Aleksander Kilde is looking forward to the coming winter with confidence.
Image: Keystone
The dream couple in the ski circus: Mikaela Shiffrin and Aleksander Kilde.
Image: Keystone
The fatal crash in Wengen in January 2024: Aleksander Kilde flies into the net at the finish S.
Image: Keystone
Aleksander Kilde has to be transported away by helicopter.
Image: Keystone
Aleksander Kilde wants to plunge into the depths again - also in Wengen.
Image: Keystone
Aleksander Kilde is looking forward to the coming winter with confidence.
Image: Keystone
The dream couple in the ski circus: Mikaela Shiffrin and Aleksander Kilde.
Image: Keystone
The fatal crash in Wengen in January 2024: Aleksander Kilde flies into the net at the finish S.
Image: Keystone
Aleksander Kilde has to be transported away by helicopter.
Image: Keystone
Aleksander Kilde wants to plunge into the depths again - also in Wengen.
Image: Keystone
His motivation seems to be as powerful as his thighs. Aleksander Kilde is back on the slopes after a long injury break and is planning his comeback at the beginning of December.
10.10.2025, 15:00
SDA
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- Aleksander Kilde is expected to return to the slopes in December after a long injury break and several operations.
- Physically, he feels at 80 percent because the range of motion in his shoulder is still limited.
- Always supporting him: Mikaela Shiffrin, who is his "anchor" and "motivator" on this difficult path.
The races in Beaver Creek represent another milestone for the Norwegian downhill racer. The former winner in the speed disciplines wants to race down the slopes in his racing kit again. "I'm not done yet, I still have several years to go," Kilde told Austria's apa news agency at an appointment with his ski outfitter. He has never had more fun on skis than he does now.
It was 21 months ago when Kilde cut open his lower leg and suffered a complex shoulder injury in a fall in the finish S in the Lauberhorn downhill in Wengen. He had to undergo five operations, and a blood poisoning caused by an infection in his shoulder even put the continuation of his career on the brink. Always supporting him: Mikaela Shiffrin, who is an "anchor" and "motivator" on the difficult path. For Kilde, one thing is certain: "Nobody is perfect as a person, but she comes close to perfection."
Injury phase as a school of life
The skiing dream couple have been engaged for a year and a half, and have postponed their wedding until after their career. That could be sooner - or later. Shiffrin refused to rule out competing at the 2030 Olympic Games in France. She put the probability at "50:50". At 33, Kilde also feels he is the ideal age for a downhill skier. "We can race until 42." He doesn't think that will happen. "But it is possible." If his health plays along and the fun factor is right, he will ski as long as possible, said the winner of 21 World Cup races. "When the fun is gone, the playfulness is gone too, and then it's all over."
The thought and behavior pattern of the Norwegian, who lives in Innsbruck, also allows him to take something positive out of the past few bad months. As a top athlete, he also sees this time as a "challenge", which can be "quite interesting for life after skiing". "Then I can look back and say: I did that. I hope that I can ski as well again as I did before the injury, that would be really cool. But I can't wait for that."
No fear of Wengen and Kitzbühel
In August, he was back on skis at the Norwegians' Chile camp. Physically, he feels at 80 percent because the range of motion in his shoulder is still limited. Mentally, he feels ready for a return to the icy high-speed slopes. He has often thought about what it would be like to ski in Wengen. Today he says: "It would be possible. Kitzbühel too."
He will then start with one hundred percent commitment, but probably a little less risk. Will he then be fast enough to beat the likes of Marco Odermatt and Franjo von Allmen? "That will certainly be difficult - but not impossible." But Kilde still has to be patient. "I would like to ride fast. I would like to win. But everything step by step."
