PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — Mikaela Shiffrin uses only one pair of skis for an Olympic race. But just in case, she has 35 pairs with her here at the Winter Games — and, for her, that’s a relatively light load.
She often travels to competitions with 70 pairs of skis. It is a herculean task to lug so many long, pointed, sharp-edged skis across three continents during the six-month racing season. Forgive the airline baggage clerks if they groan when Shiffrin shows up with a cargo van jam-packed with items to check.
“That can take a long time,” said Kim Erlandsson, the 29-year-old ski technician who is responsible for transporting Shiffrin’s precious gear.