Cam Smith’s Journey from Western to the World Stage Comes Full Circle

With parents who were both Western alumni and a sister enrolled, Cam Smith (’18, ESS) was pretty sure he would spend his college years somewhere else. Then, in the fall of 2012, he traveled from his hometown of Rockford, Illinois, to Gunnison for a few days to ski in Crested Butte, ride his mountain bike at Hartman Rocks, and climb in Taylor Canyon. That was long enough to change his plans.

“In the beginning, I wasn’t actually that interested in Western, honestly, because the rest of the family went there. Then I realized, ‘Oh, this is why everyone wanted to be here.’ So, I found my way eventually,” Smith said. ”In retrospect, I wish [my parents] had figured out a way for us to grow up in Gunnison and plant roots here.”

When he arrived at Western in 2014, there was little indication he would become one of the University’s most accomplished endurance athletes. As a high school track and cross-country runner, he’d struggled with nagging injuries that caused him to fall out of love with the sport.

Then his sister, Zoe Rome (’15), pointed him toward Western’s Mountain Sports program, where a guy with little more than rudimentary skills and a drive to learn could hone his technique, find mentorship, and a place on the team.

Coming from the Midwest, everything in the Gunnison Valley felt new, and he spent his first winter just trying to keep up with his friends. “It felt like drinking from a fire hose,” he said. “It was an exciting time in life, and I felt like Western opened so many doors at once.”

His progress came slowly at first, then it seemed to happen all at once. He learned backcountry skills on excursions with Wilderness Pursuits and joined the Mountain Bike Team in his first fall on campus, followed by the Nordic Team that winter.

Then, after a year of riding his bike and honing his skills, he was pushing the pace at races and contributed to a second-place team finish at the Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships. The same was true for his performance on the Nordic circuit, where he started to climb the standings.

At the same time, he was starting to find success in ski mountaineering, or skimo, the sport where he’d eventually leave the biggest mark.

As a junior, he traveled to Europe to compete in the Skimo World Championships. By his senior year, he won Crested Butte’s legendary Grand Traverse, a race he had struggled to finish just three years prior. That year, he also signed his first professional contract.

Today, Smith is a 13-time U.S. national champion and a five-time North American champion in ski mountaineering. In 2022, he became the first American male to earn a World Cup medal in the sport. And in February, he and teammate Anna Gibson made history by winning gold on the World Cup circuit, securing a spot in skimo’s debut at the 2026 Winter Olympics, where they placed fourth in the mixed relay.

When he’s not training or competing, Smith works with the Adaptive Sports Center in Crested Butte, where he’s been an instructor since 2019, helping individuals with disabilities access the outdoors, an experience that’s central to his own life and career.

“In a lot of ways, they’re doing the same thing that I am before and after work. We’re all just trying to make memories in the outdoors, push ourselves, and find ways to get better as people, have adventures, and make new friendships. I really feel like we’re kind of on the same track. It just looks a little bit different,” he said. “These sports, these opportunities have given me everything in life. It’s given me a career, taken me to the Olympics, and it’s the thing that I’m most passionate about doing. So I want to try to make the outdoors more accessible for everybody.”

On Saturday, May 9, he’ll return to Western as the 2026 Commencement Speaker and reflect on a journey defined by persistence and a willingness to see how far and how fast he could go.

“I showed up as a young person without these athletic skills, without these life skills, without this knowledge, and Western was really kind of the foundation for everything that I’ve done since,” he said. “So to be able to come back to the place where it all started and share those messages, it’s a huge honor and a really neat full-circle moment for me.”