When Karin Harjo joined the U.S. ski team as an assistant coach in 2015, she was surrounded by female athletes representing dozens of countries during races and training. But she was the only woman on the mountain who was coaching with a national team.
Eight years later, Harjo will soon assume one of the most conspicuous and consequential coaching jobs in Alpine skiing: as Mikaela Shiffrin’s head coach.
Shiffrin, whose 87th World Cup victory last week broke Ingemar Stenmark’s 34-year record for most World Cup wins, emphasized that the appointment of Harjo, whom she called “one of the most capable coaches I’ve ever worked with,” had another purpose.
“It’s about wanting to put a bigger spotlight on female coaches,” Shiffrin said in a telephone interview from Europe on Sunday afternoon. “I’ve accomplished a lot, but maybe in this stage of my career I can give other female ski coaches more of a visual of something to strive for.
“Everybody talks about legacy or asks what I want to accomplish in the final years of my career. This coaching decision was something that got my wheels turning. This feels important.”
While there are hundreds of men’s coaches affiliated with the Alpine World Cup, Harjo, who is currently the head coach of the Canadian women’s Alpine…
