The slopes of Shahdag Mountain Resort have become the centre of the European Ski Mountaineering Championships, just days after the 2026 Winter Olympics closed in Italy, as top athletes arrive for the European round. AnewZ's Narchichek Jahangirl is on site to cover the action.
“It’s about minus five and a thick fog blankets the slopes,” said Jahangirl. “Visibility is extremely limited but the cold doesn’t seem to bother anyone.”
Despite the freezing temperatures and poor visibility in the Greater Caucasus range, the European round of the International Ski Mountaineering season, known as Skimo, is under way. Athletes are competing across senior, U23, U20 and U18 categories, with the sprint race a short but intense three-minute climb and descent - opening the championships.
Over the coming days, spectators will also see mixed relay, vertical and individual races.
Eighteen nations are taking part in the 2026 ISMF Ski Mountaineering European Championships, held at the Shahdag Tourism Center from 4 to 8 March. The participating countries include Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Italy, Switzerland, Slovenia, Germany, Russia, Spain, Austria, Norway, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Greece, Andorra and Sweden, as well as AIN (Individual Neutral Athletes).
Fresh from Milano Cortina 2026, where ski mountaineering made its Olympic debut, several athletes arrive as clear favourites. France has brought a squad of Olympic gold medallists, while Switzerland and Spain are also expected to challenge for top honours.
Victory in this sport depends on a combination of endurance, technique and speed. Competitors climb on skis, switch to boots for steep hiking sections, and then return to skis for technical descents - all while managing rapid gear changes and carrying essential equipment in their backpacks.
Azerbaijan is represented by five skiers from nearby mountain villages, all familiar with the peaks they are now racing on. Early performances have already shown promise, hinting at a bright future for the local contingent.
We will continue following the action over the coming days as the championships unfold across the foggy Caucasus slopes.
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Tensions across the Middle East continue to escalate following coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory attacks in the Gulf region, with military operations and regional security developments continuing to unfold.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military has enough stockpiled weapons to fight wars "forever"; in a social media post late on Monday. The remarks came hours before conflict in Iran and the Middle East entered its fourth day.
A torpedo from a U.S. submarine sunk an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth told reporters as the Iranian conflcit entered its fifth day on Wednesday.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, in an exclusive interview with Anewz on Thursday, said the Islamic Republic did not target Azerbaijan amid reports of drone strikes on Nakhchivan International Airport on Thursday (5 March).
Türkiye has suspended day-trip crossings at its Kapıköy border and two others with Iran as regional tensions escalate following strikes involving the United States and Israel on Tehran. AnewZ's Alisultan Sultanzade was on the ground at the crossing before the restrictions came into force.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, in an exclusive interview with Anewz on Thursday, said the Islamic Republic did not target Azerbaijan amid reports of drone strikes on Nakhchivan International Airport on Thursday (5 March).
Iran's intelligence ministry said on Thursday that it had targeted positions belonging to "separatist groups" attempting to enter the country through its western borders, adding that the militants sustained heavy losses during the security operations.
An evacuation flight operated by Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) carrying Azerbaijani citizens from Saudi Arabia has landed in Baku after widespread travel disruptions triggered by escalating conflict in the Middle East, AnewZ's Ilknur Seydamirova reported from Heydar Aliyev International Airport.
Iran launched a wave of missiles at Israel early on Thursday, sending millions of residents into bomb shelters as the U.S.-Israel war with Iran entered its sixth day and just hours after moves to halt the U.S. air assault were blocked in Washington.
Iranian sailors who survived a U.S. submarine strike in the Indian Ocean were recovering at a hospital in the Sri Lankan port city of Galle, authorities said on Thursday (5 March), a day after at least 87 were killed in the attack.
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