Eurovision Sport & EBU Members Set To Stream Season’s First New Ski Mo’ Event

The new ski mountaineering season starts on 16 December with the Adamello World Cup in Pontedilegno-Tonale, Italy – and EBU Members have it covered!

The event is the first to be held under the pioneering new joint venture that Eurovision Sport agreed with the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF) in September.

Under the agreement, the EBU and its Members will screen, promote and commercialise the exciting, rising sport of ski mountaineering, as it heads towards inclusion in the Winter Olympic Games for the first time at the games in Milan-Cortina in 2026.

At Pontedilegno-Tonale, ISMF, with the support of Eurovision Sport, and EBU Members will be offering live streaming of the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals of the men’s and women’s Sprint races on 16 December, and of the men’s and women’s Vertical races on 17 December.

EBU Members offering live streaming include TVP (Poland), YLE (Finland) and France Télévisions.

Live streaming can be found online.

SKI MOUNTAINEERING DISCIPLINES

• THE SPRINT. This is a mini-individual race, combining the essential features of ski mountaineering techniques, with an ascent on ‘skins’ to provide grip when ascending, and with part of the ascent undertaken on foot, with skis carried on a rucksack. This is followed by a single descent from the top. As the title implies, this is a very fast race, and is based on completing the total course in approximately three minutes for the fastest racers. The total ascent and descent is about 80m, with athletes starting and finishing in almost the same point. Although the ascent is usually on well packed snow, the descent can be off-piste, with gates and small jumps.
• THE VERTICAL. As the name suggests, the vertical race is an uphill-only event. It is usually carried out on well-packed snow with the whole race taking place with ‘skins’ under the skis in a single, long ascent. It is a race to the top and should not exceed a height gain of more than 700m.

EUROVISION SPORT-ISMF PARTNERSHIP

Under the new, five-year agreement, Eurovision Sport plans the production and live streaming of selected races at eight events per season, beginning with the forthcoming 2021-22 season. This will be backed by additional near-live content and background stories to help build awareness of the sport.

The events comprise: seven World Cups and one European Championships. The 2021-22 calendar is made up of events in Italy, Switzerland, Andorra, Turkey, Spain and France, totaling 24 live-streamed competitions.

Ski mountaineering made its debut as a medal sport at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne in 2020, and was accepted by the IOC as a new Winter Olympic sport, debuting at the Milan-Cortina games in 2026, during the IOC Session in Tokyo in July this year.