Olympics at stake: Canadian ski mountaineering team set for winner-take-all race vs. U.S.

Canada’s ski mountaineering athletes have their Olympic dreams on the line this weekend at a World Cup event in Solitude, Utah.

The mixed relay race doubles as a winner-take-all race between Canada and the United States to decide which country’s athletes claim the final two quota spots available for Milano Cortina.

Canada will have three teams in that race, but all eyes will be on the top-ranked mixed relay duo of Emma Cook-Clarke and Aaron Robson. They’ve spent the last year accumulating Olympic qualification points from six World Cup events and the world championships and have put themselves within striking distance of their goal.

Ski mountaineering is making its debut on the Olympic programme, and is an intensely physical sport that is a combination of uphill climbing and downhill skiing. Instead of using a chairlift, skimo athletes use 'skins' on the bottom of their skis to grip their way up the slopes and then ski back down.

Everything you need to know about the new Olympic sport of ski mountaineering

A trip to the Winter Games is the immediate prize for Cook-Clarke, 32, and Robson, 39, but the teammates believe their result will also have big consequences for the future of their sport in Canada, which could greatly use the spotlight that Olympic participation would bring.

“The prospect of becoming an Olympian for Canada is something that I can't believe…it's so surreal. It would mean the world to me to be able to achieve that for our country,” Cook-Clarke said. “I've done my best to control what I can control and I know that, regardless of the outcome in this final World Cup, I'm super proud of all we've done and where we are, and I'm excited to keep developing the sport in Canada.”

Canada’s final chance at