The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup returns to Copper Mountain, Colorado this Thanksgiving weekend and boasts a star-studded start list headlined by Mikaela Shiffrin, Marco Odermatt and Ryan Cochran-Siegle. 

It’s the first time this season a World Cup event will be held in the United States, and the only Stateside program featuring the women in 2025-26. The action kicks off Thursday with the campaign’s inaugural men’s super-G race, followed by men’s giant slalom on Friday, women’s giant slalom on Saturday, and women’s slalom on Sunday. NBC and Peacock will split coverage duties with Outsideonline.com.

Before turkey carving commences, here are the most pressing Alpine skiing questions as competitors carve into Copper Mountain.

*Delayed broadcast*

Can Mikaela Shiffrin stay perfect in slalom?

Mikaela Shiffrin has won both women’s slalom events this season, three in a row dating back to last season and 13 out of the 17 she started since November of 2023. The quantity of her conquests is impressive, sure, but also look at the quality. In November’s races in Levi and Gurgl, she obliterated the field, posting ludicrous victory margins of 1.66 and 1.23 seconds, respectively. 

The queen of the discipline looks to protect her throne on Sunday, and with her biggest threat Petra Vlhova (SVK) still on the shelf due to injury, it already may be safe. Shiffrin also will compete in the giant slalom on Saturday. She placed fourth in the event at Soelden in October’s World Cup season opener.

Does Ryan Cochran-Siegle have more magic up his sleeve?

The only American Alpine skier to earn a medal (silver) at the 2022 Beijing Olympics was Ryan Cochran-Siegle. In the last Olympiad, he’s remained arguably the country’s most consistent speed skier, but not at the level of the sport’s top competitors like Marco Odermatt (SUI), Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR) or Vincent Kriechmayr (AUT). Beginning the super-G season with a strong performance would signal that he’s ready to challenge the world’s best at upcoming Cup events…and beyond.

Is Paula Moltzan’s rise for real?

In three World Cup events this season, Paula Moltzan has finished top five in each of them. That includes a second-fplace podium in Soelden, her strongest giant slalom result to date, and a wooden spoon in Levi thanks to a masterful second run following a difficult first. 

“It has been this slow growth,”  the 31-year-old recently told Olympics.com. “But I am hoping that this is the season in which it really turns a corner and starts to exponentially happen, and that I can become a contender for those Globes and those Olympic medals.” At her current clip, the evolution of Moltzan to superstardom may be happening before our very eyes. She’ll start in the GS and slalom races at Copper.

Who can challenge Marco Odermatt?

In the 2025-26 season’s inaugural World Cup event, Odermatt picked up where he left off: on top. A triumph in Soelden catapulted Odi to the number one spot on the men’s giant slalom leaderboard, a discipline in which he’s won a Crystal Globe four consecutive seasons. Needless to say, Odi is a heavy favorite at Copper Mountain, but not just in GS. He’s claimed the super-G Crystal Globe three years running as well and will have the opportunity to put both his elite speed and technical skills on display. We nicknamed him the “Swissblade” for a reason.

Is Lara Colturi the heir apparent to Shiffrin?

Shiffrin is at the peak of her powers, and it would appear that no one’s skis are sharp enough to carve with the GOAT. That said, Lara Colturi (ALB) quietly is having herself a star-turning season. It’s early, but in two slalom races, she’s taken second in both (without the presence of Shiffrin, everyone would be talking about her two wins) and seventh in giant slalom in Soelden. 

The 19-year-old, who earned the Longines Rising Ski Star distinction in 2025 for best woman skier under 21, is a multi-discipline threat and serious contender to challenge Shiffrin’s place at the peak of the mountain. Look out for her in giant slalom and slalom this weekend.

Will Aleksander Aamodt Kilde return?

Yes! On Wednesday, the two-time Olympic medalist confirmed (via social media) that he will race for the first time in nearly two years at Copper Mountain. The speed specialist’s crash in January of 2024, which resulted in a deep laceration in his right calf and a dislocated shoulder, wasn’t supposed to keep him out of action for this long. Infections dragged out a road to recovery that finally may be reaching its long-awaited finish line. If healthy, the 33-year-old can compete with the world’s top racers. He’s won two downhill and two super-G Crystal Globes. In the era of Odermatt, that’s something.

What other Americans could make noise at Copper?

About a month ago, three Americans finished in the top six and six in the top 20 at the World Cup giant slalom race in Soelden. Outside of Moltzan (second) and Shiffrin (fourth), Nina O’Brien (sixth), Katie Hensien (12th), AJ Hurt (13th) and Elisabeth Bocock (19th) exhibited why the women’s Alpine team is considered to be among the deepest in history. Bocock is set to return from a groin injury, while Hensien remains out with an ankle fracture. Still, the field remains loaded.

On the men’s side, several speed racers will make their 2025-26 debuts at Copper Mountain. Joining Cochran-Siegle are multi-time Olympians Bryce Bennett, Jared Goldberg and Tommy Ford. River Radamus, whose 21st-place finish in Soelden represents the best for an American man in the young season, will compete in both the super-G and giant slalom events.

It’s been a tough opening stretch for the American men, but perhaps some home cooking and the team’s familiarity with the slopes at Copper Mountain will help them gain some much-needed momentum.

Finally, a bit of history: Tanner Perkins (men's super-G) and Kjersti Moritz (women's giant slalom) are scheduled to start in their first career World Cup programs.