The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is charging into its North American swing with a double dose of giant slalom drama, and at the epicenter stands Mikaela Shiffrin, the unbreakable American phenom who’s already etched her name deeper into the history books this season. Over the weekend of December 6-7, the PwC Tremblant World Cup – the lone eastern North American stop on the calendar – hosts back-to-back women’s GS races on the legendary Flying Mile course. For Shiffrin, it’s not just about points; it’s about reclaiming her throne in GS ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics, where redemption beckons after a challenging Beijing 2022.
Shiffrin enters Tremblant as the undisputed queen of the tour, leading the overall standings with 368 points after a blistering start: three slalom victories in Levi, Finland; Gurgl, Austria; and her home hill at Copper Mountain, Colorado, pushing her career tally to 104 World Cup wins – the most in Alpine skiing history. That Copper triumph on November 30, exactly one year after a gut-wrenching GS crash in Killington left her sidelined with a punctured abdomen and months of recovery (including battles with PTSD), felt like poetic justice. “I felt perfect on this run. I connected with the track so nice and it was beautiful to ski,” she said post-race, saluting the roaring Colorado crowd. Now, with a 90-point cushion over Albania’s rising star Lara Colturi (278 points), Shiffrin’s hunger is palpable – especially in GS, where she’s sixth after a fourth in Sölden and a gritty 14th at Copper. Her ninth Levi slalom win? A margin of 1.66 seconds. Gurgl? Another 1.23-second demolition. Copper? A whopping 1.57 seconds clear. Can anyone stop her? The GS field is loaded with talent gunning to prove they can.
“Tremblant is always electric – the passion from the fans, the challenge of the Flying Mile’s steeps and turns,” Shiffrin posted on X this week, fresh off packing her bags in Edwards, Colorado. “Grateful for Copper’s magic, now onto the next. Who’s ready?” At 30, the two-time Olympic champion (slalom golds in 2014 and 2018) and eight-time world champ is eyeing her sixth overall Crystal Globe and a record ninth slalom title, but GS glory – where she holds 22 career wins – could be the key to Olympic dominance.
The challengers are stacking up like fresh powder. Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami, the defending GS globe winner and overall champ from last season’s runner-up spot, enters her farewell Olympic campaign with fire in her skis – a podium threat every time she straps in. Italy’s Federica Brignone, the 2024/25 overall and GS titlist who’s battled back from a brutal April leg injury, brings Worlds gold pedigree from Saalbach and a hunger to defend on home(ish) snow. New Zealand’s Alice Robinson, a GS podium machine with consistent top-threes, and Austria’s Julia Scheib (fifth overall) round out the elite pack, while Norway’s Thea Louise Stjernesund lurks after early-season surges.
Home-soil hope? Canada’s Valérie Grenier, the Mont-Tremblant local who lit up Sölden with an 11th-place finish, leads a fierce squad including Britt Richardson, Cassidy Gray, and Kendra Giesbrecht. “Racing in front of our crowd is everything – let’s make it unforgettable!” Grenier hyped on socials. Expect 58 athletes from 17 nations, 300 volunteers, and up to 15,000 fans turning the pedestrian village into a frenzy of cowbells and cheers.
Action ignites Saturday with the first GS: first run at 11:00 a.m. local (9:00 a.m. ET), second at 2:00 p.m. (12:00 p.m. ET). Sunday’s rematch shifts to 10:00 a.m. (8:00 a.m. ET) and 1:00 p.m. (11:00 a.m. ET), with podium ceremonies firing up the village square immediately after – a spectator’s dream for slopeside thrills. Beyond the races, Tremblant’s upgraded snowmaking (139 new poles and fans) ensures reliability after last year’s weather woes, while après-ski heats up with Friday DJ sets at Place Saint-Bernard, Saturday’s Coca-Cola stage hosted by Marie-Michèle Gagnon and Randy Ferguson, and Sunday’s victory bash.
Catch it live: Peacock and Skiandsnowboard.live for U.S. fans, CBC Sports in Canada, Eurosport/Discovery+ across Europe, or free on FIS TV and the app worldwide. Tickets linger at coupedumonde.tremblant.ca – from $25 CAD general admission to VIP podium access.
As Shiffrin chases win No. 105 and her first GS podium of the season, Tremblant could be the launchpad for another historic run. The question isn’t if she’ll contend – it’s who can summon the magic to dethrone her. Bundle up, grab those cowbells, and witness the chase: the Flying Mile awaits its next legend.
