Mikaela Shiffrin details her comeback in the latest episode of her documentary

Mikaela Shiffrin delivers the latest episode of her docuseries.

Courchevel, France—Mikaela Shiffrin has had a sluggish return to the slopes this winter.

Mikaela was sidelined for many months following a serious collision in Killington on November 30, 2024. In December, she had an unexpected operation, which further pushed back her timeframe. She returned to the slopes on January 30th and just won a World Championship in the Teams Event alongside Breezy Johnson.

In the newest episode of Moving Right Along, Mikaela shares her Birds of Prey viewing experience, how she came back stronger, her first day back on the slopes, the mental obstacles she faced, and her first race in Courchevel.

Mikaela Shiffrin finished fifth in her most recent slalom competition. We’ll see if she can win World Cup #100 in the coming weeks.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Mikaela Shiffrin ⛷💨 (@mikaelashiffrin)

Music is Mikaela Shiffrin’s hobby aside from the World Cup ski slopes

Only seconds in, ski racer Mikaela Shiffrin was nearly out of breath.

The two-time Olympic champion swiftly relaxed into a beat and breezed through her performance of Amy Winehouse’s hit song in front of a social media crowd watching a recent online fundraiser event.

Different stage. Same outstanding performance.

When she’s not winning races, Shiffrin unwinds by singing and playing guitar. Music was always a hobby she shared with her late father, Jeff, who died on February 2 in an accident at his Colorado home.

“Honestly, it’s a way to essentially not think about anything,” said Shiffrin, who launched a relationship with Madison Keys on Tuesday, joining the tennis star in their roster of “Champions” for “Kindness Wins,” a platform dedicated to promoting goodwill. “I am a ski racer. I am not a musician. But I adore it.”

Her father used to play the piano, guitar, French horn, and trumpet. He liked anything by Jimmy Buffett or the Beach Boys.

What’s their favourite song? “You Can Call Me Al.” by Paul Simon. On April 2, Shiffrin revealed some of the song’s lyrics on her Instagram account: “If you’ll be my bodyguard, I can be your long-lost pal.” The following photo depicted a young Shiffrin snuggling onto her father.

The second half of her post reads, “Please come home.”

“The thing you always wish for is more time, right?” said the 25-year-old Shiffrin, who has been training at home in Edwards during the coronavirus outbreak. “Just more time with the people that you love.”

Shiffrin lost her grandma in October. Pauline Mary Condron was 98. That is why her mother and coach, Eileen, took a vacation from travelling with her on the circuit last season.

“I’m grateful,” Shiffrin told me, “that she was able to be home with my dad a little bit more.”

Less than four months later, Shiffrin returned from Europe to Colorado to be with her father, who had suffered a brain injury. He died at age 65. Jeff, an anaesthesiologist and former Dartmouth ski racer, was frequently spotted at races with his camera around his neck, photographing his daughter.

Shiffrin took a six-week absence from the circuit. She returned to Are, Sweden, but the season was called off due to the COVID-19 epidemic before she could race again. Federica Brignone of Italy won the overall title, ending Shiffrin’s three-year rule.

However, being present was more about a sensation.

“I got back to the state of mind that I needed to be in to be able to race,” she told me. “I wanted to stand in the start gate of a World Cup again.”

She gets excited about races by listening to a certain song (such as Eminem’s “Guts Over Fear” featuring Sia). Her musical regimen has paid off, as she has won two Olympic gold medals, five world championship crowns, and 66 World Cup races. That puts her on track to match Lindsey Vonn’s all-time record of 82 victories among female ski racers.

The epidemic may have an impact on the forthcoming World Cup season, as it has on most sports. Traditionally, the season begins with men’s and women’s giant slalom competitions at Soelden, Austria, in late October.

When it begins, her mother/coach will be by her side.

“I couldn’t imagine her being home alone,” Shiffrin explained. “She supports me in every way a mother can—and more. It’s still quite overwhelming.

Music has long been her escape. She composes her own lyrics, including one inspired by manufacturing workers at Barilla (her sponsor) in Italy and dedicated to frontline workers.

She also performs.

Last month, Shiffrin launched an online concert to benefit “Goggles for Docs,” a charity that supplies ski goggles to healthcare professionals. Shiffrin sang Winehouse’s version of “Valerie” before handing the stage over to artist KT Tunstall.

Shiffrin is continuously experimenting with sound. She will post guitar riffs from songs like Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine” or try a keyboard rendition of Billy Joel’s “Vienna”.

“Music is supposed to make people feel good,” said Shiffrin, whose mother also enjoys music. “I’m not Lady Gaga, but if it puts a smile on their face, that’s the whole point.”

Along with cultivating her enthusiasm for music and the slopes, her father emphasised a vital value: to be courteous. Always.

Shiffrin is putting that principle into action through “Kindness Wins,” an organisation founded earlier this year that serves as a hub for kindness projects. The organisation recently hosted “Kindness In Crisis,” an online auction organised by Keys, Shiffrin, cross-country skier Jessie Diggins, and mountain bike racer Kate Courtney. They donated money for COVID-19 assistance by selling autographed caps, uniforms, and other memorabilia.

“Being kind to people,” replied Shiffrin, “that’s something that doesn’t go out of style.”