As the snow begins to dust the Alps and the World Cup circuit gears up for another thrilling season, American alpine skiing icon Mikaela Shiffrin is signaling a cautious yet optimistic return to form. Bouncing back from a pair of harrowing crashes that sidelined her and sparked a personal reckoning with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the 30-year-old Colorado native shared in a recent interview that she’s reclaiming her mental edge ahead of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.
“My confidence is getting better; generally, I feel more comfortable,” Shiffrin told the Associated Press last week during a media event hosted by her equipment sponsor, Atomic. It’s a far cry from the shadows of doubt that lingered after her January 2024 tumble in Cortina d’Ampezzo — the very course slated to host next year’s Olympic downhill — where she suffered a severe knee injury that forced her out of competition for two months.
That crash, coming on the heels of another high-speed wipeout the previous season, not only tested Shiffrin’s physical limits but also plunged her into a battle with PTSD, contributing to a dip in her World Cup rankings points. Yet, true to her resilient spirit, Shiffrin staged a remarkable comeback, notching her 100th and 101st career World Cup victories in slalom events and teaming up with Breezy Johnson for gold in the combined team event at the 2025 world championships in Austria.
Now, with the Olympics less than 16 months away, Shiffrin is streamlining her approach. She’s firm in her decision to bypass downhill entirely this season — “no chance,” she emphasized — and is holding off on super-G until at least mid-December, if at all. Instead, she’ll laser-focus on her bread-and-butter technical disciplines: slalom and giant slalom (GS), where she’s amassed the bulk of her record 101 World Cup triumphs. Of those, nine came in speed events — four downhills and five super-Gs — but for now, rebuilding trust on the slopes takes precedence over chasing versatility.
“I’ve trained a little bit of super-G during the offseason, but I’m not ready to race it yet,” Shiffrin explained. “If it’s in a really good spot, then we can think about continuing, and if it’s not, then we can put that off to after the Olympics.” Her strategy includes a pared-down World Cup calendar, allowing more time for targeted training and recovery as she eyes podiums in Milan.
The season opener couldn’t come soon enough for fans: a women’s GS on an Austrian glacier kicks off October 25, with Shiffrin expected to be in the start gate. From there, the circuit will crisscross Europe and North America, building toward the Olympic test events in Cortina next winter. Shiffrin’s last flirtation with super-G ended disastrously in December 2023, when she failed to finish a run in Val d’Isère, France — a stark reminder of the risks she’s wisely mitigating.
Shiffrin’s journey resonates beyond the gates. As one of skiing’s most decorated athletes — with two Olympic golds, five world championship titles, and that unparalleled win tally — her openness about mental health challenges has inspired a generation. “It’s about being smart,” she added, underscoring a maturity forged in adversity. “The Olympics are the goal, but getting there healthy is the priority.”
For Shiffrin, the road to Milan-Cortina isn’t about sprinting full throttle; it’s a calculated carve through the technical turns she knows best. As the U.S. Ski Team rallies around her, all eyes will be on whether this measured path leads to Olympic glory — or at least another chapter in a legacy that’s already etched in snow.
