A record-breaking snow queen: Who is Mikaela Shiffrin?

Her career reached a new high with the Winter Olympics held in Sochi, Russia in 2014, and she became the youngest Olympic slalom champion at just 18 years old.

In 2012, at the age of 17, she gave the signal of how great a champion she would be with her first world cup slalom race. The American skier is already guaranteed to be one of the best in history. First, she got over her father's death and her disappointment at the Beijing Olympics.

Mikaela Pauline Shiffrin (born March 13, 1995) is an American World Cup alpine skier who has the most World Cup wins of any alpine skier in history (men or women) and is considered one of the greatest alpine skiers of all time. She is a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist. She is a five-time Overall World Cup champion, a four-time world champion in slalom and a seven-time winner of the World Cup discipline title in that event. Shiffrin is the youngest slalom champion in Olympic alpine skiing history, at 18 years and 345 days.

The most important thing was that she captured a record that could not be broken for 34 years. By winning the slalom at Are Ski Center in Sweden on March 11, 2023, she won 87 races alone.

We spoke with Shiffrin and asked about her skiing history, travel memories, and advice for those new to skiing this season.

When did you start skiing?

I started skiing in Vail, Colorado when I was two and a half years old. My mom and dad taught me to ski on our driveway. They both love skiing and were great teachers. My mom still travels with me as one of my coaches.

What advice do you have for a first-time skier?

I would tell them that skiing can be as challenging as it is fun and exhilarating. They are ready when they take with them plenty of warm and layered clothing and accept that it may be difficult at first.

It's worth taking a ski lesson or two to avoid ending the first few days with too much disappointment. After they grasp the basics of skiing, they will start having fun and will be able to move on to more difficult tracks.

After that, there are no borders in front of them anymore! With snowy towns, hot chocolate breaks, and evening relaxation by the fire, ski vacations are a lot of fun and a great way to have fun with family or friends or to get away from the world for a bit.

Where is your favorite ski spot?

I love going to Courchevel in France. The town is beautiful and since we always go around Christmas time for our races, whenever I go there I immediately feel that one of my favorite holidays is Christmas!

January 2023

World record from Mikaela Shiffrin

American alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin has won the title of female skier with the most race wins in the World Cup.

According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the 27-year-old athlete became the most successful female alpine skier in history, breaking the World Cup record of Lindsey Vonn of the USA with her 83rd race win in the Alpine Skiing World Cup.