10/14/2026 12:43:00
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10/14 12:41 CDT Shiffrin takes a more off-script approach in shifting focus
beyond slalom and in Year 2 of podcast
Shiffrin takes a more off-script approach in shifting focus beyond slalom and
in Year 2 of podcast
By PAT GRAHAM
AP Sports Writer
Mikaela Shiffrin is embracing an off-script approach in what the ski racer has
dubbed her "exploration season."
That includes on the mountain, where the three-time Olympic champion will
prioritize training in giant slalom and super-G over her signature slalom
event. It also extends to the microphone, with her plan to be even more
free-flowing in interviews on her podcast, "What's the Point."
Just a way to feed her curiosity as she enters her 16th season on the World Cup
circuit and second hosting her show. In her eyes, a speedy race and a seamless
podcast have a common thread --- cadence.
"When I'm skiing my best, it feels like a dance," Shiffrin wrote in an email to
The Associated Press as her 12-episode podcast kicked off Wednesday and
featured media personality/fellow podcaster Kylie Kelce. "The turns link
together and I stop thinking about them. A great episode has a similar rhythm.
One question flows into the next, I might go ?off script' --- it just feels
natural and not forced. Then afterward the guest says something like, ?That was
such a fun conversation, let's talk again soon.' That's my version of seeing
green (signifying the fastest time) at the finish."
From now until March, Shiffrin will feature episodes in which she interviews
top names from around the sports world, including figure skater Ilia Malinin,
rugby player Ilona Maher, tennis great Iga Swiatek and sportscaster Mike
Tirico. The theme is what drives them toward success.
It's a question she's pondered, too.
The six-time overall World Cup champion will focus her attention more on the GS
and super-G this season. Sure, she will still compete in slalom, her top event.
But she wanted to branch out after a season in which she won nine of 10 World
Cup slalom events, along with capturing gold at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
A little bit of a scary decision, "because the safe choice was obvious," the
31-year-old from Colorado said.
"I was coming off a successful slalom season, and if you only look at results,
staying focused on slalom made the most sense," she added. "But after 16 years
on the World Cup, I felt a real curiosity pulling me toward GS and super-G, and
I've learned to trust that feeling. Making peace with it came from being clear
with myself about why I was doing it. It's not about caring less or working
less. It's about recovering better, training with more intention, and racing
slalom when I'm prepared for it. Slalom isn't going anywhere."
Shiffrin and her fellow racers push out of the start gate on Oct. 24 with a
giant slalom competition in Soelden, Austria. Shiffrin said her first slalom
race will be in Killington, Vermont, over Thanksgiving weekend.
"I'm keeping the door open," Shiffrin said of her racing plans. "We're calling
this the exploration season, and I think that framing is what let me exhale."
As for podcasting, she's finding her groove. Last season, her guests included
her fianc, Norwegian ski racer Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, and gymnast Simone
Biles, winner of seven Olympic gold medals.
"I learned that listening is a skill you train, just like skiing," said
Shiffrin, whose podcast launched in October 2025 in partnership with financial
group Stifel. "In Season 1, I'd sometimes be so focused on getting to my next
question that I'd miss the best thing a guest said. ... So in Year 2 I'm
prepping less of a script and more of a direction. I also learned that I don't
need to be the expert in the room."
Her plans going forward --- and leading into the 2030 Winter Olympics in the
French Alps --- remain fluid, in racing and podcasting.
"Whether I'm in the start gate, in the crowd cheering on former competitors and
teammates, or even hosting live episodes of 'What's the Point,' I'll tackle it
with the same passion and curiosity I bring today," Shiffrin said. "What I can
promise is that as long as I'm skiing, it'll be because I want to, not because
I feel I have to."
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