Canada’s Kylee Toth relishes uphill battle of ‘punishing’ ski mountaineering ahead of its Olympics debut [Video]

For many people, skiing uphill sounds like nothing more than, well, an uphill battle.

But for Cochrane, Alta., native Kylee Toth, gliding upwards on a mountain for hours at a time — also known as the sport of ski mountaineering — is where she finds her sense of peace.

“There is this sort of flow state. Beautiful places that you can be in that many people never see in their lifetime, and that’s why I have stayed in this sport for so long … there’s nothing like it,” Toth told CBC Sports.

Toth, who currently sits 36th on the World Cup Provisional Ranking making her the highest ranked Canadian woman, is also quick to acknowledge the physical demands of the sport.

“It’s really really punishing, I’m not gonna lie. The entire sport is uphill,” she said. “It’s like a super long hill sprint. You’re running right at your anaerobic threshold …