“Cortina… how I have wanted to be back in the starting gate and to see the peaks of the Dolomites again! You never disappoint😍,” reads the line from the skiing legend Lindsey Vonn’s recent post. Truly a spectacular scene, seeing the high pyramidal and natural structure. Though in such scenery, words become superfluous, Lindsey’s love for Cortina echoes with her unflinching passion for skiing on that giant chunk of rutty snow. 

Making her comeback a memorable stride on the Super-G ski race, Lindsey Vonn announced her retirement recently. But for the resilient and the most decorated Alpine skier, Lindsey, there are more of her career still awaits. Just last year, Vonn entered the World Cup after 6 years. Due to a damaging knee injury, she had temporarily bid farewell to her skiing passion. But the 12x World Cup winner couldn’t hold it anymore and returned to the skiing slope with a titanium knee. It is heart-warming for her and the fans.

But last Thursday, she crashed during her training session in Italy’s Cortina d’Ampezzo. While she avoided any major injury, she announced her retirement date after that. This left a hole in the hearts of skiing fans. But hold. The endpoint is not today or tomorrow. There is more to her career.

The skiing spirit Lindsey Vonn shared her next career stop

Recently, Lindsey Vonn, with an emotional note, shared her career plan on Instagram. She wrote, “Wish I had been able to put together some better runs, but I still need some time, training, and patience.” And added, “Good thing is, there are some big races there next year.…👀.” But for now… it’s time to get ready for the next races this weekend in Garmisch 💪🏻” Yeah!

Germany’s Garrmisch is the next FIS World Cup’s women’s downhill and Super-G race venue. And there, the fans will finally see Lindsey Vonn with her powerful sloping. Also, she will compete next month at the World Championships, which is set in Austria. From there, she will again strap her skis to prepare for next year’s Olympics. 

And you’ll feel the same nostalgia after hearing that her next Olympic women’s ski race will start from Cortina–Lindsey Vonn’s favorite place. She will again glare at the Dolomites’ clods while swishing down from the giant slalom. Despite numerous injuries in her career, Lindsey Vonn’s passion for skiing has never relinquished. But injuries take their toll. 

Faced with multiple injuries during her skiing adventure, Lindsey Vonn understood that her body was “broken beyond repair.” In 2019, that pain was unbearable. That pain came to Lindsey while she was competing in Cooper Mountain, Colorado, in 2018. Next year, with 82 world championship feathers, Lindsey Vonn temporarily stopped her career.

After reaching the pinnacle of her skiing career, Lindsey Vonn retired from the race due to this. Well, for six years, that retirement of her stands. But the burning passion to return to the snowy mountain never leaves her.

Like Lindsey, Goggia, and Shiffrin bear the skiing scars

As Lindsey Vonn, at 40, trudged up in her return to the World Cup from 14th position to fourth, her friend Sofia Goggia did the same. Sofia, a downhill World Cup leader, crashed during training on Ponte di Legno’s Casola track in 2024. She was out for that year’s season. And yet, like her friend Lindsey, Sofia has not only come back on the skiing tracks but is currently reigning downhill in this year’s World Cup. 

In adventure sports like skiing, injuries are a constant threat to players. Recently, Mikaela Shiffrin crashed severely while skiing in Killington during the World Cup. The crash was so damaging that she is still uncertain about returning to the ski race. And is still out of this year’s World Cup.

Like Lindsey Vonn and Sofia Goggia, she will be back from her side abdomen injury and muscle trauma before the world championship. The injuries and comebacks are a skier’s badge of honor, saluting their adventurous fists. Therefore, scars may mark the resilient skier, but they will never define their finish line.

And with the world championships coming, many of these legends will also be looking to finish their career with a bang. So for us fans, these upcoming moments in Austria and Germany might be the last time we see this clash of the Titans. But till then, don’t worry. After all something is better than nothing. And there are many things yet to come.