Two days after launching her deeply personal new podcast What’s the Point? and melting the internet with fiancé Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, Mikaela Shiffrin is already back in predator mode. The 30-year-old American touched down in Levi, Finland, yesterday with one clear message: the reindeer trophy case still has room for number eight.
The timing couldn’t be more electric. Wednesday’s tear-jerking podcast episode—where Shiffrin and Kilde detailed everything from their “did-he-ghost-me?” meet-cute to late-night injury rehab sessions—has been streamed 3.2 million times in 48 hours. Yet while fans wipe away tears, Shiffrin has flipped the switch. Training bib on, video goggles strapped, she hit Levi’s infamous Black Slope at dawn Thursday for the first official session.
“I loved sharing those stories,” Shiffrin told reporters after a crisp two-hour block of slalom drills. “But the second I put the skis on, the only point is the next gate.”
And the early signs are ominous for the rest of the field. Coaches clocked her running 0.8 seconds faster than last year’s winning second-run split on the steep pitch, with observers noting her upper body is “quieter than it’s been since 2021.” Even a light snowfall couldn’t dampen the buzz: Shiffrin was seen laughing with Swiss rival Wendy Holdener between runs, then immediately dialing in surgical line changes.
Head coach Paul Kristofic confirmed the three-week Reiteralm training block paid dividends. “We treated the podcast launch like a hard reset,” he said. “She got everything out—emotions, stories, love—then came here lighter and hungrier than ever.”
For Shiffrin, Levi has always been sacred ground. Seven victories, seven reindeer calves named after her wins, and a perfect record since 2019. Victory on Saturday would tie Ingemar Stenmark’s record for most World Cup wins at a single venue and deliver win number 101 overall—another slice of history just nine months after the century mark.
Petra Vlhová, the only skier to beat Shiffrin in Levi since 2016, admits the task feels steeper than ever. “Mikaela looks… happy,” the Slovak said Thursday. “Happy Mikaela is scary Mikaela.”
As the northern lights flicker above Lapland tonight, one thing is certain: the woman who just bared her soul to millions is ready to bare her teeth on the hill.
First run Saturday 10:00 CET. Bring earmuffs—the roar when Shiffrin drops could wake the reindeer.
