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The BuzzAuthor: UltraSignup
Trail and ultrarunning are evolving fastso how do you keep up? Enter The Buzz, a podcast that cuts through the noise with grounded takes from a true expert in the sport. As a pioneering ultrarunner, FKT legend, and industry veteran, Buzz brings decades of experience and a sharp, critical eye to the big ideas shaping endurance sports. Each episode dives into the culture, philosophy, and future of trail running with the thinkers, historians, and innovators who define itnot just the athletes, but the voices behind the sport's biggest shifts. If you're here for more than just race results and training tips, The Buzz delivers the conversations that matter. Language: en-us Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Skimo's Olympic Debut: The Winter Sport Trail Runners Should Be Watching
Tuesday, 13 January, 2026
Ski mountaineering is about to have its moment, and if you're a trail runner, you should be paying attention. Skimo shares DNA with our sport: the relentless uphill effort, the technical descents, the mountain culture, and a surprising number of athletes who race both. After decades as a European-dominated discipline, skimo makes its Olympic debut at the 2026 Winter Games in Italy. Nikki LaRochelle joins Buzz to break down what skimo is and why trail runners should care. A longtime skimo racer and ultrarunner, with finishes at San Juan Solstice 50 and Canyon de Chelly, Nikki famously Photoshopped herself into a broadcast booth four years ago, manifesting a future she wasn't sure she'd ever reach. This February, she'll be the technical commentator for the Olympic Broadcasting System. She walks listeners through what makes skimo racing so tactically complex: the transitions, the boot packs, the skinning, and the descents that punish any lapse in focus. Then Cam Smith, one half of Team USA's mixed relay duo alongside Anna Gibson, shares what it's like to prepare for the biggest stage in sport. At the Solitude World Cup, Cam and Anna jumped from ranked 13th to first, proving they can compete with anyone on their best day. Cam talks about the mental game, the preparation heading into Italy, and chasing the first-ever Olympic medals in skimo history. Buzz floats the idea that they could be the first trail runners to compete in an Olympic Games. The sprint is February 19th, the mixed relay February 21st. This is your primer on a sport that shares more with trail running than you might think.
