SNOW Alps 25-26 web - Flipbook - Page 73
Photo courtesy of Lindsey Vonn
Photo by Claire Abbe
mountain life. Focus, for Vonn, has become an art form.
Her influences, she admits, are both pragmatic and
poetic. On persistence, she references her dad and
Churchill, of course. On style, it’s Robert Redford. “He
was the epitome of cool. He made skiing cool.”
You see that Redford energy – part Downhill Racer,
part Sundance kid – in her skiwear aesthetic. “It’s
simple, chic, understated. That’s my look.” Her favorite
piece? “The jet pant, always. I’d wear it 24/7 if I could.”
Meanwhile, Vonn’s life is as full as her closet. Daily
training targeting legs, core, and power is relentless –
start with 13 sets of medicine ball throws with 15 on each
side, 25kg barbells, and more, on and on, over and over.
She has a new coach and equipment strategist – former
world champion and legend Aksel Svindal, who presumably
will be called upon for Vonn’s preferred start-gate send-off: “I
like someone yelling at me.”
Her loyal sponsors, including Head and Red Bull – “None of
them left me after I retired,” she notes – still receive as much
attention as is available. Her dogs, too, remain her constants.
“Leo’s 13 now,” she says, her rescue who’s seen her through
thick and thin, and much, much more. “He’s my boy. My friends
joke he’s my longest relationship.”
Through the Lindsey Vonn Foundation, she continues
to mentor the next generation, funding scholarships and
programs for girls from underserved communities across the
US. “It’s not just about skiing,” she explains. “It’s about helping
young girls follow their dreams,” she explains. “With the
passing of my former coach, we [also] set up the Erich Sailer
ski scholarship. Skiing will always be part of it, and it gives me
purpose and inspiration. It’s something I’ll never stop working
on.”
With the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympic Winter Games on
the near horizon – her potential fifth – Vonn is balancing focus
and freedom. “I’m single now,” she says matter-of-factly. “I’m
re-evaluating what I want to do. Right now, I’m focused on the
Olympics. After that, I’ll figure it out.”
“I’m trying to be in the moment and enjoy this,” she declares,
adding – a heartbeat later, with the clock ticking and the world
watching. “Because this is definitely the last time it’s going
to happen.”
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