By Jae-Ha Kim
Tribune Content Agency
June 16, 2015
Skier Mikaela Shiffrin, 20, born and raised in Colorado, is already an Olympic gold medalist and the youngest slalom champion in Olympic alpine skiing history.
“I travel mostly for skiing and feel so lucky to get to do that,” she says. “In Europe, I will have a couple days off from training and my mom and I will just kind of pick up and go to Salzburg or Innsbruck. It’s fun to go into the city and enjoy the scenery. But sometimes when we have days off, I want to go out and be a tourist, but I also just want to sleep. I have to remind myself that no matter how much I want to go out and have fun, my job is to ski and race.”
Fans may follow Shiffrin on Facebook.
Q. What are some travel tips you’d like to share?
A. Don’t eat from the mini bar! Get it at the store around the corner or bring it with you. I always travel with chocolate. I’m not supposed to eat a lot of sugar, but chocolate is my binge food. It’s one of those things that make me feel better.
Q. What was the first trip you took as a child?
A. The first was either to Maui or to Disneyland when I was maybe two or three years old. I remember being scared to get on this little submarine. I thought I was going to fall through the crack and the platform. I also remember being scared of Mickey Mouse! But a year later, I was obsessed with Mickey Mouse. (Laughs!)
Q. What is your favorite vacation destination?
A. Maui. We used to go there every year until I was 8. It was a family vacation and my parents would windsurf and we learned to windsurf, too. We’d go for about two weeks each time. I didn’t know how lucky I was. I realize it now, of course. I try to get back there every year, but things come up.
Q. Do you like to travel to cold or warm weather spots?
A. I’m a summer sports fan, so warm weather. I love to play tennis and soccer. They’re my two other favorite sports. I never played tennis competitively, but my mom was really good and she taught me how to play. I love to watch tennis, too. But I love sports in general. Part of me says that if I wasn’t a ski racer, maybe I’d have been a soccer player. Soccer is fun, but skiing is my job.
Q. Where’s the most memorable place you’ve competed?
A. I’ve been really lucky. Skiing has taken me to some really nice places in Europe, which is so incredible. If I had to pick one place, I would probably say Croatia. Zagreb is gorgeous. It’s a very difficult place to navigate by car. It seems like every street is one way and the opposite direction of where you need to go. (Laughs) We’d normally stay in a little town at the base of the mountain and just really take it all in.
Q. Do you speak any foreign languages?
A. I’m learning German. I took two years of French when I was a freshman and sophomore in high school, but I stopped so I could learn German, which is kind of the language of ski racing. My coach, who’s from Austria, warned me that it wasn’t going to be easy. But we stay in Europe for four months and it’s very helpful if you can speak a bit of German. Almost everyone speaks a little bit of English. (Europeans) do appreciate it when Americans show some interest in their languages and the history behind their culture. They start learning English at a really young age. It’s not like the U.S. where learning another language is an elective.
Q. What are your tips for dealing with jet lag?
A. It’s not easy dealing with time zones! The best tip is to adjust to the time zone of wherever you are. Before I travel, I try to wake up earlier at home and go to bed earlier as well. Then once I land, I don’t nap and try to sleep through the night right away. Napping will be the death of you. Don’t do it! I do all the remedies — warm milk or whatever — before bed to make me sleepy. But when I got back from New Zealand after a five-week ski camp, it still took about two weeks for me to adjust.
Q. Are you training for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea?
A. Of course! Everyone’s really excited for the Korean Olympics. I’m excited about getting to see some of the country, if I make it on the U.S. Olympic team. It’s always a thrill to be at an Olympics!
Q. If you were to host a friend in Colorado, what would you recommend that they do during their stay?
A. If they were coming to Vail, I’d say let’s go to CineBistro and relax. They have huge comfortable chairs and delicious gourmet food they serve while you watch a movie. If you come in the summer, I’d say let’s also go for a walk along the cobblestone streets. If you come in the winter, you have to ski Vail Mountain. It’s gorgeous and the snow is always perfect.
Q. What do you always bring with you on your trips?
A. A neck pillow with little beads in them that molds to your neck. It makes traveling so much more comfortable. I try to travel with a good book. Sometimes that means I just travel with my (school) textbooks, but normally I travel with my iPad and a few good books. I like reading about personal finance for all the money I hope to be making one day. (Laughs) Most people find that boring, but it’s really interesting and I’m learning how to save for my retirement. I can’t ski until I’m 80. I have to make sure that I can provide for myself.
© 2015 JAE-HA KIM
DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.
