Mikaela Shiffrin reacts as she crosses the finish line in the women’s World Cup giant slalom on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Mont Tremblant, Quebec.
Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP
Mikaela Shiffrin left Mont-Tremblant without a podium, but pleased with her progress nonetheless.
After placing sixth on Saturday, Shiffrin finished fourth on Day 2 of back-to-back World Cup giant slaloms in Canada.
“I think happy in ski racing — it’s a matter of perspective,” said Shiffrin, who suffered a severe puncture wound in a GS just over a year ago and struggled in two comeback races at the tail end of last season.
“Last year I was returning from the injury and hoping I could make it in the second run. You know, I was three seconds behind the fastest girls with no hopes of figuring out how to get faster,” she continued. “We’ve done a ton of work this summer to get to this place where I’m in the second run (and) I’m consistently top 10.”
Shiffrin — who has won all three slaloms contested in the 2025-26 campaign — has two fourths and a sixth in GS this year to go along with her 14th-place result at the Copper Cup.
“So, I’m building and it’s a really cool position to be in,” she said. “And there’s more work to do.”
Alice Robinson — winner of the past two giant slaloms — led Julia Scheib by 0.16 seconds after the first run. Former Edwards’ resident Nina O’Brien sat in third, 0.52 back, while Shiffrin slotted into sixth and teammate Paula Moltzan was 18th. Moltzan — who climbed seven spots on Saturday — posted the third-fastest second run on Sunday to climb 12 spots into sixth. O’Brien, meanwhile, got a little low on one of the first turns, caught an edge and ended up skiing off course.
After crashing out of Saturday’s race, Scheib rallied in the first and final sectors to claim her second win of the season. The 27-year-old Austrian said she played it safe on the middle section of the Flying Mile course on Sunday — at least in run No. 1.
“In the second (run) it was totally different,” she told FIS. “I knew I had to attack more.”
American Paula Moltzan speeds down the course as she races in the women’s World Cup giant slalom on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Mont Tremblant, Quebec.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP
Sara Hector moved up five spots to silver as Robinson rounded out the podium.
“The second run I tried to ski a little bit more freely,” said Hector, who also posted a DNF on Saturday. “The first gates were not super good, but then after I went over this roller where I went out (on Saturday), I tried to open the gap.”
On the American side, Vail’s Kjersti Moritz finished 34th in the first run of her fourth World Cup start, while Elisabeth Bocock posted a DNF.
Scheib — who hadn’t won a World Cup prior to the season but has now gone 1-2-1 in the first three races this year — said the “small things” are responsible for her breakout campaign.
“Sometimes to be patient, things take a while,” she added.
Austria’s Julia Scheib celebrates after her victory in the women’s World Cup giant slalom on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Mont Tremblant, Quebec.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP
With Robinson and Scheib sitting first and second, respectively, in the crystal globe standings, Shiffrin (who is sixth) acknowledged the ever-rising level of GS skiing on the women’s circuit.
“You can’t mess up. You can’t even mess up a little bit,” she said before adding that her improvement is a “step-by-step” process.
“It’s one of those things — you can’t do it all at once,” she said. “It’s got to be getting the comfort level to that point. So, it’s getting there.”
The World Cup continues with speed events in St. Moritz, Switzerland, on Dec. 10. The tech skiers will travel to Courchevel, France, for a slalom on Dec. 16.
