She is not only one of the world's best orienteers of all time. Now, Tove Alexandersson is also betting on ski mountaineering, which is debuting on the Olympic Games program in Milan and Cortina 2026.
But to take an Olympic spot, she must first qualify.
This season and the first World Cup weekend next winter are qualifying competitions. Nothing is certain yet. Since it's a new Olympic event, there aren't many spots available either. So, the best thing is to qualify with a team, says Alexandersson, who has won European Championship gold in ski mountaineering, among other things.
"Tough downhill skiing"
Alexandersson is divided about the sport's entry into the Olympic program.
What I like best about ski mountaineering is the long runs in the mountains. Especially when it gets very physically tough with both long uphill climbs and tough downhill skiing, right out in the off-piste mountains. That's what I got hooked on from the start, she says and continues:
But unfortunately, that type of race isn't included in the Olympics, but rather arena-friendly parts, like sprint and mixed relay, which are very short races. It's a development that I don't think is so good. I don't really like the way the Olympic entry has affected the sport, I have to say.
Looking for a guy
An individual race and a mixed relay are on the Olympic program.
The relay is what motivates me the most to make a serious Olympic effort. There are a lot of guys who are keen on the relay. Hopefully, we can get a good team together. We'll see this winter how it goes and who's the strongest of the guys.
The national team captain for ski mountaineering, Hector Haines, says it's hard to find someone who can keep up with Alexandersson's level.
We have five guys we're going to test during the season together with Tove. The guys aren't at the top of the world level yet. But we hope that Tove can be so good that the guy she competes with can be a few percent behind the best on the men's side.
Hard to combine
Mostly, it's orienteers who have shown interest in ski mountaineering.
I think the reason is that Tove inspires many and the opportunity to combine the sports in a good way. But there have also been some guys with different skiing backgrounds. The problem is that the possibility of combining the seasons becomes much harder, says Haines.
The Swedish Climbing Federation describes ski mountaineering as "mountain climbing on skis, against the clock and head-to-head against competitors".
More developed, one can describe ski mountaineering as a skiing sport where athletes climb mountains with skis and then ski down. The competitions usually take place on a marked track with steep sections. During certain technically difficult parts, the skis are carried on the back. The sport is mainly popular in Alpine countries.
Ski mountaineering's Olympic events:
Mixed relay Sprint (Olympic Games 2026): A variant of sprint where one woman and one man compete together. Both ski two laps on an extended sprint track.
Sprint (Olympic Games 2026): Competitions that last a few minutes, where all aspects of the sport are included: skiing uphill 80-100 meters with skins, "skis on the back", and skiing downhill. Similar to cross-country skiing's sprint, with quarterfinal, semifinal, and final.
In other championships and World Cup events, athletes also compete in other disciplines.
Born: September 7, 1992, in Borlänge.
Main merits: Twelve individual World Championship gold medals in orienteering, seven individual World Championship gold medals in ski orienteering, the Swedish Sports Award 2019, the Jerring Prize 2019.
Current: With an Olympic effort in the new sport of ski mountaineering.
