Is Lindsey Vonn Making a Comeback to Ski Racing?

Lindsey Vonn won 82 ski races on the World Cup circuit before retiring in 2019. At the time, she was the winningest female ski racer, and second all-time behind Ingemar Stenmark's long-standing record of 87 victories.

Now, at the age of 39, the rumor mill is swirling that Vonn is making a comeback to the World Cup this season. Here's what we know.

Ski Racing Media is among the first outlets to cover this story. According to one of their sources, Vonn was recently spotted skiing in New Zealand with Red Bull and one of her former coaches. She then traveled to ski and train on the Rettenbachferner glacier in Sölden, Austria with members of the HEAD race team. HEAD has been Vonn's ski, boot, and outerwear sponsor for years.

Vonn then shared a few pictures with her followers this morning, October 9, 2024, with a cliff-hanging caption: "It’s been an incredible past few weeks. Being back in the mountains is where I find so much joy," she said. "It’s my natural habitat…even if I hate being cold lol. Excited to share more"

The "excited to share more" comment has Vonn's fans hanging on the edge of their seats. Olympian Ted Ligety commented with a simple 'looking eyes' emoji signifying that he's interested in what Vonn what might reveal.

The speculation for Vonn's return is also growing thanks to a new FIS rule that grants wild card spots to decorated athletes. The new rule states, "a Wild Card can be granted to athletes who have won either a World Cup Overall Globe, an Event Globe (DH, SG, GS or SL under the condition of a minimum of five (5) World Cup victories), Olympic Gold Medal (Individual) or World Championship Gold Medal (Individual).”

Prior to the rule, skiers would have to qualify with active FIS points in sanctioned competitions. Considering Vonn hasn't competed in five years, this is her golden ticket to make a comeback, so to say. Oh, and in case you were wondering, Vonn has four overall titles, 16 discipline titles, 82 victories, one Olympic Gold Medal, and two World Championship Gold Medals. In short, she far exceeds the minimum qualifications to secure a wild card spot on World Cup circuit.

If Vonn does apply for a wild card spot this season she'll join Austrian legend Marcel Hirscher , another highly-accomplished alpine skier who previously retired and applied for a wild card. Hirscher, 35, will now compete for The Netherlands at the season-opener in Sölden on October 27, 2024.

Vonn completed in a variety of disciplines throughout her storied career, but the speed events are where she dominated. Considering the first Downhill and Super-G races of the season are scheduled to be at Beaver Creek, Colorado in early December, it seems likely that's where Vonn will attempt a comeback, if she does at all.

POWDER would be thrilled to see Vonn make a comeback on the World Cup, but it's important to remember that all we have at this time are rumors and speculation. With that said, we'll continue to cover Vonn's potential comeback if more details or information are released.

POWDER has reached out to Vonn for comment but has not received a response at this time.

Related: Sun Valley, Idaho Is Officially Hosting the World Cup Finals for First Time Ever

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