Mikaela Shiffrin, the reigning queen of alpine skiing, has laid bare the profound depths of her bond with fiancé Aleksander Aamodt Kilde in a poignant social media post, reflecting on their intertwined journeys through injury, isolation, and unbreakable support. Titled “Why I Can’t Let Go,” the message arrives as both athletes gear up for the 2025–26 World Cup season, underscoring the quiet resilience that has defined their five-year romance.
Shiffrin, 30, detailed the emotional toll of their peripatetic lives—endless separations spanning months, with races often pitting them on opposite continents. “It’s not easy being away from each other so often and for so long,” she wrote, recounting a recent three-month hiatus after the March 2025 World Cup Finals. To bridge the gap upon reuniting, she donned a face mask to shield Kilde from any illness, given his compromised immune system from a near-fatal infection following his own crash. “We can’t take our time together for granted,” she added, a sentiment that resonates amid the high-stakes demands of elite competition.
Kilde, 29, the 2020 downhill World Cup champion, offered a raw update on his grueling rehabilitation from the January 2024 Wengen downhill disaster—a high-speed tumble that shredded ligaments, severed nerves in his leg, and sparked a severe joint infection requiring emergency surgery and prolonged intravenous antibiotics. Confined to a wheelchair for weeks, he described the ordeal as a “life-or-death” fight, crediting Shiffrin with pulling him through. “I wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t for her,” Kilde shared, recalling how she jetted to Switzerland to cook meals, hold his hand, and combat the isolation of his hospital stay.
The Norwegian skier’s path mirrors Shiffrin’s own brush with catastrophe. In November 2024, during her home Super-G in Killington, Vermont, the American star suffered a freak fall, sustaining a deep abdominal puncture wound that necessitated immediate surgery. The agony was unrelenting—”like I was stabbed,” she later revealed—with even simple actions like coughing or laughing triggering excruciating pain, all while grappling with post-traumatic stress and paralyzing anxiety. Kilde, barely mobile himself, made the transatlantic flight to Vail, Colorado, to stand by her side. “My main reason for coming is Mikaela,” he said, providing the steady presence that helped her navigate rehab. His arrival, marked by gentle encouragement, turned a solo battle into a shared vigil.
What began as a casual acquaintance on the 2014 World Cup circuit blossomed into romance by 2021, with Kilde’s Instagram reveal—”If you know, you know…and now you know”—capturing the world’s imagination. Their engagement in the Swiss Alps last April cemented a partnership forged in the fires of adversity. The past 18 months, both called “total survival mode,” tested their limits: physical devastation, mental health strains, and the relentless pressure of podium pursuits. Yet, through it all, they’ve leaned on virtual check-ins and heartfelt rituals—Shiffrin affirming, “He’s the only person who truly gets it.”
As they eye the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics, where races could again separate them by six time zones, the couple emphasizes presence over perfection. Shiffrin’s message champions prudence, patience, and raw honesty as the pillars of their love, a “greatest strength” amid the sport’s chaos. With Kilde targeting a December return in Beaver Creek and Shiffrin defending her overall title, their story transcends medals—it’s a testament to love’s quiet power in the face of the unknown.
