A single photograph posted by Mikaela Shiffrin on Saturday evening has generated significant attention across social media and the alpine skiing community.
The image, captioned simply “Caught in 4K 📸,” shows Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt and Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde in close proximity during the Beaver Creek Birds of Prey race weekend. The two athletes, both multiple-time overall World Cup champions and leading contenders this season, appear locked in an intense gaze just moments after Saturday’s downhill.
Shiffrin, a five-time overall champion and the most decorated alpine skier in history, is known for her playful and candid social-media presence. The post quickly amassed tens of thousands of likes and comments, with fans and followers interpreting the moment in a wide range of ways – from admiration of the pair’s competitive respect to light-hearted speculation about their off-snow friendship.
Neither Odermatt nor Kilde has publicly addressed the photograph as of Sunday morning, though both were active in competition: Odermatt claimed victory in Saturday’s downhill, while Kilde finished on the podium in third.
The image has dominated discussion in ski-racing forums, Facebook groups, and Instagram comments, briefly overshadowing race results and technical analysis from one of the season’s marquee early stops.
Shiffrin, who competed in the women’s World Cup events in Killington the previous weekend, was in Beaver Creek supporting friends and fellow athletes. Her impromptu photography has once again demonstrated her ability to capture – and amplify – the human side of a sport too often reduced to hundredths of a second.
Racing continues Sunday with the men’s super-G at Beaver Creek.
