A new competitive strategy

American alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin announced on 6 October 2026 that she will race fewer slaloms in the upcoming World Cup campaign, shifting her competitive focus toward giant slalom and super-G. The 31-year-old racer described the 2026–2027 season as an exploration designed to test her limits in faster disciplines. Shiffrin won nine of 10 World Cup slalom races last season and captured her second Olympic slalom gold at the Milano Cortina Games in February. Despite that technical dominance, she stated on her podcast and social media that pursuing less familiar events helps sustain her motivation over a 16-year career. She noted that remaining exclusively in her strongest discipline felt like a faster route toward retirement.

Explaining the decision to alter her racing calendar, Shiffrin rejected suggestions that the shift represents reduced athletic commitment.

“I'm not trying to do less because I care less. I'm trying to do something different because I still care SO much.”

Schedule and discipline distribution

The World Cup season begins on 24 October 2026 with a giant slalom in Sölden, Austria. Shiffrin plans to skip the first two slalom stops on the calendar, bypassing races in Levi, Finland, and Gurgl, Austria. Her competitive schedule places her first slalom start at Killington, Vermont, during Thanksgiving weekend in late November. Following Killington, she plans to evaluate her condition before adding a select number of additional slalom races. By scaling back technical starts, Shiffrin intends to create dedicated training blocks for giant slalom and super-G while allowing more time for physical recovery.

Shiffrin expressed that curiosity in different events remains her main driver rather than pursuing medal counts.

“Right now, I feel that curiosity with giant slalom and super-G. This season is an exploration.”

Rebuilding speed after injury

Shiffrin has previously collected two giant slalom crystal globes and one super-G globe, which arrived in 2019 alongside her overall and slalom titles. However, speed races have presented technical and psychological hurdles following a severe abdominal injury sustained during a giant slalom crash at Killington in late 2024. In the 2025–2026 campaign, she finished fourth in the giant slalom discipline standings and ended outside the top 30 in super-G. At the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics, she placed 11th in the giant slalom. Since the 2024 accident, she has entered three super-G races, with a 22nd-place finish in Lillehammer in March 2026 marking her best result.

Slalom9

Overall6

Giant slalom2

Super-G1

Slalom

9

Overall

6

Giant slalom

2

Super-G

1

Data from the article text

Her most recent World Cup super-G victory occurred in December 2022, alongside a downhill victory in 2023. Shiffrin stated that racing slalom underprepared presents high risks, prompting her to structure her preparation around targeted speed training blocks.

Implications for the World Cup circuit

The change in race volume carries direct consequences for the overall World Cup title fight. Shiffrin secured her sixth overall crystal globe last season by 87 points over German challenger Emma Aicher, while edging Swiss skier Camille Rast for the slalom title. A reduced slalom program alters the points dynamic, opening opportunities in the general classification for all-around contenders like Aicher. Shiffrin holds the all-time record of 110 World Cup race wins, with 73 achieved in slalom alone. The season builds toward the Alpine World Ski Championships scheduled to take place in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.