Ski mountaineering: Belgium’s Maximilien Drion du Chapois isn’t afraid of a little altitude - “I like to wake up and see mountains in front of me”

Belgium is known for a great many things, namely chocolate, waffles, comic book characters, moules-frites and Wout van Aert. But if there’s one thing the country lacks, it’s mountains.

“Even though we don't have mountains in Belgium, Belgian people love the mountains and travel to the Alps as often as they can,” says self-proclaimed mountain enthusiast Maximilien Drion du Chapois, who’s set to represent* the low-lying nation in ski mountaineering at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

“I already know that around 100 people from Belgium will travel to cheer me on [at Milano Cortina 2026]. It is extra pressure and I want to perform even more for them.”

Born in Belgium, Drion du Chapois was first exposed to some of the world’s most iconic peaks at the formative age of 10, when his family moved from the Brussels suburb of Uccle to the high-altitude village of Vercorin (Switzerland).

There, he discovered a whole new world of sport, dominated by the likes of trail running and ski mountaineering. It wasn’t long before he was hooked: “I just love to be in the mountains. When I can ski, I ski. When I can run, I run.

“I often say that, for me, trail running and ski mountaineering are the same sports,” adds the dual-sport athlete. “If you simplify these sports, it's just moving across the mountains by your own means. You just adapt to the environment you have during the seasons.”

It’s a skill set the 28-year-old has become rather adept at – winning a silver medal in the vertical race at the 2025 ISMF Ski Mountaineering World Championships to go along with his gold medal from the 2022 European Trail Running Championships.

“I like to wake up, or open the curtains of my bedroom, and see mountains in front of me,” he tells Olympics.com on the sidelines of the ISMF World Cup Solitude. “When I am in Belgium, I don't see that.

“But I love Belgium. I love the Belgian community and I very proudly represent Belgium in all the races I do.”

* As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Milano Cortina Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Milano Cortina 2026.

Tackling the mountain in ski mountaineering

ISMF Ski Mountaineering World Cup 2025-26: Season preview

Dedication, versatility, resiliency: three words that define Drion du Chapois

While only the sprint and mixed relay will be contested at Milano Cortina 2026, Drion du Chapois continues to train and compete in an all-around capacity.

“It's always nice to compete against pure specialists like sprint racers, but my goal is to perform as best as I can in all the disciplines,” affirms the Belgian SkiMo athlete. “I'm an overall World Cup athlete. I can get podiums in every discipline.”

Even when he’s pressed to disclose his favourite event of the bunch, Drion du Chapois refuses to single out a specific format: “I really love all of them: sprints, verticals, individuals, team races.

“Sadly, I don't have a partner for the mixed relays, but I've already enough with all the other disciplines,” confesses the three-time World Championships medallist.

And that might be a good thing. You see, a significant portion of the Belgian athlete’s race day is taken up by his intricate and precise warm-up routine, which is repeated – without fail – before each and every World Cup and World Championship race. Something that would be more difficult with a teammate at his side.

“When I start my routine, I'm in my bubble and nothing can distract me,” Drion du Chapois tells Olympics.com. “I have two people – one coach and one physio – that prevents anything from happening. They really take care of me, so I am really grateful to have them with me.”

The day begins when he wakes up three hours and 20 minutes before each race. His warm-up routine includes getting dressed, going for a 10-minute walk, retracing his steps on a five-minute run and getting breakfast with his team. He then checks to make sure that all the gear is packed, and lays in bed for another 30 minutes.

Arriving at the venue one hour and 15 minutes before the race, Drion du Chapois checks the setup and familiarizes himself with the area. He starts the warm-up proper about 50 minutes before the start of the competition, and makes his way through a series of stretches, sprints, tennis ball juggling and faux start procedures.

After one final swig of a sports drink, he makes his way to the start line with just a few minutes to spare. There, he reminds himself of all the good moments he’s had and how much he’s trained for the moment: “I just want to give everything during that moment.”

And even if something doesn’t go to plan, it’s not the end of the world for the Belgian SkiMo athlete: “I think I am quite resilient. I can quickly adapt to any situation.”

“What's cool is that I compete in all the disciplines, so whenever something bad or unlucky happens, I quickly have another race coming to get my mood back up.”

Drion du Chapois: “Everything is scheduled to be perfect at the Olympics”

With only three World Cups left before ski mountaineering makes its highly anticipated debut at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, Drion du Chapois knows there’s still room for improvement – even if he began the year on the podium.

“I'm not very happy with my transitions,” he told Olympics.com in December 2025. “I've been working a lot on them and there is still one transition where I put my skis on my backpack, where I struggled too many times, so I will keep working on that.”

In other areas, Belgium’s mountain man feels more than ready for the intense stretch of competition that lies ahead: “I know also that my shape improves race after race, so I'm really happy to be already on the podium during the first race [of the season].

“Physically, I showed in the foot part that I was probably the strongest,” he said of the sprint race at the Solitude World Cup. “My reaction time can be better, but globally I feel in good shape.”

It’s a feeling that has permeated the entire lead-up to Milano Cortina 2026, with Drion du Chapois touting an ideal setup for the Games: “Everything is scheduled to hopefully be perfect at the Olympics.”

He also believes he’s on track to challenge for a medal in the sprint: “My summer was great. I haven't gotten sick for many months, no injuries, a lot of fun in all my preparation, so I would say it's like a dream for now.”

And while the weight of qualification has been lifted off his shoulders, given that he mathematically secured a quota place for his National Olympic Committee (NOC) ahead of the 2025/26 season, Drion du Chapois still feels pressure to perform for the Belgian fans in Bormio.

“It feels good, because I know they travel there for me. I'm the only athlete [from Belgium], so if they are there on the course, it's because they wanted to cheer me up.”

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