Ski mountaineering makes its Olympic debut amid much intrigue in blizzard conditions

The first new sport added to the Winter Olympics since snowboarding in 1998, snowboarding has its roots in the 19th century, before lifts were invented to transport skiers up the mountains.

So, how does it all work?

Sprint events consist of uphill and downhill events, in which athletes run uphill with their ski skins to provide traction, and pass a diamond-shaped obstacle on their way to a flight of stairs in the mountain.

They then remove the skis, put them in their backpacks, and continue the climb on foot, before another section uphill on skis.

Once they reach the top of the course, they remove the skins and ski down the slope to the finish line.

The average race duration is about three minutes.

The speed and format of the competition quickly got fans invested in the fun contest and created a lively atmosphere.

BBC commentator Matt Shelton said: “The ski mountaineering event has been very well received.

“Television-wise, it’s great. For… [in person] Fans can see everything from the grandstand. They never miss a moment of watching the action live and on the big screen.”

Similar to the Summer Olympic sport of triathlon, transitions are key to a successful race.

This is what ultimately let Harrop down as she struggled in the second transition, as the hides were caught rather than shredded in one clean movement.

Harrop has English parents and could have represented Team Great Britain but chose to compete for France, where she was born and raised.

She topped her heat and semifinal and looked on course for a gold medal in the final, but after the second transition, she was trailing behind Fatone and couldn’t catch the downhill portion.

“It means a lot,” said Harrop, who started out as an alpine skier. “When I look back when I started this sport, it wasn’t even on the (Olympic) program.”

“I had an Olympic dream when I was alpine skiing, and then when I stopped, it was game over. So to be here on this stage is crazy.

“The atmosphere is good. The slope itself is not very technical, but today they made the slope a little more technical than usual, so it was fun.”

A mixed relay event will be held on Saturday, with a man and woman from each country completing two laps of the course in a race that usually lasts 30 to 40 minutes.