Iain Innes: The British Mountain Athlete Reaching New Heights

One of Britain’s top skiers is taking to the mountains in pursuit of new heights as he aims for success in the newest Olympic event.

Former British Skiing Champion Iain Innes is taking the bold leap into the world of Ski Mountaineering, aiming to represent Great Britain at the 2026 Winter Olympics in the sport's inaugural games.

Having represented Great Britain on the international stage for nearly a decade as a part of the GB Ski Team, Iain is no stranger to going toe to toe against the world’s top alpine athletes. And, having competed in the 2024 Ski Mountaineering European Championships and a host of World Cup events, he is now taking the bold leap to set aside work and dedicate himself to training and racing as a full-time athlete as he strives to build upon his initial experience and score success in one of sports most challenging disciplines.

“Getting into Ski Mountaineering was a pretty special experience, there are not many sports where you can straight away race against some of the best in the world, there's absolutely no hiding. As a Brit I was very lucky I could go straight into racing World Cups, gaining a lot of experience in a very short time and I now know exactly what I need to do going into next season.” -Iain Innes.

An exciting new addition to the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, Ski Mountaineering or ‘Skimo’ is a gruelling endurance sport, where athletes compete to traverse mountainous landscapes, climbing and descending the rugged terrain in a true test of skill, endurance and nerve in some of the most unforgiving environments on Earth. Combining the disciplines of skiing and mountaineering, Skimo pushes both technical and physical boundaries as athletes call upon their mastery of skiing and inhuman levels of fitness to conquer the mountain and claim glory.

Undaunted by the challenge, Iain has his sights firmly set on Milano-Cortina 2026,

“The Olympics is a big goal of mine, it would be a really special experience to represent Great Britain at what is going to be the biggest competition in the world. The field in Ski Mountaineering is incredibly strong, a lot of the guys have been competing on the World Cup tour for ten-plus years and have experience that I just don't yet have. Having said that I am early in my career, improving with every single race I do and with a sport with so many variables where anything can happen I am determined to give it my best shot.”

The world of Alpine sport is only for the bravest and most sure-footed. In an area dominated by the traditional Alpine nations, Iain’s sense of adventure and determination to push boundaries make him the perfect man to shake up the status quo and bring Britain to the peak.

As he commits to life as a full-time athlete Iain is looking for partners to join him on his journey and support his journey to the top.

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