Mikaela Shiffrin, one of the most accomplished athletes in alpine skiing history, may be forced to miss the remainder of the 2024–25 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup season as she continues to deal with complications from a serious injury sustained late last year. The American ski star’s return remains uncertain after undergoing surgery to treat a deep muscle injury following a crash at Killington on November 30.
Shiffrin was aiming to secure her 100th World Cup victory when she crashed during the second run of the giant slalom in Killington. The fall resulted in a significant puncture wound to her oblique muscle—an area critical for balance and strength in skiing. She was immediately removed from the slope on a sled and received prompt medical care. Initial treatment involved cleaning the wound and applying a wound vacuum system intended to drain fluid buildup and assist healing.
However, Shiffrin’s recovery did not go as smoothly as hoped. On Thursday, December 12, she underwent unexpected surgery after the fluid failed to drain properly and she began feeling increasingly unwell. The procedure, performed to remove a pocket of fluid and assess internal damage, revealed more extensive trauma to her muscle tissue than initially anticipated.
“We were really trying to avoid surgery because it meant opening up the area more, which inevitably causes more damage,” Shiffrin told SkiRacing.com. “In the end, it turned out to be the right choice. We discovered a pocket of fluid that the wound vac hadn’t reached, and it needed to be cleared out to allow healing to begin.”
The injury is particularly complex due to the nature of alpine skiing. While similar muscle injuries have been studied in sports like baseball and hockey, the intensity and torque involved in disciplines such as slalom, giant slalom, and super-G make it difficult to predict how the damaged muscle will respond to rehabilitation.
“There’s not a lot of precedent for this type of injury in ski racing,” Shiffrin explained. “Other sports have dealt with oblique tears, but the forces at play in ski racing are different. We just don’t know yet how my muscle will hold up.”
Currently recovering at home in Colorado, Shiffrin remains in good spirits and is taking things day by day. While she is now able to walk and navigate stairs slowly, there’s no clear timeline for when—or if—she will return to competition this season.
“If everything had gone perfectly, we were pretty confident I could be back on the slopes before the season ended,” she said. “But with these setbacks, it just depends on how I improve over the next few weeks and months.”
Despite the challenges, Shiffrin remains positive, grateful for the care she’s received, and realistic about the road ahead. “It was a deep puncture wound with a lot of muscle trauma. I’m lucky it didn’t hit anything more serious. Right now, we’re just focusing on healing.”
Fans and fellow athletes alike are rallying around Shiffrin as she recovers. Whether or not she returns to competition this season, her determination and transparency continue to inspire the skiing world.