Mikaela Shiffrin will scale back her slalom starts in the 2026–2027 alpine skiing season, shifting her competitive focus toward the giant slalom and super-G disciplines in what former Slovenian champion Tina Maze describes as a calculated tactical maneuver. The opening weekend of the World Cup season gets underway on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, with the women’s giant slalom in Sölden, Austria, where Shiffrin enters as the defending overall champion while deliberately altering the program that secured her last global crown.
Sölden Season Opener and the Shift in Shiffrin’s Program
The 31-year-old American arrives at the Rettenbach glacier for the opening giant slalom under a self-described “discovery season” mindset. Last winter, Shiffrin captured nine of ten World Cup slaloms and added an Olympic gold medal in the discipline, accumulating 980 of her 1,410 total points from the shortest gate-to-gate events. Without those slalom points, her overall title defense would have fallen short, as her remaining results accounted for just 430 points. Yet, rather than defending every slalom gate, Shiffrin announced through her podcast—as cited by the Associated Press—that she intends to experiment with her training volume and recovery days by leaning into giant slalom and speed events.
“From the beginning of my career, I had a feeling that at a certain point there might be a minor change in my schedule,” Shiffrin explained ahead of the Sölden races. “I’ve been doing the same thing for a long time and it has always motivated me. Over the past year, or rather after last season, my motivation shifted a little bit. I think my job is to listen to what my body and mind are telling me. Maybe I’ll stay in the sport longer.”
Tina Maze Analyzes the Tactical Intent Behind the Reduced Slalom Schedule
Speaking at a Eurosport press conference where she joins the broadcast team as an expert analyst, Tina Maze assessed Shiffrin’s decision as a deliberate method to preserve competitive hunger and target vulnerabilities in her overall defense. Maze likened the adjustment to dietary restraint: “I perceive it like when you love ice cream and eat it every day. However, when you deny it to yourself for a few days, you look forward to it all the more.”
Maze noted that Shiffrin has exhausted major milestones in the discipline—securing her ninth career slalom small globe and Olympic gold—leaving speed events like super-G and downhill as arenas where she can still extract career growth. According to the Slovenian gold medalist, building confidence in speed training will yield fewer mistakes and position the American to hold off emerging challengers over a full four-discipline campaign.
Emma Aicher Emerges as the Primary Challenger for the Crystal Globe
With Petra Vlhová continuing her recovery following a severe right knee injury suffered on Jan. 10, 2024, in Jasná, Shiffrin's primary rivals have improved. German all-rounder Emma Aicher enters the new season carrying the weight of expectation after finishing just 87 points behind Shiffrin in the overall standings at the conclusion of the previous campaign. Aicher plans to contest all four alpine disciplines once again.
Maze singled out the 22-year-old German as the principal threat to Shiffrin’s dominance, pointing to Aicher’s versatility and natural skiing touch. Aicher, however, rejected pre-season favoritism tags. “When you race four disciplines, I think it’s pretty clear that is the goal. But you have to somehow put that out of your head,” Aicher told the German Press Agency (DPA). “I want to focus on my own things. I have no influence on the rest.”
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Petra Vlhová Returns to the World Cup After a Two-Year Absence
The Sölden giant slalom also marks the much-anticipated return of Petra Vlhová, who steps back into the World Cup gate after a more than two-year enforced layoff. The Slovak star, who famously denied Shiffrin the overall title in the 2020–2021 season, takes start number 18 in Saturday’s opening run on the Rettenbach glacier. Vlhová intends to contest a full schedule across both slalom and giant slalom.
Reacting to news of Shiffrin’s altered program, Vlhová adopted a pragmatic stance on the eve of competition. “I follow it, of course, I caught the news. Personally, I don’t deal with it, it’s her decision, that’s how she feels and I have no reason to analyze it,” Vlhová told reporters at the pre-season press conference.
Injured Stars Miss Tour as FIS Elects New President
The 2026–2027 World Cup tour begins amid a wave of high-profile absences across the field. Shiffrin’s partner, Norwegian speed specialist Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, remains sidelined after tearing his Achilles tendon during a training session in Chile. The women’s circuit will also run without Italian stars Federica Brignone and Sofia Goggia, alongside American veteran Lindsey Vonn, who sustained a severe leg injury during a crash at the Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympics.
Unresolved Questions on the Rettenbach Glacier
Whether Shiffrin’s calculated gamble will preserve her stamina or open the door for Aicher and Vlhová remains unanswered as the giant slalom starts in Sölden. With the American downplaying her immediate chances on the steep Austrian slope—joking to reporters, “Don’t bet on me to win!”—the opening weekend carries a level of unpredictability unseen on the World Cup tour in years.
