Matt Ruta, a humble and tenacious Rab athlete from Golden, BC, is charting a path to the 2026 Winter Olympics. Balancing steep first descents and skimo training with summertime trail running and climbing, he’s all about the journey.
Words :: Erin Moroz. Article sponsored by Rab.
Jack-of-all-trades adventure athlete Matt Ruta has just returned to Canada from Europe following a winter of steep-skiing adventures—tucked into his free time between races on the international ski mountaineering circuit.
The son of outdoorsy parents, Matt grew up hiking, backpacking and scrambling on the Rockies’ eastern slopes. Those childhood adventures transitioned to ski racing and then to steep skiing. Matt says he relishes the opportunity to explore the mountains—for the nature immersion, the challenge of navigating technical terrain and the pals.
Matt’s lifelong pursuit of mountain adventures paved the way for his 2018 expedition to El Chaltén, where he and his Swiss friend Valerio Arquint would lay down new ski lines in the legendary Argentinian alpine climbing area. Facing the unexpected-yet-expected challenges typical of adventure travel (such as road closures, tow trucks and a round of beers for their local saviours), the pair still accomplished several first descents (FDs), notably the south face of Cerro Eléctrico, one of the outlying peaks in the Fitz Roy group.
“I’ve had some cool opportunities to ski some first descents around the Rockies, too, which is really special because that’s the mountain range I grew up adventuring in,” says the fresh-faced 28-year-old from his home base in Golden, BC.
Matt’s list of Rockies’ FDs includes the southeast arête of Twins Tower with Trevor Sexsmith, the northwest direct route on Mount Sir Douglas with Kieran Crimeen and the east face of Mount Bell, again with Kieran as well as Chris Moneypenny and Ryan Ford.
“There isn’t anything overly special about being the first to ski something… I just find it can make for a memorable experience when you go in with only your belief that it will work rather than the knowledge that someone else found a way before you,” says Matt.
For the past five years, his winters have included both steep-skiing objectives and his newest preoccupation—skimo. In skimo (aka ski mountaineering), super-fit humans stride uphill on stiff, skinny skis in a bid to be the first to reach the top of a mountain and then descend, hopefully quickest. Huge in Europe and parts of South America, skimo is only just catching on now in North America; the discipline will debut at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics.
“I’m probably still not that great at skimo,” says Matt. “I was in my early 20s when I started giving it a go… The sport required that I break down what I already knew about training and start over.” Now training with the Canadian national team in hopes of competing at Milano-Cortina in 2026, humble Matt is likely half-decent at skimo.
During the warmer months, Matt shifts his focus to trail running and climbing, activities that complement his winter sports and enable him to explore the landscape in an integrated way. “I love combining [trail running] with technical stuff like low fifth-class-type climbing and trying to link together traverses.”
When asked about his impact on the mountain sports community, Matt says he hopes he’s viewed as someone who has helped others find their way into the mountains, whether by lending a hand to make an event happen or through low-key, one-on-one conversations.
“It’s easy to see the results and the achievements of people older than you and not see the part of the iceberg that’s under the water.”
“I would give this general piece of advice to young athletes: It’s more important to put yourself in a position to succeed and to keep at it than to try to do everything all at once. I think as a young athlete it’s easy to be impatient. It’s easy to see the results and the achievements of people older than you and not see the part of the iceberg that’s under the water.”
When asked about his mentors, Matt cites his mom (his mom!): “She got me into skiing. She grew up racing on the Ontario alpine team and she’s an incredible skier.”
Matt’s push for the 2026 Olympics—and summits in general—is a story of perseverance, connection and the importance of loving the journey.
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