Mikaela Shiffrin’s mother has always been her safe place. Hailing from the small mountain town of Vail, Colorado, Mikaela was just eight when her run-ins with skiing took a serious turn. Eileen, a retired masters ski racer, who’d settled as an ICU nurse after responsibilities took over, suddenly realized her little girl would need more than just a good coach if she wanted to succeed as a professional alpine skier. Soon enough, the mother made a choice.

Mikaela was just 15 when she qualified for the Nor-Am Cup circuit, a racing series held in United States, and Canada. A day before her 16th birthday, the skier had already reached her first World Cup event in Spindleruv Mlyn, Czechia. Life was taking a drastic—albeit momentous—turn, and each day presented a new challenge for the teenager. However, amid the chaos that her professional career brought, a heartwarming constant always held her firm. Described as a “best friend” by her daughter, Eileen would start talking in a baby voice every time she sensed Mikaela was sad.

The skier would answer back in the same voice, and laugh. All would once again be good in the world. Eileen would serve not just as a coach, but also as a travel buddy who’d spent almost a decade on the road—sleeping in hotels across Europe—and a manager who’d booked Mikaela’s flights, and meticulously planned her schedule. Especially after the skier’s father Jeff passed away in 2020 owing to a head injury at their home, Eileen would emerge as the anchor that their daughter needed in those turbulent times.

Today, Mikaela is okay. Though the sudden jolts of pain remembering the mustached man with a camera in hand, leave her weak, she brushes past every suffering toward glory. She makes sure to give her father something to be proud of. But more than that, she makes sure her mother is okay. Realizing that Eileen had given up half of her life for her career, the skier requested that her mom step down in 2019. “I don’t feel comfortable continuing to ask you to put your life on hold,” she remembers telling mom. Ever since then, the 29-year-old has been navigating her journey alone. Yet, she never forgets to extend credit to the woman who started it all. On March 8, hours after the two-time Olympic gold medalist suffered a heartbreaking fate, she took to Instagram to pen down a heartwarming note yet again…

But this time, it was not just for Eileen, but for the fraternity of women around her, and beyond. “I’m thankful to be surrounded by so many strong women…and especially grateful to have a team composed of incredible women, as well as teammates and competitors alike that encourage me, push me, and inspire me—and so many others—daily.💪🫶 #IWD2025 #stifelusskiteam,” she wrote on the occasion of International Women’s Day, while sharing a carousel of photos exuding the strength of womanhood.

While most of the pictures showed her teammates, nestled in between was a smiling Eileen, her brother Taylor, and sister-in-law Kristiana. Another photo also featured Mikaela and Paula Moltzan fully geared in their skiing suits and embracing each other. The picture seems to be from the skiing veteran’s historic 100th FIS WC win. In the next two pictures, the five-time Overall World Cup champion was featured along with the Team USA women, including Lauren Macauga, Katie Hensien, Brezzy Jhonson, Paula, AJ Hurt, Jacqueline Wiles, and Nina O’Brien.

Another selfie also captured Shiffrin and Breezy Johnson with their wide smiles and skiing gear. The pictures seem to belong to another historic day, February 11. In Saalbach, Austria, both the American skiers won their first-ever women’s world championship in the combined Alpine Team event. It was a new format debut with a combination of downhill and a slalom race, where they clocked a combined time of 2:40.89 and won by 0.39 seconds over Team Switzerland.

Then was a picture of Mikaela Shiffrin and Petra Vlhova! The same Slovakian skier who did not allow Mikaela to take away the Beijing 2022 Olympic gold in the Women’s Slalom. And for the unknown, their rivalry dates back to when they were kids. In 2023, Petra even said, “She (Mikaela Shiffrin) pushed me, and I gave from my body to ski better than her.”

Notably, the post came hours after the skier suffered a crushing setback. In Åre, Sweden, Shiffrin pushed out of the start gate in the Giant Slalom, a race she has dominated for years. But barely into her first run, she misjudged a turn, lost her line, and skied out to garner a rare DNF—ultimately failing to qualify for the GS finale for the first time since 2012. This season has tested her at every turn, as another brutal abdominal injury in November last year forced her out for two months. However, on February 22, Mikaela answered back with full force, making history as the first skier to reach 100 World Cup wins.

Åre was supposed to be another chance to showcase her progress in Giant Slalom, a discipline where she has claimed 22 career World Cup wins. But fate had other plans. “Our GS season came to an end today with some really good GS skiing from Mikaela after fighting tooth and nail to resurrect her GS game, which was set back dramatically after her injury in Nov. Sadly….ended up not finishing her first run. But she showed so much grit and determination today,” Eileen said in an Instagram Reel of her playing with her daughter on March 8.

Despite the disappointment, the mother found a silver lining in Mikaela’s loss, adding, “She made a few good turns’ as you always wanted to see, and those turns make us very excited to see what next season will bring in her GS skiing.” Eileen then shared how the team managed to turn their disappointment into laughter through games, highlighting the bond they shared. “Gotta love this team; they all just keep smiling and propping us up.”

Sure, the race in Åre didn’t go as planned, but she has a whole tribe to be thankful for! And let’s just be real—Mikaela’s journey this season has been nothing short of incredible, which has been a blend of everything.

Mikaela Shiffrin’s journey this season

It all started in late November at the FIS World Cup race in Killington, Vermont. Charging through the giant slalom course, she lost control, crashing hard into two gates before slamming into the catch-fencing. The impact left her with a puncture wound in her right abdomen, and while she was fortunate to escape major injuries, the fall forced her out of competition for two months.

Two months of grueling rehab followed, and on January 30, 2025, she finally strapped on her skis again. The world held its breath. Courchevel, France—slalom event. Shiffrin pushed through the icy course, her movements calculated yet cautious. 10th place. A modest result by her standards, but that wasn’t the point. She had returned. And then, as if flipping a switch, Shiffrin reminded everyone why she is the greatest skier the sport has ever seen.

February 11, 2025—Saalbach, Austria. She and Breezy Johnson clinched gold. That wasn’t just another medal—it was her 15th World Championship podium, tying the all-time record set by the legendary Christl Cranz. But the defining moment of the season? That came on February 23, in Sestriere, Italy.

This was not just another World Cup event. It was a historic summit no skier had ever reached. The stakes? A shot at her 100th World Cup victory. The tension? Unbearable. As she blasted down the slalom course, there was no hesitation, no doubt—just pure, relentless speed. The clock stopped. The crowd erupted. She had done it. 100 World Cup wins. A number that once seemed impossible.

And yet, sport can be cruel. Just two weeks later, on March 8 in Are, Sweden—Shiffrin, locked in a tight giant slalom race, made an uncharacteristic mistake in her first run. DNF. Just like that, she was out of the World Cup Final GS race for the first time since 2012. But we are eagerly waiting for her to show up in the snow again!