Sawt Falasteen - 'Itching' for change: Shiffrin cuts back slaloms this season

"I'm planning to race less slalom this season," Shiffrin said on Instagram.

"Not necessarily no slalom! Right now, the plan is Killington (end November) as my first slalom and a few others throughout the season."

At 31, the Milan-Cortina Olympic slalom champion and 2026 overall World Cup winner aims to give her career fresh momentum.

"I love the process of getting better," said the US ski great who holds the record for World Cup victories with 110, of which 73 are in slalom.

"I enjoy training more than racing. I like trying to figure out how to handle a turn. I love it when something isn't working and, little by little, you finally understand it.

"That curiosity has been the driving force behind my motivation all these years.

"And right now, I feel that curiosity in giant slalom and super-G. I'm looking to give myself the space to explore that."

Shiffrin is an eight-time world champion and a six-time overall World Cup winner.

In February, she also claimed a third Olympic gold medal, dominating the field in the slalom at the Milan-Cortina Games.

But after a serious abdominal injury during a giant slalom in Killington, Vermont in late 2024, she has struggled to overcome her apprehension regarding speed events.

At the 2026 Olympics, she finished only 11th in the giant slalom.

She has also competed in just three Super-G races since her injury, with a best finish of 22nd in Lillehammer, Norway, in March 2026.

"For the past 16 years, my goal has been the same to push my limits and become a better, faster ski racer. That part hasn't changed," Shiffrin said.

"What is changing is that I'm giving myself a bit more freedom to ask: What am I curious about now? What still makes me want to lock in? And what might happen if I create some space to follow that 'itch'? This season is an exploration."

The 2026/2027 alpine skiing season gets underway in late October in Soelden, Austria, with a giant slalom race.

In her message, Shiffrin did not specify whether she intends to participate.

Q.Najjar--SF-PST