One Extraordinary Photo: Ski mountaineering makes its debut at the Olympics
Athletes, including Italy's Alba de Silvestro, bottom left, compete during a ski mountaineering women's sprint heat, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. Credit: AP/Gabriele Facciotti
BORMIO, Italy — Gabriele Facciotti is an action and sports photographer born in Turin. His love story with photography began in the most classic of ways: his father’s reflex camera. The opportunity to stop a moment in time before it passes by fascinated him immediately. He loves pasta, red wine, strong winds and black-and-white photography.
He works with Pentaphoto, one of the main Italian and international photo agencies in the field of sports photography since 1978. In the winter he works as a contributor for The Associated Press.
Why this photo?
The original plan was to shoot a completely different photo. The idea was to get a frontal frame of the athletes climbing up the course. After taking it, I kept following them with an eye and the geometric lines of the stairs in the background, contrasting with the intensity and drive of their ascent, caught my attention.
How I made this photo
I shot it with a 70–200mm lens, focusing manually because the heavy snowfall was causing problems with the autofocus.
Why this photo works
I could ask you the same question ... . Jokes aside, I think it’s a key moment in the race, and the geometry of the stairs really enhances it.
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