From September 22 to 28, the third ISMF Youth Camp, supported by Olympic Solidarity, took place in Nevados de Chillán, nestled in the heart of the Andes in Chile. Nearly 40 participants from 11 countries—Australia, Argentina, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Greece, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Turkey— attended the camp.
Over the course of five thrilling days on the snow, participants engaged in friendly competitions in Olympic disciplines, such as the sprint and mixed relay. In addition, they took part in avalanche safety training, specialized transition training, climbed two volcanoes, honed their skiing skills, and relaxed in the hot springs of the ski resort. The camp was hosted in the highest hotel in the valley, situated at 1,800 meters above sea level. The entire resort was officially closed to the public, and our team shared the slopes with alpine ski teams from France, Canada, and the Czech Republic, which was an exciting experience for many young ski mountaineers.
Thanks to the collaboration with coaches and mountain guides from various countries—and especially to the outstanding efforts of Pablo Ral from Spain, Peter Svatojansky from Slovakia, as well as Marco Parra and Tonyo Concha from Chile—the participants not only improved athletically but also became an incredibly well-coordinated and enthusiastic team. We believe that we will see some of the camp’s participants in this year’s World Cup competitions, and eventually at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. A special thanks goes to the Federación de Andinismo de Chile (FEACH) for its significant role in organizing the camp.
The Chile camp marked the conclusion of a three-year phase of camps under the Olympic Solidarity program, which previously took place in Zakopane, Poland, and Jaca, Spain. I am confident that in the upcoming Olympic cycle (2025-2028), we will be able to continue this program. Today, we warmly invite all federations to seek out young athletes. The future of sport belongs to the youth!
Monika Strojny
ISMF Project Coordinator
About the ISMF:
Founded in 2007, the ISMF is the global governing body for competitive ski mountaineering. Since 2016, the organisation has been officially recognised by the International Olympic Committee. Its main goals are the promotion, regulation and development of the sport of ski mountaineering worldwide. Based in Lausanne, Switzerland, the ISMF’s membership consists of 49 national federations located in Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. The ISMF organizes ski mountaineering Senior and Youth World Cups, as well as Masters and World Championships. For the first time, ski mountaineering was a medal sport at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland, and has been included in the programme of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympic Winter Games.
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