SkiMo-New sport begins in snowstorm

BORMIO, Italy, Feb 19 : SkiMo's eagerly-awaited debut at the Winter Olympics got underway at a snowy Bormio on Thursday with the heats of the women's and men's sprint competitions.

In a change of pace from the men's Alpine events that concluded on Monday, 36 of the best ski mountaineering athletes gathered at the foot of the famous Stelvio slope.

Despite a snowstorm, fans streamed in for the nearly sold-out event. The hardy athletes themselves are used to training in harsh mountain conditions.

The first new sport added to the Winter Olympics since snowboarding in 1998, SkiMo has its roots in ski mountaineering from the 19th Century, long before the invention of lifts to take skiers up mountains.

Sprints are lung-busting events comprising an "uphill skiing" section with competitors scaling a steep slope in special skis wrapped in "skins" - thin strips stuck to the bottom for grip.

Athletes make their way uphill through a course before a transition to running up a flight of stairs in boots with their skis strapped to their backs, transitioning back to "skinning", before stowing the skins and skiing back to the finish down a short slalom course. Action lasts around three minutes.

"The lungs are burning, there is brain fog from all the lactate, and you just really try to push, push, push, and try to not think about the pain," was how Slovakia's Rebeka Cully described her heat.

TRANSITIONS CAN MAKE DIFFERENCE

The various transitions have strict rules - with time penalties for indiscretions like not placing ski poles flat on the ground or incorrect stowage of skis - and can be the difference between winning or losing.

The men's and women's sprint events will start with three heats of six athletes each. The first three across the line