You don't need to try ski mountaineering to benefit from improving your VO₂ max

From skating to curling, the thrilling sports of the Winter Olympics have plenty of science behind them. Follow our coverage here to learn more. When ski mountaineering, or skimo, debuts at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games Milano Cortina in Italy on Thursday, athletes will face off in a brutal test of aerobic capacity. They will schlep their skis up a snowy mountainside that is twice as steep as a typical incline treadmill’s highest angle. And as they do so, they will move up to 10 kilometers per..