AUS SkiMo takes off with three athletes the first to represent Australia in the discipline

After Snow Australia was officially recognised as a full National Federation member of the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF) earlier this year, Snow Australia established a Ski Mountaineering (SkiMo) Discipline Committee to increase awareness around the sport and encourage athletes to participate in the discipline.

AUS SkiMo has now taken off and Kate Zander, Phillip Bellingham, and John Walker will be the first Australians to compete for AUS SkiMo in the upcoming Northern Hemisphere racing season, participating in the ISMF World Cup and several regional European events.

Kate Zander, originally from Canberra, is an Australian living in Colorado who was previously a member of the US National SkiMo Team, racking up several podium finishes at many prestigious US races. She has been competing in SkiMo for several years and is excited to have the opportunity to represent Australia.

"I‘m honoured and delighted to be the first Australian Ski Mountaineering athlete representing my home country and winter sports in the southern hemisphere,” Zander said. “I feel like this does nothing but grow the sport on a world level. Everyone I've talked to in the States, where I live, work and train, are excited as well.”

Phillip Bellingham, a three-time Winter Olympian and Cross-Country National Team Member will be joining Zander, having previously raced one SkiMo event. Bellingham is looking to combine SkiMo racing into an event schedule that also includes Cross Country World Cup events and is excited to represent Australia across several disciplines.

Bellingham will start his season on the World Cup circuit in January, racing in Morgins, Switzerland and at Arinsal - La Massana in Andorra, while Zander will race on the North American circuit in December and January before joining Bellingham at the World Cup event in Martello, Italy.

There they will have the chance to compete together in the Mixed Relay event, which with the Sprint event is on the schedule for the Winter Games in Milan Cortina 2026, where SkiMo will make its Olympic debut. In addition, Cross-Country National Team athlete John Walker will be competing in several regional events, with the hope of progressing to World Cup level during the season.

“As we look towards the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina, we will be aiming to identify future athletes as well as continuing cultivating the SkiMo community here in Australia,” said Brian Lichi, former SkiMo competitor and member of the SkiMo Discipline Committee.

Snow Australia is currently working towards the prospect of facilitating the first SkiMo event  in Australia during the 2023 Southern Hemisphere season.

“This event will allow us to not only highlight this fantastic new sport, which will help blossom the already growing SkiMo community in Australia, but also help us shine a light on future athletes,” continued Lichi.

“This event will mean that those athletes with a passion and history in SkiMo will be able to pit themselves against other athletes looking to grow this fantastic sport.”