By Hayden Bird, The Boston Globe

Heading into this weekend’s eighth edition of the Killington Cup, Mikaela Shiffrin is once again looking to make history.

Shiffrin, 29, has 99 World Cup wins following her victory in slalom at last week’s event in Gurgl, Austria. Now, as the Cup circuit makes its annual trip to the Vermont ski area, the former Burke Mountain Academy racer has a chance to reach 100 while in front of a home crowd.

“I guess it’s not impossible, but so many things have to go right,” Shiffrin said following the win in Austria. “From the outside, it looks easy, or it looks like it’s supposed to happen this way. But it takes — even today — so much energy to bring out my top skiing, so it’s certainly not easy.”

Shiffrin already is the all-time leader in World Cup wins, having passed the previous mark set by legendary Swede Ingemar Stenmark (86). In slalom wins alone, Shiffrin would rank fifth on the list, with 62. In 2024, she’s won slalom races in Levi, Finland, and Gurgl.

Though it’s comparatively rare for Shiffrin and the US Ski Team to race in front of home fans as most events are held in Europe, she isn’t feeling the strain.

“I guess there is a bit of pressure around it, but I’ll try to ignore that,” she said. “Anyway, if it happens, it’s wonderful. If it doesn’t happen, kind of nothing to cry about in the grand scheme. But I hope to have a really good performance in front of the home crowd.”

As for the crowd, it’s once again expected to be large and loud. In previous editions, the crowd has elicited praise from racers (even those not skiing for the United States). The weekend of racing has drawn as many as 40,000 spectators each year since it was first held in 2016.

“I really love Killington. I think the atmosphere here is really special,” said Italian skier Marta Bassino in 2022. Though there was some uncertainty about the future of the Killington Cup when the agreement with the World Cup expired, organizers worked to bring it back for another year.

For many, the draw is getting a chance to see an all-time great in person. And Shiffrin has delivered. In the seven previous slaloms at Killington, Shiffrin has six wins. She also also reached the podium three times in giant slalom but continues to pursue an elusive first GS win at Killington.

Along with Shiffrin, part of the event’s popularity is the timing around a holiday. The Killington Cup once again is taking place on Thanksgiving Weekend (with giant slalom on Saturday and slalom on Sunday). For those not able to attend, the second runs each day will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.

The racing will again be held on Killington’s “Superstar” trail, which recently received a “positive snow control,” indicating the official go-ahead from World Cup organizers.

Beyond its superstar, the US women’s team has produced some strong results in 2024. At the season-opening giant slalom in Soelden, Austria, in October, four US skiers finished in the top 11. It was one of the best team results in decades, with Katie Hensien (fourth) and Nina O’Brien (seventh) returning from injuries in style.

“It’s been a really great start,” said fellow US skier Paula Moltzan in a recent interview. Moltzan, who once won an NCAA slalom title for the University of Vermont, is also off to a good start. After placing 11th in Soelden, Moltzan has produced back-to-back top-10 slalom finishes. She praised Hensien and O’Brien.

“Those girls have had an insane comeback from injury,” Moltzan said. “They were both out for an entire year, and to come back in Soelden and both be top 10 is pretty crazy.”

TV: First runs each day on OutsideTV; Second runs on NBC and Peacock

Saturday’s giant slalom: Run 1, 10 a.m.; Run 2, 1 p.m.

Sunday’s slalom: Run 1, 10 a.m.; Run 2, 1 p.m.

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