Mikaela Shiffrin claimed her first victory of the 2025-26 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup season on Tuesday, winning the women’s slalom in dominant fashion and underlining her ongoing evolution as the most decorated skier in history.
The 30-year-old American, now with 105 World Cup wins, stood atop the podium in Sun Valley after posting the fastest times in both runs. The triumph comes just days after she reflected publicly on a new mindset that is powering her current campaign: focusing on elevating her baseline performance rather than solely chasing career-best results.
In an Instagram post following last weekend’s giant slalom races in Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Shiffrin opened up about the mental and technical shift she is embracing this season, especially in giant slalom, an event still shadowed by the serious abdominal injury she suffered in Killington last year.
“I read recently that a huge part of the improvement process is raising your floor — building your lowest level in addition to your highest, consistency, showing up, just keep chipping away,” Shiffrin wrote. “When I think about the start of this season in GS, it feels like I’m leveling up my baseline in addition to working on top speed, and that is so exciting.”
That philosophy was on full display in her recent giant slalom results: 14th in Copper Mountain, 5th in Sölden, 6th in Tremblant’s first race, and then a strong 4th (tied with Switzerland’s Camille Rast) the following day — her best GS finish since the injury.
Shiffrin admitted to small technical mistakes and missed lines cost her a podium in Tremblant, but the upward trend was unmistakable. “I’m within range,” she said afterward, promising sharper execution moving forward.
Fresh off that momentum, Shiffrin returned to her signature slalom discipline in Sun Valley and looked untouchable, reminding the ski world why she remains the benchmark in technical events at age 30.
Next up for Shiffrin is a speed swing in St. Moritz, Switzerland, where downhill and super-G races are scheduled for December 12–14. After primarily focusing on technical events early this season, the two-time Olympic champion will test her speed legs that have been relatively quiet since her return from injury.
With 105 World Cup victories and counting, Shiffrin continues to redefine what sustained excellence looks like in alpine skiing — one raised floor at a time.
