The 2023-24 FIS Ski World Cup season was marked by a series of devastating injuries to some of the sport’s brightest stars. Among the most notable were Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, Marco Schwarz, and Alexis Pinturault, whose severe crashes prematurely ended their campaigns. Meanwhile, Mikaela Shiffrin, although managing to return after her crash at Cortina d’Ampezzo, saw her season significantly disrupted by the accident.

“I absolutely believe that fatigue at this point in the season plays a role in the injuries we have seen lately, including my own,” Shiffrin said after her triumphant return in Åre, Sweden. However, after already traveling nearly 5000 km (3106 miles), the alpine skiing icon has once again raised concerns after her 99th World Cup victory in Gurgl, Austria.

Mikaela Shiffrin has a potentially “ideal” solution to the problem

The 28-year-old, who had to travel to Austria for the kickoff event at Sölden had a suggestion that may work in the favor of athletes. “My honest opinion is: It is challenging to be in Sölden, then Levi, then back in Gurgl and then in Killington.” said Shiffrnas as per a report from the Austrian newspaper Kurier. That’s because Gurgl and Solden are close enough to become a double weekend event with minimal traveling.

However, inserting Levi (Finland) into the mix only makes the schedule more hectic, adding to the fatigue. “It is really hard on the body and mind,” Mikaela Shiffrin said, according to the Kurier. Yet, had the FIS not inserted the inland venue in between Sölden and Gurgl, there would have been no race at Gurgl as the snow cover was insufficient when the World Cup kicked off on October 26.

So Shiffrin offered a solution to the FIS. “The season should start later and possibly end later. I know it’s easier said than done. But maybe there are some ways to arrange it so that we can keep the race, but also make the trips more physically and ecologically sensible.” explained the five-time World Cup winner. “It would be ideal,” added Shiffrin. However, FIS Chief Race Director for the men’s World Cup, Markus Waldner, revealed it may not be so simple.

FIS’ changes have barely made a dent as Shiffrin isn’t the only one raising a voice

Mikaela Shiffrin isn’t the only one who has pleaded with FIS to start the racing season later in the year. 142 athletes from Protect Our Winters (POW) wrote a petition to the FIS saying that it would be “geographically reasonable,” for the racing season to kick-off in November. The FIS responded by shuffling the calendar in an attempt to give skiers more time to recover between races.

These changes have also added needless travel time, as Mikaela Shiffrin pointed out. However, Markus Waldner explained that things making the race calendar is a complex process. “I could talk for hours, hours, because, if you watch the global picture, this is so big, so complex,” Walder told Ski Racing in March.

Shifting a single date or venue would critique the rearranging of the entire schedule according to weather conditions. Starting too late would jeopardize both the World Cup and World Championship finals. So the problem persists. Austrian alpine skiing veteran echoed Mikaela Shiffrin’s words while speaking to Kurier.

“It’s a lot of effort for a race.” Feller told the news outlet, adding that he was “unfortunately going to America,” for just one race. So it seems, at least for now, the FIS, and the skiers may have to settle for incremental changes until they get it right.