Most Replayed Episode: Cam Smith, 2026 U.S. Skimo Olympian

Send us Fan MailA skimo World Cup podium is rare. Coming back after an ACL and meniscus tear, then surviving a major shoulder injury right after, is even rarer. We sit down with Cam Smith to talk about what it really takes to rebuild your body and your confidence when momentum gets ripped away and the biggest goal is still out there: qualifying for the 2026 Winter Olympics (Milano Cortina) in ski mountaineering. Cam walks us from Rockford, Illinois to Western Colorado University’s Mountain Sports program, then into the Crested Butte skimo scene that helped him snowball from “mid-pack and stoked” into Team USA and a history-making World Cup result. We get specific about what changed at that breakthrough moment, why belief matters in elite endurance sport, and how training at altitude forces you to chase power and pace, not just watts per kilo. Then we zoom into the Olympic reality for skimo. The format is sprint and co-ed relay, the athlete quota is tiny, and the qualification math is unforgiving. Cam explains how nations earn spots, how the U.S. plans to test relay pairings, and why the level is rising fast as countries pour resources into these short, explosive events. Along the way we hit the fun stuff too: training in France, the croissant count tradition, vegetarian fueling, Dynafit sponsorship loyalty, Pierra Menta as a “lifetime memory,” and a mindset reset that comes from working with a sports psychologist and staying grounded through work outside sport. If you care about ski mountaineering, trail running, strength training, ACL rehab, or Olympic qualification, this one delivers. Subscribe, share this with a mountain athlete friend, and leave a five-star review if it helps, what part of Cam’s story are you taking into your own training?Use code SteepStuff for 20% your cart on Sidas.usFollow James on IG - @jameslaurielloFollow the Steep Stuff Podcast on IG - @steepstuff_podFollow Sidas USA on IG - @sidas_usa