The Tamesis
Even over Zoom, with a spotty internet connection, Mikaela Shiffrin — the most successful alpine skier of all time, male or female — was still buzzing with excitement.
She’s in Austria, I’m in New York, and we’re talking about her great season at the Winter Olympics in Cortina, Milan, where she’ll compete in three events. Before the opening ceremony of the Olympics, her career win total had reached 108she most recently arrived in Špindlerův Mlýn, Czech Republic just two weeks ago. Her closest competition? Retired Swede Ingemar Stenmark, 86.
The 30-year-old Colorado native made her Olympic debut in 2014. That Olympics was held in Sochi, Russia, and at the age of 18, she won the gold medal in the slalom event. (She will collect more hardware from Pyeongchang in the 2018 giant slalom.) All this means: In Milan Cortina, Shiffrin has no numbers to show for it, only more to give back to a sport that has given her so much. As she said during our conversation: “I don’t know if I’ve ever been inspired to continue skiing because of one race. I’m inspired by the work we put in.”
Below, Shiffrin describes getting into Milan Cortina’s headspace, her recovery from a serious stabbing she suffered in Vermont in 2024, and her dream podcast guest.
Fashion:Hey, Michaela! Thank you for taking the time to talk to us. We know you’re in peak training mode. Where are you now?
Michaela Shiffrin: My pleasure! I’m in a small town in Austria called Reiteralm.
When did you arrive in Europe?
I’ve been here since the beginning of December, all the way to March! I was also here from the end of September to mid-November and then we had a short stop in the States to attend some races at Copper Mountain [Colorado]. Then we went to Canada and then back to Europe. But normally our season is basically October through March, we play every weekend, and most of competitions are held in Europe.
Milan Cortina will be your fourth Olympic Games. Your first time was 12 years ago when you were 18. Do you think you are different mentally now? What else feels the same?
In fact, it’s crazy to think that it’s been 12 years. I mean, I know it’s been so long, but you don’t often hear it said out loud! My first Olympics was a very eye-opening experience. There’s so much I don’t know. And you can’t be told, you can’t learn it from books. You just have to go to the games and experience it. In Sochi, the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team placed an early bid for a hotel for all of us to stay at. So we had our own little cocoon, and it was huge because the first day, norovirus hit the athletes’ village and everyone got sick.
I think this kind of thing happens often in rural areas…
Indeed, every Olympic experience is different. Beijing in the coronavirus era is completely different. With Milano Cortina, I guess it’s not so much what to expect, but…how no Set expectations. One thing I learn every time is that the Olympics are never what you imagine.
