Neal: Minnesota-born Paula Moltzan racing toward 2026 Olympics

It’s Paula Moltzan’s world. Literally.

The Prior Lake-born Moltzan, one of the best skiers on the planet, had an IPA — Paula’s World — named after her for the Stifel Killington Cup that was held last month in Killington, Vt. Moltzan skied for the University of Vermont, lives there and is revered throughout the region as she’s enjoying one of the best seasons of her career.

The can design even includes a picture of her midrace.

“My partnership and collab with Lawson’s Finest Liquids is so fun,” she said. “And being able to create a beer with them was such a dream for me.”

The beer is described as having a “bold citrus flavor, piney hops and a clean finish.” Sounds like it’s worth trying. But the questioner — me – was left disappointed when Moltzan explained that it was a limited release only available during the Killington Cup.

As for Moltzan’s season: It also has been bold with plenty of clean finishes.

She’s 15th overall in the FIS rankings; that includes 13th in slalom and seventh in giant slalom. With the 2026 Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, just over a year away, the 30-year-old Moltzan is on top of her game. Her season was highlighted by her first podium finish in giant slalom Jan. 21, when she placed third at Kronplatz, Italy. A sizzling second run — the second-fastest of the group — lifted her to third place.

Moltzan has been consistent in the slalom throughout her career, but she has competed in more giant slalom events and is enjoying the benefits. In 2021, she was ranked 27th in the event, then moved up to 22nd in 2022 and 11th in 2023 and 2024. She’s now just as fast and fearless in slalom as in giant slalom. She seeks a return to the Olympics after finishing eighth in slalom and 12th in giant slalom at the 2022 Beijing Games.

“Just in general, I’ve been trying to ski both events evenly, whereas in past years I’ve skied a lot more slalom,” she said. “It just takes time to make improvements in each event. So I think maybe some of the results I’ve had this season is kind of like a payoff for what I’ve been working towards in the last couple of years in my giant slalom career.”

Moltzan’s support group includes her parents, Mark and Robyn, former instructors at Buck Hill who used the mini mountain as Paula’s day care center. Paula said she was on skis as early as 2½ years old. While she played various sports as a child, she loved skiing fast. After her sophomore year at Lakeville South, she moved to Vail, Colo., to pursue her dream.

Her life has come full circle. When she stepped to the podium in Kronplatz, her parents were part of a large group of fans cheering her on in person. Mark and Robyn spend several weeks each year in Europe to follow their daughter around. She used to tag along when they went to work. Now they tag along when she goes to work.

“My parents don’t really care how I do ski racing,” Moltzan said. “They just want to make sure that I’m happy and having fun. And my mom’s gonna remind me about that.”

Moltzan’s parents are with her, she’s achieving personal bests and she has qualified for the World Alpine Skiing Championships that begin Tuesday in Saalbach, Austria. The women’s giant slalom begins Feb. 13 with the slalom set to take place Feb. 15. Peacock will televise the entire event live, so local fans have an outlet to follow a Minnesotan who looks to finish the season strong.

And not just Moltzan. Another Buck Hill alum, Lindsey Vonn, is expected to compete in super-G on Feb. 6 and downhill on Feb. 8. And Vonn, attempting a comeback at 40, might team up with fellow legend Mikaela Shiffrin in a new combined event.

“She was definitely my hero as a kid,” Moltzan said of Vonn. “And to see her entering back into sport with such grace and like, such positive attitude, it’s very impressive and it’s very inspiring. I don’t know if I was to ski until my 40s, but I’m impressed that she’s doing it, and I hope that it inspires other people to maybe push their career longer.”

Moltzan might not ski competitively at 40. Vonn can own that. But Vonn didn’t have a beer named after her.