Shiffrin unstoppable in slalom with Olympics looming

Mikaela Shiffrin is heading into the festive period of an Olympic season in formidable form, with her dominance in slalom once again setting the standard for the rest of the alpine skiing world. As the countdown continues toward what will be her fourth Winter Olympics, the American star has made a flawless start in her strongest discipline and is steadily rebuilding confidence across the wider program.

Shiffrin arrives at Christmas with a perfect record in slalom, having won all four World Cup races contested so far this season. Those victories have not only underlined her technical supremacy but have also highlighted her mental resilience, especially after enduring the two most serious crashes of her career over the past two years. Beyond slalom, signs of progress are also emerging in giant slalom and speed events, marking an encouraging all-round return to form.

Despite the outside perception that she competes without pressure, Shiffrin insists the reality is very different. Each run, she explains, feels like a fresh challenge regardless of past success or time advantages. She has credited her ability to produce elite-level turns under intense scrutiny as a key factor in her early-season success, but she is also open about the physical and emotional energy required to maintain those standards. For Shiffrin, nothing comes easily—even when the results suggest total control.

This weekend, attention turns to Semmering in Austria, a venue that holds special significance in Shiffrin’s career. The resort has been the scene of seven of her record-breaking 105 World Cup victories, and on two occasions—2016 and 2022—she swept all three races across a single weekend. This time around, the program is slightly lighter, featuring just a giant slalom on Saturday followed by a slalom on Sunday, but expectations remain high whenever she arrives at one of her most successful stops.

While slalom has brought immediate rewards this winter, giant slalom continues to be a work in progress. Shiffrin remains the most successful skier in World Cup giant slalom history with 22 wins, yet she has not returned to the podium in the discipline since her frightening crash in Killington, Vermont, last season. That incident left her with a deep puncture wound and significant muscle trauma, forcing a lengthy recovery process.

Encouragingly, her recent results suggest she is edging closer to her old level. Two fourth-place finishes this season, including a strong showing in Tremblant, Quebec, indicate steady improvement. Shiffrin has been clear that patience remains essential, emphasizing that rebuilding confidence and consistency in giant slalom will take time and repetition rather than quick fixes.

Her gradual expansion back into speed events is another important storyline this season. Earlier this month, Shiffrin raced a super-G in St. Moritz, Switzerland, marking her first speed start since crashing heavily in a downhill in Cortina d’Ampezzo nearly two years ago. Although she missed the final gate and failed to finish, she was competitive on the clock beforehand—a meaningful step forward in her recovery.

That outing aligns with her longer-term ambitions, particularly with the Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics on the horizon. With women’s alpine events set to be staged in Cortina, Shiffrin has not ruled out adding super-G to her Olympic schedule. Even beyond the Games themselves, she has described a return to top-level super-G racing as a major personal objective.

In slalom, however, Shiffrin is operating on a different level altogether. Her victories this season have come by commanding margins, averaging around 1.5 seconds—an eternity in elite slalom racing. Perhaps more impressively, she has shown an ability to recover instantly from small mistakes mid-run, shifting gears almost instinctively to regain lost momentum.

She has likened that mental adjustment to pressing a gas pedal, explaining how she can consciously increase intensity when something disrupts her rhythm. This represents a striking contrast to the latter half of last season, when she was dealing with post-traumatic stress following her Killington crash and struggled to find her usual flow.

Another slalom victory would see Shiffrin equal the best start to a season she has ever had in the discipline, matching her run of five straight wins at the beginning of the 2018–19 campaign. Including the final slalom of last season, she has already claimed five consecutive victories, with her longest-ever slalom winning streak standing at seven—a mark she has reached twice before.

Looking ahead to the Olympics, Shiffrin’s potential workload is substantial. Already a two-time Olympic gold medallist—winning slalom in 2014 and giant slalom in 2018—she could compete in four events in Cortina: slalom, giant slalom, super-G and the new team combined event.

The team combined, which pairs a downhill racer with a slalom specialist, has already brought success. Shiffrin teamed up with Breezy Johnson to win gold at last season’s world championships. The format blends speed and technical excellence, with times from both runs added together to determine the final standings.

There is also renewed intrigue around the possibility of a high-profile partnership with Lindsey Vonn. Although Vonn was unable to team up with Shiffrin at the world championships, her impressive early-season performances at the age of 41 have reopened discussion about a potential “Dream Team” pairing in the future.

As the Olympic season moves deeper into winter, one thing is clear: Mikaela Shiffrin remains the benchmark in slalom and a central figure in every discipline she contests. With confidence growing, goals expanding, and history still within reach, her post-Christmas campaign promises to be one of the most compelling chapters yet in an already extraordinary career.