Opinion
Ski Tips: How good is Mikaela Shiffrin?
Published
5 years agoon
Posted By
Outlaw PartnersBy Dan Egan EBS Contributor
Over the last three months, I’ve had the privilege of interviewing and filming Mikaela Shiffrin training at Copper Mountain in Colorado, as well as racing on the World Cup at Killington and at Lake Louise in Canada.
It’s hard to put her accomplishments into context. She is outpacing all pervious ski racers, male or female, in overall career victories for her age, surpassing major milestones without blinking an eye and perfecting her craft to a level we may never witness again.
In Lake Louise, Shiffrin won her first ever super-G race and hadn’t trained in this discipline the previous four months. “Today it just felt like I could do anything on my skis,” she explained at the finish line. “They were an extension of my body, the grip, the glide and line all just fell into place.”
The victory made her the first ski racer ever to win in all six ski disciplines: slalom, giant slalom, super-G, downhill, combined and parallel slalom, and it was her 46th career World Cup victory moving her into fourth place on the women’s all-time victory list.
Just a week prior, she had been standing on the podium in Killington, Vermont where she won the slalom for the third year in a row at the Killington Cup in front of more than 15,000 fans. It was her 18th win in the past 23 World Cup slaloms.
Immediately following the awards ceremony in Lake Louise, Shiffrin boarded a helicopter, flew to Calgary and embarked on a plane for St. Moritz, Switzerland, where she swept the following weekend with two more victories, one in super-G and one in parallel slalom.
Currently, Shiffrin leads the overall FIS Standings with 689 points, 393 points ahead of Michelle Gisin of Switzerland.
Shiffrin’s skiing is a family affair. Her mother coaches her, her father runs logistics and her entourage consists of a full-time physical trainer, two U.S. Ski Team coaches, and an Atomic ski technician. It’s a tight, well-oiled machine looking after a thousand small details that add up to FIS World Cup victories.
Watching Shiffrin ski, you see grace, grit and rhythm working as one. She has another gear when the pressure is on. Winning four out of six ski races three weeks in a row in three countries and two continents and in three different time zones requires a heightened sense of self and tremendous focus.
If you’ve never seen Shiffrin ski, stop what you are doing and watch. She is a shooting star, a once in a lifetime spectacle and her performances are groundbreaking and to watch. She is that good.
Time will tell but as the results show, few have reached her heights and the few that have can only wonder how far higher this phenom will climb.
Extreme skiing pioneer Dan Egan has appeared in 12 Warren Miller Ski films and countless others. He was inducted into the U.S Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame in 2016. Today he teaches clinics and guides trips at locations around the world including Big Sky, where he’ll be teaching this season (contact Big Sky Mountain Sports for availability). Find more information on Dan Egan camps and clinics go to skiclinics.com.
The Outlaw Partners is a creative marketing, media and events company based in Big Sky, Montana.
Upcoming Events
march, 2024
Event Type :
All
All
Arts
Education
Music
Other
Sports
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before 9/10/2024:
more
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before
9/10/2024: Kindergarten
enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year can be completed by following the
registration process now.
Children
born on or after September 11, 2019: 4K enrollment is now open for
families that have a 4-year-old they would like to enroll in our program for
the 2023-2024 school year. Please complete the 4K Interest Form to
express your interest. Completing this form does not guarantee enrollment into
the 4K program. Enrollment is capped at twenty 4-year-olds currently
residing within Big Sky School District boundary full time and will be
determined by birth date in calendar order of those born on or after September
11, 2018. Interest form closes on May 30th.
Enrollment now is critical for fall preparations. Thank you!
Time
February 26 (Monday) - April 21 (Sunday)
Event Details
My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy
more
Event Details
My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy that tells the story of Toby and Melinda, two lonely people whose lives are forever changed the night they encounter a starving coyote at their apartment building. Over time they grow to expect him, leaving ritual offerings to entice the coyote every night. Toby and Melinda forge a connection over this visitor and share curiosity and concern about his presence in the city. The coyote expands their world–until, one night, their world is shattered. Their lives are pushed suddenly into uncharted territory, sending them on a surreal odyssey that changes their city–and the world–forever.
Directed by LX Miller. Starring Max Schneider and Denise Hergett
Verge Theater is continuing their mission to provide accessible theater to our community. Tickets for My Barking Dog are Pay What You Wish with a suggested price of $35. Audience members are offered the opportunity to select the price point that is comfortable for them when purchasing tickets.
My Barking Dog runs March 15-17, 22-24, 28-30
Performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays begin at 7:00 p.m., with Sunday matinees offered at 3:00 p.m.
Suitable for ages 16 . No animals are harmed in the staging of this production.
Tickets are available online at www.vergetheater.com
Time
15 (Friday) 7:00 pm - 30 (Saturday) 8:30 pm
Location
Verge Theater
18mar8:00 pm10:00 pmGays on Blades8:00 pm - 10:00 pm Event Type :SportsEvent City:Big Sky
Event Details
Join Big Sky OUT at the Len Hill Park Community Ice Rink for a free and inclusive ice skating event for all levels. Everyone is welcome, especially allies! There will be
Event Details
Join Big Sky OUT at the Len Hill Park Community Ice Rink for a free and inclusive ice skating event for all levels. Everyone is welcome, especially allies! There will be hot cocoa donated by the Hungry Moose and pizza donated by Blue Moon Bakery. Ice skate rentals are available at East Slope Outdoors until 8pm.
Time
(Monday) 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm