Olympic gold medalist and five-time World Cup overall champion Mikaela Shiffrin is gearing up for her highly anticipated return to competitive skiing, dropping a cryptic yet motivational message on social media that has fans buzzing: “time to go again.”
The 30-year-old American alpine star, who has dominated the slopes with 97 World Cup victories – the most by any woman in history – shared the post from the official @vailpowdercars account, tagging her personal handle @MikaelaShiffrin. Accompanied by a serene image of Vail’s snow-dusted peaks under a crisp autumn sky, the message evokes Shiffrin’s signature blend of resilience and quiet determination. While details remain sparse, the timing aligns with the early whispers of her training ramp-up ahead of the 2025-26 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup season opener in Sölden, Austria, set for late October.
Shiffrin’s absence from the circuit last season was marked by a mix of strategic recovery and personal reflection following a challenging 2023-24 campaign plagued by injuries and the emotional weight of her mother’s ongoing health battle. A freak crash during a downhill training run in January 2024 sidelined her for months, forcing the Vermont native to miss key races and her first-ever Olympic podium in the super-G at the Milano Cortina Games. Yet, true to form, Shiffrin turned adversity into fuel, channeling her time off into off-slope ventures like her co-authored book The Push and advocacy work with the Mikaela Shiffrin Foundation, which supports youth mental health in sports.
“Time to go again” isn’t just a tagline for Shiffrin – it’s a mantra. She first popularized the phrase during her 2019 recovery from a severe knee injury, etching it into ski folklore as she stormed back to claim three golds at the World Championships in Åre. Now, posting from Vail – her longtime training base and spiritual home, where the resort’s legendary powder bowls have cradled countless comebacks – the message feels like a page torn from that playbook. Vail Resorts, operators of the iconic Colorado destination, reposted the update with a simple snowflake emoji, hinting at collaborative training sessions already underway on the adapted summer glaciers.
Insiders close to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard team suggest Shiffrin has been logging low-key sessions in New Zealand’s Southern Hemisphere winter, fine-tuning her technical edge in slalom and giant slalom. “Mikaela’s not one for fanfare,” said a source familiar with her regimen. “This post? It’s her way of saying the fire’s lit. Expect her to drop jaws in Sölden – maybe even chase that elusive 100th win before Christmas.”
The ski world, still reeling from the retirements of legends like Lindsey Vonn and Marcel Hirscher, has keenly felt Shiffrin’s void. Competitors like Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami and Italy’s Federica Brignone have filled the overall title void, but none match Shiffrin’s blend of speed, precision, and mental fortitude. Her return could reignite the U.S. women’s team’s medal haul, especially with the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina looming as a redemption arc.
As the leaves turn gold in Vail Valley, Shiffrin’s words hang in the mountain air like fresh corduroy: a promise of powder days ahead, barriers to shatter, and history to etch deeper into the snow. For fans, it’s the green light they’ve been waiting for. Time to go again, indeed.
