INTRODUCTION: The 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics will mark the debut of ski mountaineering, featuring two distinct competition formats: the Sprint and the Mixed-Relay. To date, the physiological demands and the predictors of performance in these ski mountaineering disciplines remain largely unexplored [1,2]. The purpose of this study was to investigate the physiological demand and the predictors of performance in the two Olympic formats. METHODS: 20 ski-mountaineers (11 F), competing in an ISMF WC event featuring the Sprint and the Mixed-Relay, completed a laboratory-based physiological evaluation, including ski mountaineering-specific maximal and supra-maximal (intensity >VO2max) tests, with a sub-group of 10 (5 F) being monitored (i.e., heart rate, blood lactate and rate of perceived exertion) during the races. Performance data of the participants in the different sections of the races (i.e., uphill skiing, uphill on foot, transitions, and downhill skiing) were retrieved according to a previously adopted approach [2]. Correlation and stepwise multiple linear regression analyses were used to assess the impact of section times on overall race performance, as well as the relationships between physiological variables and performance. RESULTS/DISCUSSION: Uphill skiing represented the majority of race time in both formats and accounted for most of the variance in performance (~80-90%), with transition times explaining almost all the remaining variance in performance (~10-15%). Similar and near-to-maximal cardiac (>95% HRmax) and perceptual responses were observed in the two formats, with a significantly higher contribution of lactic anaerobic metabolism in the Sprint than in the Mixed-Relay (p<0.001). A main predictor of performance was found for each race, i.e. the skiing speed at the second ventilatory threshold (VT2) in the Mixed-Relay (~84% and ~78% of variance explained in uphill skiing and overall time, respectively) and the maximal sustainable skiing speed over a 2-min effort in the Sprint (~98% and ~95%). CONCLUSION: To compete in Olympic ski mountaineering disciplines, athletes should improve their ability to replicate high-intensity efforts in the uphill sections of the races and refine their transition skills. Athletes should tailor their training considering the specific physiological demands of each race, emphasizing near-maximal to maximal intensities (from VT2 to VO2max) for the Mixed Relay and supra-maximal intensities (>VO2max) for the Sprint.
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