Skiathlon Boots?
Wed, Mar 25, 2026 - By Jake Ellis
I noticed a curious trend in equipment selection at recent Milano Cortina Olympic games. MANY athletes chose to run Skiathlon boots for the classic technique races. In the Olympic classic sprint, over two thirds of the qualifying men and over a third of the women were wearing boots with “skate” cuffs. There were quite a few in the classic marathon, too!
Julia Kern racing at the Olympics, wearing Skiathlon boots - Getty Images
It's not unusual to see Skiathlon boots at an amateur classic race; one do-it-all pair of boots is more affordable than a pair for classic and another for skate, but elite racers are provided free equipment for all disciplines. For them to make this choice defies popular opinion. Were these even “Skiathlon” boots, or something new?
Serious classic technicians have traditionally considered Skiathlon boots to be a poor compromise; the skate cuff might provide extra stability and control, but they are not as flexible as classic boots for setting your kick. What if there is a new breed of Skiathlon boots that has the same flexible toe as the best classic boots and all of the control of a skate boot; no downsides? Could the future of classic boots be cuffed?
The best modern ski boots are made with carbon fiber soles, and carbon fiber objects can be engineered to be flexible in one direction and virtually unyielding in another by employing precise orientation of directional fibers. The main difference between a classic ski boot sole and one for skating is that a skate boot’s carbon fibers are oriented to make it very stiff in every direction, while a classic boot's fibers are arranged for less longitudinal stiffness in the forefoot.
The most recent generations of classic boots have been tuned so well that they retain the toe flex necessary for the subtleties of setting your kick, while essentially having the latitudinal rigidity of a skate boot. It's not too big of a leap to imagine these modern classic boots with the addition of a carbon cuff; combining the best of both worlds, without any compromise.
Sample of Skiathlon boots from Atomic, Fischer, Rossignol, and Salomon
Were the Olympians compromising kick for control, or are the new “skiathlon” boots just really good classic boots with carbon cuffs? I can definitely see the appeal of a svelte classic boot with a bit of carbon fiber flare up around the ankle, so I hope it's an evolution. Atomic, Fischer, Rossignol, and Salomon all make skiathlon race boots. (Madshus had a 2024-2025 skiathlon boot in but did not have one marketed as such this season). I wouldn't want to see traditional classic boots displaced, but removable cuffs (like from Salomon or Madshus could be a great option.
Olympians who I noticed were using boots that had skate cuffs:
50K Classic Marathon
- Heidi Weng NOR (2)
- Nadja Kaelin SUI (3)
- Kristin Fosnaes NOR (4)
- Teresa Stadlober AUT (6)
- Emma Ribom SWE (10)
- Karoline Simpson-Larsen NOR
- Astrid Oyre-Slind NOR
- Johanna Matintalo FIN
- Rosie Brennan USA
others…
- Florian Notz GER (10)
- Nicola Wigger SUI
- Elia Barp ITA
- Vili Crv SLO
- Lauri Vuorinen FIN
- Johan Haegstrom SWE
- Simone Dapra ITA...and others!
Classic Sprint
- Jonna Sundling SWE (2)
- Julia Kern USA (6)
- Lauren Jortberg USA
- Nicole Monsorno ITA
- Sammy Smith USA
- Caterina Ganz ITA
- Johanna Matintalo FIN
- Heidi Bucher AUT
- Iris de Martin Pinter ITA
- Lauri Vuorinen FIN (4)
- Jiri Tuz CZE (5)
- Noe Naeff SUI (6)
- Alvar Myhlback SWE (7)
- Valerio Grond SUI (8)
- Johan Haegstrom SWE
- Edvin Anger SWE
- Jules Chappaz FRA
- Elia Barp ITA
- Federico Pellegrino ITA
- Jan Stolben GER
- Simone Mocellini ITA
- Bernat Selles Gasch ESP
- Simone Dapra ITA
- Jaume Pueyo ESP
- Ondrej Czerny CZE
- Anton Grahn SW