Even the most successful skier of all time has room to improve. The 2026-27 ski season marks a change in direction for Mikaela Shiffrin, who last year won a record-equalling sixth World Cup title and a ninth in slalom. This year, the 31-year-old will race less in her specialist discipline in order to focus more on giant slalom and super-G, calling this her “exploration season”.
Like a boxer moving up a weight class having won everything at their typical weight, or the likes of star athletes Alex Yee and Femke Broeders-Bol dipping their toes into triathlon or 800m running having dominated their original discipline, Shiffrin is still hoping to discover new things about herself and her sport, 15 years on from her World Cup debut.
