Mikaela Shiffrin, the most decorated alpine skier in World Cup history, has long been asked to define her legacy. But in the debut episode of her new podcast What’s the Point?, released last month, the 30-year-old American star admitted she remains as uncertain as ever—despite 101 World Cup victories and a résumé that includes Olympic gold and five overall titles.
Speaking with her fiancé, Norwegian speed specialist Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, Shiffrin revisited a question that has followed her since her teenage years. “I’m 18. How am I supposed to know that?” she recalled thinking when first pressed on the topic. Now, over a decade later, her response hasn’t changed much. “And I’m 30 now. And I don’t really know how to answer that question,” she told Kilde.
The episode, recorded in an intimate setting and now streaming on major platforms, offered rare insight into Shiffrin’s philosophical side. Rather than crafting a polished narrative about her place in skiing history, she described legacy as a concept she’s observed through others’ lenses. “It’s mostly just hearing other people’s definition of legacy,” she said. “And there’s so many interesting answers.”
Among the interpretations that stood out to her: legacy as unbridled passion for one’s craft. “Your legacy is just showing the world how passionate you can be about something that really lights you up,” Shiffrin reflected. Yet she acknowledged the term’s breadth, noting it could encompass philanthropy, personal conduct, or simply “the way that you exist in the world—treating people with kindness.”
What struck Shiffrin most profoundly was the ongoing nature of legacy itself. “It’s something you’re creating over time. It’s an ongoing process,” she said, questioning the premise of asking active athletes to summarize their life’s impact. “That’s why I never understood the question—because how can you talk about your legacy when you’re still living?”
Shiffrin’s dominance on the slopes makes the humility all the more striking. The Colorado native holds the all-time record for World Cup wins (101), including 64 in slalom and 22 in giant slalom. She became the youngest Olympic slalom champion at 18 in Sochi 2014 and has since claimed five World Cup overall crystals and 15 World Championship medals—eight of them gold.
Kilde, 33, a 2020 World Cup overall champion and double Olympic medalist from Beijing 2022, provided a supportive counterpoint throughout the conversation. The couple, engaged since April 2024, first connected at a race in Chile in 2014. Their relationship deepened in 2021 following the death of Shiffrin’s father, Jeff, when Kilde offered condolences via social media.
The podcast launch coincides with Shiffrin’s continued excellence. Just days ago, she celebrated victory in the slalom at the 2025 FIS World Cup stop in Sun Valley, Idaho—further padding a legacy she insists she’s still shaping, one turn at a time.
