Val Thorens (France) opens the ISMF World Cup circuit. ©

With the arrival of winter, the ISMF World Cup kicks off. Val Thorens (France) is the chosen venue to raise the curtain on a competition that will consist of seven tests.

There, in the French town, the best athletes in the world will come together for an exciting display of skill, speed, and endurance. This season promises to be particularly captivating, with growing anticipation as ski mountaineering prepares for its debut at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. Val Thorens, nestled in the heart of the French Alps, provides the perfect backdrop for ski mountaineering athletes to showcase their prowess. It all starts tomorrow with a sprint race on Saturday, November 25, for elite men and women, and a mixed relay race on Sunday, November 25. The first points of the season are at stake this weekend. 

Val Thorens (France) opens the ISMF World Cup circuit. © Getty Images
Val Thorens (France) opens the ISMF World Cup circuit. © Getty Images

After Val Thorens, the Ski Mountaineering World Cup caravan will head to six more stops. Each will have its special characteristics that will require participants to be very versatile and complete. The series will traverse some of the most stunning ski mountaineering destinations in the world before closing the season in style in Cortina d'Ampezzo in April, to decide the winners of the overall title and the different crowns in Sprint, Vertical, and Individual. All this spectacle can be followed by fans. If you can't be there live, the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF) has signed an agreement with the Olympic Channel to livestream ISMF events via Olympics.com.

The approved calendar for events that will have live streaming or video content this year:

 ISMF World Cup 

November 24-25: Val Thorens, FRA - Sprint & Mixed Relay 

January 20, 2024 - Arinsal, AND - Individual, Vertical

 January 27, 2024 - Boi Taull, ESP - Sprint, Mixed Relay 

February 2, 2024 - Villars-sur-Olon, SUI - Sprint, Mixed Relay & Individual

 February 22, 2024 - Val Martello, ITA - Individual, Mixed Relay & Sprint

 March 1, 2024 - Schladming, AUT - Vertical & Sprint

 April 6, 2024 - Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA - Vertical, Individual, Sprint & Mixed Relay European Championships

 January 8, 2024 - Flaine/Chamonix, FRA - European Championships - Individual, Sprint, Vertical & Mixed Relay Youth World Cups

 December 9, 2023 - Meribel, FRA - Sprint & Individual February 3, 2024 - Bormio, ITA - Sprint & Mixed Relay

 February 17, 2024 - Berchtesgaden, GER - Vertical, Individual

 March 13, 2024 - Molde, NOR - Vertical, Sprint, Individual & Mixed Relay