Mikaela Shiffrin isn’t going to sit on the sidelines any longer. The two-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time Overall World Cup champion went on the Today Show on Thursday morning and announced that she would return to the FIS Alpine Ski Racing circuit before the end of the season. In fact, she’s eyeing a return before the end of January.
“I’m actually going to be heading over to Europe in the next couple of days to race my first World Cup in Courchevel,” Shiffrin told Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin during the show.
Shiffrin, 29, has had to sit out for months of this year’s ski racing season after she crashed at the Killington Stifel World Cup Race in November. She was impaled during the crash and suffered serious injuries. GearJunkie interviewed her in her home shortly after she’d undergone surgery. At the time, she did not mention returning to ski racing to finish the 2024/25 Stifel Birds of Prey Audi FIS Ski World Cup.
Apparently, though, her recovery has been going well. This week, Shiffrin tested the water, practicing Giant Slalom gates at her home mountains in the Vail Valley. She posted a video teaser to Instagram with the words, “Courchevel 1/30 … See you soon.”
The Courchevel Stifel World Cup Race is held on the Emile-Allais slalom stadium slope, a course Shiffrin has already won seven times. This time around, there’s a lot on the line, though. Shiffrin won’t just be aiming for the podium. She’s racing for her 100th World Cup win. If she’s successful, she’ll become the first alpine skier to ever reach that milestone.
Shiffrin, Racing for 100 — Again
When Shiffrin crashed at the Killington World Cup Race, the pressure was undoubtedly immense. She was standing on top of 99 World Cup wins, and everyone was eagerly watching, waiting to see her make history.
Her crash derailed that intense moment. And with the Cortina Winter Olympic Games on the horizon, it also sidelined Shiffrin during an extremely important World Cup Racing season.
But there is still plenty of time for the elite ski racer to give her competitors a run for their money. Following the Courchevel World Cup, there are five more race stages: Sestriere, Italy; Kvitfjell, Norway; Åre, Sweden; La Thuile, Italy; and the World Cup Season Final at Sun Valley, Idaho, U.S.
You can watch the races live on Peacock, and NBC will also play replays on its broadcast network.
All-Star Lineup of World Cup Racers
With the Cortina Winter Olympic Games just a year away, female ski racers have brought their A-games to the 2024/25 Stifel Birds of Prey Audi FIS Ski World Cup. Heavy hitters like Sofia Goggia, Cornelia Hütter, and Federica Brignone have dominated the podiums this season in the absence of one of the greatest racers of all time.
The Olympic prospects have also brought other athletes out of the woodwork. This season, Lindsay Vonn came out of retirement at the age of 40, with her eyes on making the U.S. Olympic Ski Team again.
This weekend, racers will compete in the Bavarian Alps at the Garmish Classic in Germany. Then, they’re off to Courchevel, France, where Shiffrin will be waiting for them.
