Summit the Slopes: The Annual Mt. Ashland Skimo Event Returns Annually in February.

Mt. Ashland Skimo Summit

Whether you're racing in spandex or rocking a fun costume, join the growing skimo community for an epic day of uphill thrills, backcountry adventure, and post-race celebrations at Mt. Ashland.

The Annual Mt. Ashland Skimo Summit in February returns each year to Mt. Ashland and sees competitors from all around Oregon, California, Utah and Nevada. The sport of Skimo (short for ski mountaineering) is quickly gaining in popularity, partially due to the spandex outfits, but probably more due to the sport making its Olympic debut at the Winter 2026 Olympics in Milano Cortina. 

Skimo is a competitive version of backcountry touring, think of it as a marriage of trail running and touring. 4 years ago Ryan Ghelfi and I started the event thinking this area needs an event to bring the uphill community together in the winter. Since Ghelfi’s move to Idaho 2 years ago, I’ve had help from Travis Simpson (who is also the assistant ski patrol director at Mt Ashland) and Pete Wallstrom.  

At the Mt Ashland Skimo Summit you can use randonee or AT (alpine touring) skis, splitboards, or telemark. The Full Course at the Mt Ashland Skimo Summit is unique in that the course goes through the untamed backcountry where a groomer has never gone. You’ll need advanced skiing skills (especially if it hasn’t snowed in a while) and we require you to carry a beacon, shovel, and a probe. 

For safety, we have volunteers positioned at various transitions and the Jackson County Search and Rescue will be ready in their snowcat in case of any rescue.

Ashland has become a trail running hotspot with so many amazing trails accessible from town and there is a lot of crossover between mountain runners and skimo racers. With this lightweight gear you can move efficiently uphill and get a similar workout to mountain running on the snow. The best part with skimo is that you get the thrill of skiing down as an added bonus.

Thereare folks in race attire and specialized lightweight skis racing up and down the hills around Mt Ashland, but this race is also for the casual backcountry skier who wants to push themselves physically, come together as a community, and (most importantly) have fun. We make sure there is room for everyone at the race and costumes and fun outfits are highly encouraged.  

After crossing the finish line there are beers from Common Block, a hot meal, and an awards ceremony, and a band starting after the awards ceremony to keep the party going.  Sound like a fun February day out? Make sure to follow or sign up for info for this annual event at Mt. Ashland.

Blog Contribution by: Yu Kuwabara, Mt. Ashland Skimo Summit