Mikaela Shiffrin's June stint in Norway included a photo shoot with iconic British photographer David Yarrow for his 'Sporting Legends' series. "This was such a cool experience, watching him work and getting to work with him in a very unique setting," Shiffrin posted on Instagram on Wednesday. "I've seen some of the finished products, and I'm sooo looking forward to sharing with everyone!"
Yarrow pounced on the unique fortune of Shiffrin conducting summer training in Norway with her boyfriend, two-time Olympic medalist Aleksandar Aamodt Kilde. "I saw this as my opportunity as we have strong contacts in Oslo and I felt that we could do something a little different," he stated on his website underneath a photograph of Shiffrin with the title 'National Treasure.' "Norway has a strong heritage not just in skiing but in Polar exploration with Roald Amundsen being the first man to reach the North and South Poles. My leaning was to throw Mikaela into an explorer's base camp and create a narrative hinting at both the extreme conditions and the fortitude of the protagonists," he continued.
"After all, her extraordinary career has often been played out in the toughest of winter conditions. Mikaela has many attributes, but her physical and mental strength define her, and I have absolutely no doubt that she could have led any polar expedition 110 years ago. I asked her to give me a look of sovereignty and leadership in that hut and it came naturally."
Immediately after finishing the 2022-23 season, where Shiffrin claimed the overall, slalom and giant slalom crystal globes and a record 87th-career World Cup win (she'd finish the year with 88), the 28-year-old went to Reiteralm, Austria, for four days of ski testing with Atomic, followed by three days of downhill work in Norway. She said on the seventh episode of her Youtube series, "Moving Right Along that she views the end-of-season camp more as the first block of the new year. "You are tired, you haven't had a break. It's so important and it's so much fun to do those spring camps when you think about it from the perspective of you're being really productive," she said. "I got to work on so many speed elements, especially in downhill. I need work moving over terrain, I need work with my gliding turns and connecting the turns in a more efficient way. The way that I'm able to do in slalom and GS and most of the time in super-G, but I haven't figured it out in downhill."
She said the biggest component missing is simply "time doing it." Of her three days, she said, "That's literally like 400% more downhill than I did the entire season. That's huge; that's money in the bank." She had the benefit of working alongside Kilde, who has won the last two World Cup downhill globes. "I get the chance to pick his brain a bit and try to figure out how the tools he has and the knowledge he has applies to me," Shiffrin said.
According to a June 26 Ski Racing Magazine story by Brian Pinelli.
Shiffrin and Kilde plan on spending July in Colorado. Kilde revealed the couple plans to attend a Taylor Swift concert in Denver. The Norwegian superstar also told Pinelli that the time spent in each other's homeland is an important aspect to their relationship, which started in 2021. "I think she also has a very open mind to learn about the (Norwegian) culture and being a part of my family the same way I am for her. It's a great balance. We love being with each other," he told Pinelli.