The alpine skiing World Cup season kicks off this weekend at Austria’s Soelden resort, with Mikaela Shiffrin and Marco Odermatt leading the charge, both already looking ahead to the Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina in February 2026.
Shiffrin, the record-holder for the most World Cup victories with 101 wins, has an illustrious Olympic history, securing slalom gold in Sochi in 2014 at just 18 and giant slalom gold in Pyeongchang in 2018. However, her 2022 Beijing Olympics campaign ended without a medal after failing to complete her favored slalom events. Following a serious crash last November that left her with a significant puncture wound, Shiffrin described her recovery as an ongoing process. “It’s been an incredible journey to work from the end of last season, where I had a total mind-body disconnect, to where I am now,” she said.
This season, the American skier is prioritizing giant slalom and slalom, opting out of downhill and remaining undecided on super-G. She highlighted the upcoming St. Moritz race on December 14 as a key opportunity to assess her super-G performance and determine her Olympic qualification prospects. “If it’s not [possible to qualify], then I will move forward with GS and slalom and narrow my focus,” Shiffrin explained.
While the Olympics loom large, Shiffrin emphasized the importance of consistency throughout the World Cup season over solely targeting the Games. “The more consistently you perform through the World Cup season, the more you will have momentum, some level of confidence, and competence to bring into the Games,” she noted, downplaying the notion that she and her competitors are fixated on Milano-Cortina.
As Shiffrin and Odermatt take to the slopes in Soelden, their performances will set the tone for a season that promises intense competition and high stakes, with the Olympic spotlight growing ever closer.
