Tomorrow morning, the most decorated Alpine skier in history races giant slalom at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Tonight, Killington is getting ready to watch.
The Crash That Changed Everything
November 30, 2024. Twenty thousand people packed along Superstar trail for the Killington World Cup. Mikaela Shiffrin had just ripped through the first run of giant slalom, sitting in first place, one run from her historic 100th World Cup win.
On the second run, she slipped. Hit two gates. Lost a ski. Slammed into the catch fence. Five seconds of chaos that left her with a puncture wound to her abdomen and the entire mountain holding its breath.
“I am so sorry to scare everybody.” — Mikaela Shiffrin, from Rutland Regional Medical Center that evening
Fourteen months later, she’s in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Fourth Olympics. Less than three months after the crash, she won her 100th World Cup race in Sestriere, Italy. Then she opened the 2025-26 season and won seven of eight slaloms. She’s now at 108 and counting.
Vermont Made Her
Shiffrin didn’t just race at Killington. Vermont built her. She graduated from Burke Mountain Academy in the Northeast Kingdom in 2013, the same year she became the youngest American woman to win a slalom world championship at 17.
“She’s been the best in the world for a long time, but given everything that has happened, to stay there is one of her most impressive accomplishments.” — Willy Booker, Head of School at Burke Mountain Academy
The Killington World Cup has been her home race since the event launched in 2016. Every late November, she returns to Superstar, and every time, the energy is different than anywhere else on the circuit. Twenty thousand fans on a single trail. Cowbells echoing off the surrounding peaks. It’s not just a race stop. It’s a homecoming.
The Timeline
2013: Graduates Burke Mountain Academy. Wins slalom world championship at 17.
2014, Sochi: First Olympic gold in slalom at 18. Youngest Olympic slalom champion in history.
2016: Killington World Cup launches. First World Cup in Vermont in nearly 40 years. Shiffrin wins the slalom.
2018, PyeongChang: Giant slalom gold, combined silver. Three Olympic medals total.
2018-19: First skier to win in all six Alpine disciplines. 17 wins in a single season. 60 career victories.
2023: Breaks Ingemar Stenmark’s all-time record of 86 World Cup wins.
November 2024, Killington: The crash on Superstar. Leading after run one, she falls at speed. Puncture wound. Rescue sled. Win number 100 would have to wait.
January 2025: The comeback. Returns to racing in Courchevel, France, two months after the crash. Finishes 10th.
February 2025: Wins her 100th World Cup race in Sestriere, Italy.
2025-26 season: Returns to Soelden in October. Wins seven of eight slaloms heading into the Olympics.
February 10, 2026, Cortina: Team combined event. She and Breezy Johnson finish fourth, just off the podium. Solid run but not the result she wanted.
February 15, 2026: Giant slalom. The event where she won gold in 2018. Run 1 at 4:00 AM ET. Run 2 at 7:30 AM ET. USA Network and Peacock.
Watch It at Killington
Share Winter Foundation is hosting a watch party at K1 Lodge tomorrow morning starting at 7 AM. Breakfast included. Big screens rolling. The same mountain where she crashed 14 months ago, packed with people cheering her on from 4,000 miles away.
Run 1 starts at 4 AM ET on USA Network and Peacock for the early risers. Run 2 at 7:30 AM. Shiffrin starts third out of 76 competitors.
Her slalom event follows on Wednesday, February 18. One Olympic slalom gold already. Going for two.
Presidents’ Day Weekend
This is one of those weekends where everything lines up. Valentine’s Day Saturday. Shiffrin going for gold Sunday morning. Presidents’ Day Monday. All trails open.
Weather looks solid: highs near 29 Saturday, warming to 32 Sunday with sunshine. Monday hits 39. Fast conditions in the morning, soft and forgiving by afternoon.
If you’re at Killington this weekend, catch the watch party at K1 Lodge Sunday at 7 AM. Grab first chair after. Book direct and get discounted lift tickets with your stay. Tell people you watched Shiffrin race before you hit the same mountain she made famous.
Still Need a Place to Stay?
We’ve got ski-in/ski-out condos and mountain houses, a few minutes from K1 Lodge. Mountain Green Resort is steps from the base area. Presidents’ Day midweek still has availability.
