○○○○○

Milano Cortina 2026

Killington's Olympic Connection

From the World Cup course on Superstar to the 2026 Winter Games in Italy, this mountain's ties to Olympic Alpine skiing run deeper than you think.

Scroll

The Comeback Story

The last time 20,000 people packed Superstar trail for the Killington World Cup, they watched in silence as Mikaela Shiffrin, the most decorated Alpine skier in history, was carried away on a rescue sled.

It was November 30, 2024. She'd just ripped through the first run of the giant slalom, sitting in first place, one run away from a historic 100th World Cup win. The crowd was buzzing.

Then she slipped. Hit two gates at 50 mph. 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. Opening the season with a five-race winning streak. Chasing the 100th win that Killington's Superstar owes her.

Sunday morning, she races giant slalom. And Killington is watching.

A Vermont-Made Champion

Shiffrin didn't just race at Killington. Vermont made her. She graduated from Burke Mountain Academy in 2013, the same year she became the youngest American woman to win a slalom world championship at 17 years old.

The Killington World Cup has been her home race since the event launched. Every late November, she returns to Superstar, and every time, the energy is different than anywhere else on the circuit. Twenty thousand fans lining a single trail. Cowbells. The roar echoing off the surrounding mountains.

"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 Burke Mountain Academy

It's that resilience that Killington locals know best. Not just the gold medals and the record books, but the willingness to come back to the same trail that nearly ended her career and race again.

The Timeline

2013

Graduates Burke Mountain Academy in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. Wins slalom world championship at 17.

2014 — Sochi

First Olympic gold in slalom at age 18. Becomes youngest slalom champion in Olympic history.

2016

Killington World Cup launches. For the first time, the women's World Cup circuit includes a stop in Vermont. Shiffrin wins the slalom.

2018 — PyeongChang

Giant slalom gold, combined silver. Three Olympic medals total. Solidifies legacy as the dominant force in technical events.

2019

First skier ever to win in all six disciplines. Slalom, GS, parallel, combined, super-G, and downhill. 60 World Cup wins by year's end.

2023

Breaks Ingemar Stenmark's all-time record of 86 World Cup wins. Does it in front of her home crowd in Are, Sweden.

Nov 2024 — Killington

The crash. Leading the GS after run one, she falls at speed on Superstar. Puncture wound. 20,000 fans go silent. Airlifted to Rutland Regional. Win #100 would have to wait.

Oct 2025

The comeback. Returns to competition in Soelden, Austria. Opens the season with five consecutive wins. The GOAT debate is settled again.

Feb 2026 — Cortina

Fourth Olympics. Giant slalom Sunday. Slalom Wednesday. Still chasing #100. Still the favorite.

This Sunday

Mikaela Shiffrin Watch Party

Sunday, February 15, 2026

7:00 AM at K1 Lodge

Breakfast included

Giant slalom Run 1 starts at 4:00 AM ET on USA Network and Peacock. The K1 Lodge watch party kicks off at 7 AM with breakfast and the big screens rolling. Shiffrin's slalom follows on Wednesday, February 18.

Shiffrin's Olympic Schedule

Feb 10

Women's Team Combined

Her first event of the 2026 Games. Technical precision meets speed.

Feb 15

Women's Giant Slalom

Defending her 2018 gold. Run 1 at 4 AM ET. K1 Lodge watch party at 7 AM.

Feb 18

Women's Slalom

Her signature event. Two Olympic golds in slalom already. Going for three.

Presidents' Day Weekend

This isn't just any weekend at Killington. Valentine's Day Friday. Shiffrin's giant slalom Sunday morning. Presidents' Day Monday. All trails open, parking lots already filling up.

Weather looks solid: highs near 29 Saturday, warming to 32 Sunday with sunshine. Monday hits 39. The kind of weekend where the conditions are fast in the morning, soft and forgiving by afternoon.

If you're here, catch the watch party at K1 Lodge Sunday at 7 AM. Grab first chair after. Tell people you watched Shiffrin race before you hit the same mountain she made famous.