Inside Cam Smith and the USA Skimo Team's Road to the 2026 Games - Season 7 Ep 20

About this episode

Dirk Friel interviews Cam Smith about his journey to the 2026 Winter Games and the strategies behind Team USA's success in ski mountaineering.

On this episode of Endurance Unlimited, host Dirk Friel sits down with rising star Cam Smith, professional trail runner and ski mountaineering athlete who's just qualified for the 2026 Winter Games in Milan Cortina. Together, they dig into the strategy and preparation behind Team USA’s dramatic World Cup victory in Solitude, Utah—which not only put the U.S. a ticket to the Games for Skimo, but also set the stage for what’s next in this fast-evolving sport. Cam Smith shares his journey from ultra-endurance races to the high-intensity, quick-transition world of ski mountaineering, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the training philosophies, mistakes to avoid, and the unique demands of mixed relay competition. You’ll hear how he leverages both running and skiing to fuel his performance, and get an inside look at how emerging talent like Anna Gibson is shaking up the U.S. team. 00:00 "Mixed Relay Racing Strategies" 03:32 "Qualifying on Home Soil" 07:50 "Trail Running Meets Skiing" 12:44 "Balancing Racing Seasons and Goals" 15:41 "Short Turnaround: Leveraging Speed" 17:45 Training for Steep Mountain Racing 22:48 "Injuries, Adaptation, and Focus" 24:39 Future Trail Racing Plans…

People in this episode

Host: Dirk Friel

Guest: Cam Smith

Topics covered

• ski mountaineering
• 2026 Winter Games
• training strategies
• mixed relay competition
• trail running
• Team USA
• athlete preparation

Keywords

• Cam Smith
• ski mountaineering
• 2026 Winter Games
• Team USA
• training strategies
• mixed relay
• trail running
• athlete preparation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Team USA

Places: Milan Cortina, Solitude, Utah

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