For many people, skiing uphill sounds like nothing more than, well, an uphill battle.
But for Cochrane, Alta., native Kylee Toth, gliding upwards on a mountain for hours at a time — also known as the sport of ski mountaineering — is where she finds her sense of peace.
"There is this sort of flow state. Beautiful places that you can be in that many people never see in their lifetime, and that's why I have stayed in this sport for so long … there's nothing like it," Toth told CBC Sports.
Toth, who currently sits 36th on the World Cup Provisional Ranking making her the highest ranked Canadian woman, is also quick to acknowledge the physical demands of the sport.
"It's really really punishing, I'm not gonna lie. The entire sport is uphill," she said. "It's like a super long hill sprint. You're running right at your anaerobic threshold and then at the top, you have to collect yourself quickly, pull your skins off and race down the hill as fast as you can."
WATCH | Toth discusses ski mountaineering's inclusion at 2026 Winter Games:
Canada's highest ranked woman in ski mountaineering, Kylee Toth, talks about the inclusion of the sport at the upcoming Winter Olympics, and sheds insight on the physicality of the sport.Previously a competitive speedskater, Toth first hit the slopes in Canmore, Alta., to continue her athletic training following her retirement from the ice.
"I liked the challenge, and something struck a chord, so I just kept ticking away at it. It's really turned into an absolute passion that is in every aspect of my life," she said.
At 41 years old, Toth is currently the oldest woman on the World Cup circuit. For this, she calls herself an anomaly.
"It doesn't actually favour an older physiology. How I'm kind of still doing it is I think is because of the speed skating background," Toth said.
The inclusion of the sport at the upcoming Winter Olympics is a first for ski mountaineering, but it will run differently at the Games than athletes are used to in their regular season.
While a normal race could take over two hours to complete, the Olympic event will be extremely condensed into something more of a sprint, lasting around three to four minutes.
"When this was announced probably three years ago, there were certainly mixed feelings in the group, myself included," Toth said. "The heart of the sport, it doesn't really resemble what a lot of us think of as our sport, which is big mountains, going up huge climbs … ridge running — more true to the recreational component, which is ski mountaineering."With time, Toth says the concept has grown on her fellow ski mountaineers, adding that she looks forward to how its inclusion at the Olympics will help legitimize the sport and gain more exposure.
For Milano-Cortina 2026, just 36 qualifying spots are available in ski mountaineering, 18 for men and 18 for women — making for a fierce competition for Toth to secure her spot as a first-time Olympian.
"All of us who grow up in a sport dream of going to the Olympics one day … it would be very special to be in the first Olympics, especially for this sport, because I think there is something special about the first time," she said.
The qualification process for ski mountaineering started back in Nov. 1 2024 and goes until Dec. 21, 2025.
WATCH | What you need to know about the new winter Olympic sport of 'skimo':
Ski mountaineering, also known as 'skimo', is coming back to the 2026 Winter Olympics for the first time since 1946. Instead of using a chairlift, skimo athletes use 'skins' on the bottom of their skis to grip their way up the slopes and then ski back down.