Many have predicted that Vail’s Mikaela Shiffrin (pictured above) will someday succeed Vail’s Lindsey Vonn as the best female skier alive. Shiffrin, 22, is set to take a huge step toward fulfilling that prophecy this month when the 2017 FIS World Cup Finals (March 15 to 19) come to Aspen Snowmass, marking the first time in two decades that an American mountain will host the capstone competition. Shiffrin, a slalom ace, is on track to capture her first overall World Cup title in Aspen—in only her sixth year of Cup racing. That would put her a full year ahead of the pace set by Vonn, who specializes in the downhill and super-G events. (Thirty-two-year-old Vonn missed most of this season’s events due to a broken arm.) So what does Shiffrin need to accomplish over the rest of her career to match her Eagle County neighbor’s resumé? A lot, as the chart below indicates.

5280 March 2017
March 2017 Cover
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