allows him to work from home, spending time with his wife, and his four-year-old daughter, River, plus train and compete on the World Cup circuit.

Robson and Cook-Clarke teamed up last year and their partnership sparked immediately. They believe they compliment each other’s style, with Cook-Clarke marvelling at Robson’s “drive and dedication,” while Robson admires how his teammate keeps cool and collected under pressure.

“She's very calm about things [and] doesn't have a lot of bravado, but has this sort of quiet confidence. That's kind of good and comforting to be around when you're in the start area, and everything's kind of crazy,” Robson said. “She's a kind of solid presence there to help us stay grounded.

“She's also just a great kind of great person to talk to and before and after the races, in terms of keeping a level head and not getting over excited or overly concerned about everything.”

As the Solitude event approaches, Cook-Clarke is keeping that same energy, saying she’s focused on being present in the moment, and won’t let the weight of stress and pressure overwhelm her performance for the Canadian team.

“I think our goal is to just get the most out of ourselves that day, and often that comes from being relaxed and being joyful,” she said. “I think stress can be helpful for us, as can pressure, but too much of it can limit us. And so I think what I'll try and remind myself of…is that we're really fortunate to even be in the present right now.

“Let's do what we can to just have a day that we're proud of and leave it all out there, doing it for the country.”

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