Nothing has ever come easy for Lindsey Vonn. One of the greatest skiers of all time has always put in an astonishing amount of work on the slopes and in the gym while battling through more major injuries than an NFL veteran. Going all out is the source of both her successes and her setbacks. Several years after retiring in 2019, Vonn got a new, titanium knee and returned to ski racing a year ago amid much personal criticism from several European ski legends. She has had a vintage season, with several World Cup wins at age 41 — historically unheard of for any ski racer, male or female.

Then on Friday, just before this story was set to run and a week out from the Milano Cortina Olympics, Vonn crashed during her final warmup race and was airlifted to the hospital. Her status remains uncertain; she posted on Instagram that “My Olympic dream is not over … I will give more information when I have it.” But if anyone can bounce back quickly, it’s Vonn: In fact, she’s already done this many times throughout her long, successful career.

Contrary to her reputation in some quarters over the years, Vonn insists she’s not reckless but calculated. Downhill skiers race over hardpacked ice on steep slopes going 80 mph or more. Their line and execution need to be perfect, yet caution is the kiss of death. The best way to describe Vonn’s skiing is in her own words: “If you’re not attacking the course, the course is attacking you … I ski best when there is no other option except to ski a hundred and ten percent.”

One of the all-time skiing greats talked recently about aging, chasing adrenaline, ski racing as philosophy, and the Michael Jordan approach to handling criticism.

How do you think of this latest phase of your career — can we call it a comeback, with all respect to LL Cool J? Or does it feel like something else to you?
I was retired for so long, I don’t know. It’s like another chapter. But “comeback” works.

Are you surprised, even a tiny bit, with how well you’re skiing right now and considering everything you’ve been through compared to where you were a few years ago when you were fully retired?
If you would have asked me three years ago, before my surgery, if this was ever possible, I would have said absolutely not — you’re insane. But since the surgery and since I committed to this — I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t believe I could ski at this level. I knew that I was capable of what I’m doing this season; I just needed time and I needed help. And I have an amazing team that’s really helped me make a lot of progress in a short amount of time.

Andre Agassi famously said that he hated tennis, and I can tell your relationship to skiing is complex. I know that for a while in retirement, you avoided watching it. So I’m curious what it was like, emotionally, getting back into it.
It was incredible. I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t enjoy every part of it. The skiing is the reward of spending hours in the gym and training on the mountain, and you have to love all the parts of it — not just the good parts. And I definitely do. I love the process. I love the work, I love the grind. The nice part about where I am now is that there’s no pressure. There’s no expectation other than what I feel I’m capable of. I’m not doing it to please anyone; I’m doing it wholly for myself because I love it and because I believe that I can still be a competitor.

Speaking of enjoying it, the media and most everybody loves a good........

© Daily Intelligencer