Five-time Olympic medalist and World Cup overall champion Mikaela Shiffrin took to social media on Tuesday to reflect on an exhausting but deeply meaningful weekend of racing at her home venue in Copper Mountain, Colorado, and to thank the many people who made it possible.
In a heartfelt post, the 30-year-old American star singled out Copper Mountain Resort, race organizers Dustin Wilson and POWDR, the course crew, volunteers, sponsors, the Stifel U.S. Ski Team, and especially the thousands of fans who braved long days and cold weather to cheer on the athletes.
“You are truly unmatched,” Shiffrin wrote of the fans who waited patiently for autographs and photos throughout the weekend. “My heart is full and I couldn’t have imagined a more special weekend.”
The Thanksgiving weekend races at Copper marked Shiffrin’s first World Cup events on home snow since 2019 and carried extra emotional weight with the return of her longtime rival and friend Aleksander Aamodt Kilde to the start gate after his serious injury last season. Shiffrin also cherished the rare opportunity to spend Thanksgiving at home with family in Colorado before the demanding four-month European leg of the World Cup circuit begins.
Despite the challenges of racing at 10,000 feet elevation — “my legs—and lungs—are still recovering!” — Shiffrin left Copper with renewed energy and optimism. “The train don’t stop! 🚂,” she concluded, signaling that she and her team are already focused on the next stop: the women’s technical races in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, this coming weekend.
Shiffrin heads to Canada sitting second in the overall World Cup standings after a strong start to the 2025-26 season. Fans and teammates alike are riding the momentum of what the winningest skier in history calls “the vibe we’ve got going.”
The Stifel U.S. Ski Team’s alpine World Cup campaign continues December 6-7 with giant slalom and slalom races at Mont-Tremblant.
