Mikaela Shiffrin (USA), Camille Rast (SUI) and Paula Moltzan (USA) will take centerstage in a World Cup night slalom at the iconic Hermann Maier course in Flachau, Austria on Tuesday.

The first run is set to begin at 11:45 a.m. ET and the second gets underway at 2:45 p.m. ET. The event will simulcast live on Peacock and NBC Sports Network.

The race is the seventh slalom of the 2025-26 World Cup season and the last one before the Olympic qualification period ends on Jan. 18. It represents the final opportunity for athletes to earn roster spots on their respective Winter Olympic teams. Even for those who have qualified, the stakes remain high (more on that momentarily).

Following Rast’s star-turning weekend sweep in Kranjska Gora earlier in January and U.S. Ski & Snowboard announcing the latest Alpine additions to Team USA, these are the storylines and athletes to look out for in Flachau. 

Is Camille Rast the Kryptonite to Mikaela Shiffrin’s Superwoman?

To answer that question with another question: Can one really claim an Alpine skier with 106 World Cup victories — more than double the amount of the next active technical specialist in the sport — has a Kryptonite?

No one really drains Shiffrin’s powers. If she's not standing atop a slalom podium, it’s probably because she made an uncharacteristic mistake or she isn't fully healthy. At Kranjska Gora, Rast uncovered a rarer third option. Outskiing Shiffrin. 

It’s the first time since March of 2025 that anyone has accomplished the feat. Yes, it was one race, and no one is perfect. Anyone would be foolish to bet on an athlete not named Shiffrin. Still, Rast has to be considered a serious threat. Look at her last seven competitions:

*Shiffrin placed higher in event

If that’s not improvement week over week, then send Tim Allen over to my home now to show me what improvement really looks like. 

Rast is the defending slalom world champion, and within the last two months, a multi-time giant slalom Cup winner and slalom Cup winner. She’s also the GS discipline points leader and catching up to Shiffrin in the overall points lead, seemingly by the minute. 

She’s the hottest skier in the world going into Flachau, and depending how she performs there, it may force a wider reevaluation of just how likely it is for Shiffrin to win (or not win) a slalom gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

For those who already have qualified for the Winter Games, why compete in Flachau?

Injury is an omnipresent risk in skiing, so it’s a fair question. The answer, though, is simple: starting position. Results from the remaining January races have a significant bearing on race order at the Alpine skiing events that take place in Milan Cortina.

For technical events, like giant slalom and slalom, the World Cup Start List (WCSL) is the point system utilized to determine the Olympic race order. It takes into account results from over the previous 12 months and rewards athletes who finish in the top 30. The more points accumulated, the higher their ranking. This is how it impacts start position:

• The seven highest-ranked athletes on the WCSL for a given discipline will be drawn randomly to start 1st through 7th
• Athletes ranked 8th through 15th will be drawn randomly to start 8th through 15th
• Athletes ranked 16th through 30th will start in order of WCSL rank (best to worst)
• Note: The selection method is different for speed races (super-G and downhill)

Starting earlier is advantageous because the competitors ski on “cleaner” snow. In other words, they’re more likely to avoid a shabby course, which could include holes and softer snow, and thus can afford to be more aggressive.

Shiffrin, Moltzan and Nina O’Brien (USA) are confirmed to compete in February, but in order to have the best chance to earn a medal in Milan Cortina, they need to lock in a solid WCSL number, which will be accomplished through good finishes in the upcoming technical races, like in Flachau. 

What racing styles usually prevail in Flachau?

Flachau and its neighboring Zauchensee — home to a women’s downhill this past weekend — have hosted World Cup events for over three decades. When Flachau introduced lights in 2010, the Hermann Maier course (named after the hometown ski legend) became an annual stop on the Cup circuit for a slalom night race. 

The course is known for its unforgiving nature. It contains hard, verging on icy, snow into which the piste crew injects water. The result is a fast and challenging slope that rewards skiers who are balanced, attack tactfully, change tempos with precision and don’t take too many risks. Even the smallest mistakes can lead to falls or missed gates. Of course, the limited visibility and colder temperatures brought on by the night exacerbate all the variables.

Shiffrin, who has five career wins in Flachau, is well-suited for the course because of her elite edge control (tilting her skis to grip the snow and push off) and clean style. Wendy Holdener (SUI), ranked 4th in slalom points, has tremendous line discipline and historically is strong on icy conditions. Additionally, her worst slalom finish this season is 8th and she only has one Cup DNF since march of 2023.

Meanwhile, Moltzan is aggressive, always dialing up her speed, unafraid to let it rip. She’s also terrific at recovering after committing an error. All of these qualities make her an elite skier, but the high-risk, high-reward approach doesn’t tend to mesh well with Flachau’s uncompromising slopes.

It will be interesting to see how Moltzan, along with the other top technicians, choose to approach the course.