Performance determinants in Ski mountaineering sprint: data from the pre-2026 Olympic test event

Ski mountaineering (SkiMo) sprint is a new Olympic discipline. This study aimed to investigate the performance determinants at the Milan-Cortina Olympic Sprint Test Event through the analysis of overall sprint time in quarterfinals (SPT), section-specific contributions, and associations with laboratory-derived physiological parameters.

SPT and seven section splits were analyzed across quarterfinal rounds in qualified athletes (n = 36). The course included uphill (U), transition (T), and downhill sections. A subgroup of Swiss elite male sprinters (n = 9, Tier 4-5) underwent laboratory testing of aerobic power and lactate kinetics.

Time on uphill ski and foot section (UT) in quarterfinals accounted for the largest proportion of SPT variability (81.5%) and was strongly correlated with SPT (r = 0.89, P < 0.001), particularly during U1, the first U section of the race (r = 0.91, P < 0.001).Time in T1 showed a moderate association with SPT (r = 0.62, P = 0.021), whereas no significant associations were observed for the remaining U, T, or downhill sections time.Among the top 18 of the 36 qualified athletes, T time contributed more to SPT variability than in athletes ranked 19th to 36th (respectively 46.8% and 18.4%).For the subgroup tested in the laboratory, UT was best predicted by maximal vertical velocity (r = -0.76, P = 0.018) and by maximal oxygen uptake relative to body mass ( $\dot{V}{O}_{2\max }$ ) (r = -0.75, P = 0.021), and a multiple stepwise regression identified $\dot{V}{O}_{2\max }$ and lactate removal capacity as the best UT predictors (R ² = 0.82, P = 0.006).

These findings suggest that sprint performance in SkiMo is associated with both high aerobic capacity, and strong performance in the early sections of the race (U1 and T1). Interestingly, lactate removal capacity was also associated with sprint performance, suggesting a potential role of peripheral muscle characteristics associated with lactate kinetics on fatigue resistance during a SkiMo sprint. Finally, the relatively greater contribution of T to sprint performance among world-class athletes highlights that SkiMo sprint is not only about physiological capacity but also about fast and error-free T under maximal effort.