"I am so sorry to scare everybody," she said from Rutland Regional Medical Center that evening.

What followed was not the end of a career, but perhaps its most impressive chapter.

Shiffrin returned to skiing on Jan 1. Less than three months after the crash, she won her 100th World Cup race in Sestriere, Italy. By the time the 2025-26 season opened, she had captured seven of eight slaloms, pushing her career total to 108 victories and counting. Now, at her fourth Olympic Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo, the 30-year-old Vermonter carries not just the weight of expectation, but the perspective of someone who has learned that falling and failing are not the same thing.

“You can fail and not be a failure”

Vermont built this resilience. Shiffrin graduated from Burke Mountain Academy in 2013, the same year she became the youngest American woman to win a slalom world championship at 17. The Killington World Cup—her home race since 2016—has always been different. Twenty thousand fans. Cowbells echoing off the peaks. A homecoming unlike any other on the circuit.

Her Olympic journey began at Sochi 2014, where she won slalom gold at 18. Four years later in PyeongChang, she captured giant slalom gold and combined silver. But Beijing 2022 brought a different lesson: three DNFs, including falls just seven gates into her giant slalom defense and four gates into the slalom. "You can fail and not be a failure," she said then. "I have won in my career and I'm going to win again."

She was right. By February 2025, she reached 100 World Cup wins—a milestone once thought impossible—and claimed her eighth world championship title, the most by any skier since World War II.

At Milano Cortina 2026, the results have been mixed but the mentality unwavering. A fourth-place finish in the team combined event—just off the podium—was followed by an 11th-place finish in giant slalom, the event where she won gold in 2018. Yet Shiffrin remains upbeat. "I think the fastest GS skier in the world got the Olympic gold today," she said, praising winner Federica Brignone. "It went better than I could have expected."

The real test comes Wednesday in slalom, her strongest discipline. "No matter how many times I've won in slalom, it doesn't get easier it only gets harder," she admits. "The level of the competition gets higher so I'll try to take that on."

Her strategy is simple but hard-won: "Turn nervousness into intensity."

From the crash on Superstar to the start gate in Cortina, Shiffrin's story is no longer just about winning—it's about returning. About skiing's power to break you and rebuild you. About a mountain in Vermont that watched her fall and waited for her to rise again.

Still the One to Beat

Wednesday's slalom represents her final opportunity to leave these Games with a medal. Despite her results so far—a 15th-place finish in the team combined slalom leg and an 11th-place finish in giant slalom—the betting markets remain firmly in her corner. Shiffrin enters as the -170 odds-on favorite at FanDuel, though those odds have softened from an opening line of -340. The gap between her and the field remains significant: Switzerland's Camille Rast, who handed Shiffrin her only slalom defeat this season on January 4 in Slovenia, sits at +340. No other competitor is priced better than 11/1.

The numbers tell the story of dominance. Seventy-one career slalom victories. Seven wins in eight World Cup slaloms this season. A combined 108 victories across all disciplines—more than any skier in history, male or female. Yet Shiffrin carries an eight-race Olympic streak without a podium finish, dating back to PyeongChang 2018 and including her three DNFs at Beijing 2022.

The runs start at 10:00 and 13:15 local time on February 18. Whatever happens, Killington will be watching—not just for the result, but for the reminder that champions aren't measured by their falls, but by their willingness to rise again.

(Photo credit: Mikaela Shiffrin / IG)

The post From Killington Crash to Olympic Ice: Mikaela Shiffrin's Unbreakable Spirit appeared first on The Cabin at Killington Rental Property.

That's right, for only $249 you'll get:

• 4 days with 2 hour lesson, rental equipment and lift ticket each day
• Upon completion, a new pair of Killington resort branded Elan eRise skis and bindings (MSRP $499) plus a discount voucher for boots and poles
• Plus, all adults taking lessons get 50% off a lift tickets and lessons for the remainder of the 2013-14 season as well as the 2014-15 season!

Yeah, it really is almost too good of a deal to pass up - even if you know how to ski!

Dave Beckwith, director of snow sports for Killington Resort said, "Our goal is to transition first time skiers into life time skiers by offering four lessons and a free pair of skis and bindings. Killington has a dedicated learning area designed to give first time skiers the confidence they need to be successful in a new sport.”

The number of free Elan eRise skis and bindings are limited, so call 800-923-9444 and reserve your lesson now.

For beginner skiers, we would have expected a helmet deal too, but with a deal like this, who's complaining?

The post Learn To Ski At Killington - Get Free Skis And Bindings appeared first on The Cabin at Killington Rental Property.

If you're not familiar with Bitcoin, you can check out the short video below:

Of course, we also accept checks, credit cards and Dwolla payments too. We just wanted to give you another option!

The post Pay For Your Killington Vacation Rental With Bitcoin appeared first on The Cabin at Killington Rental Property.

This Saturday, March 24, 2012, you can do just that as the Green Mountain National Golf Course will be open for the first time this year. For $40, you'll get 18 holes with the golf cart included.

While we're sorry to see the ski season come to an end, it's nice to know that spring is here and summer is coming quickly.

The post Green Mountain National Golf Course Opens Saturday appeared first on The Cabin at Killington Rental Property.

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