From DJ Gigs to Olympic Debut: Lara Hamilton’s Skimo Dream
A brand-new Olympic sport is about to take center stage and at the heart of it is an Australian athlete balancing DJ decks, part-time work and a lifelong love of the mountains.
Ski mountaineering, known as skimo, will make its Winter Olympics debut at the Milano Cortina 2026 Games. It is fast, intense and brutally demanding. Athletes race uphill on skis fitted with special skins for grip, rip them off in seconds, strap the skis to their backs, sprint uphill on foot, then transition again before charging downhill to the finish. The entire sprint event lasts just three to four minutes, but it pushes competitors to their absolute limits.
Among those lining up is Lara Hamilton, a former trail running standout who grew up skiing in the Australian Alps. Her father raced at the World Cup level in Nordic skiing, so endurance was part of her upbringing. But Hamilton’s path to the Olympics has been anything but conventional.
She moved to the United States for college, initially focusing on running and even pursuing opera studies. Along the way, she discovered backcountry skiing. That passion evolved into ski mountaineering when she realized she could climb and descend mountains faster with lighter gear and sharper technique. It was a natural fit for someone with elite aerobic capacity and a love for the outdoors.
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But this Olympic journey has come with serious obstacles. Financial strain is constant. Unlike athletes from traditional winter sports nations, Australian winter competitors often face limited funding. Hamilton has relied on part-time jobs, DJ performances and coaching to keep her season alive. The Olympics may be covered, but the rest of the competitive calendar still demands resources.
And then there is her health. Hamilton manages ankylosing spondylitis, an inflammatory condition affecting the spine. It brings pain, stiffness and uncertainty. Treatment requires careful timing around competition schedules. For an athlete in a high-impact, high-intensity sport, that balancing act is relentless.
So why does this matter beyond one athlete’s story?
Because skimo represents the evolution of the Winter Games. It blends endurance, technical skill and raw mountain instinct. It opens the Olympic stage to athletes from non-traditional winter nations. And it highlights a generation willing to chase elite dreams without guaranteed support.
As the world watches the debut of this new event in Milano Cortina, stories like Hamilton’s remind us that the Olympics are not just about medals. They are about resilience, reinvention and redefining what is possible.
Stay with us for continuing coverage as ski mountaineering makes history and a new chapter of the Winter Games begins.
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