Lindsey Vonn is one of the world’s most successful female ski racers to ever hit the slopes, and recently, she came out of retirement.

Although Vonn isn’t originally from Colorado, the skier has roots in one of the Centennial State’s most famous mountain towns. Vonn commuted to train in Vail, and later moved to the town with her family at age 12 to train with the local Ski & Snowboard Club. Vail Ski Resort has also renamed a prominent run “Lindsey’s” in her honor, after she won her 63rd World Cup in 2015. It’s also worth noting that Vonn has spent time living in Vail as an adult, too.

According to U.S. Ski and Snowboard, Vonn is the only American woman to have won downhill gold at the Olympics. Vonn has 82 World Cup victories, 138 World Cup podium, seven World Championships medals, and 20 World Cup titles, including four Overall World Cup Crystal Globes.

Vonn began skiing when she was only three years old with her father and grandfather on the slopes of Minnesota. According to the Olympics website, she first competed at the age of seven, and participated in her first international competitions at nine-years-old. She was then selected for Team USA for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.

Vonn became the most successful female skier in the history of the competition (at the time) when she earned her 63rd World Cup victory in Coritina d’Ampezzo on January 19, 2015.

Her record of 82 World Cup wins has since been surpassed by Mikaela Shiffrin, who has 108 World Cup victories – also a skier who calls the greater Vail area home.

At the age of 40 and after having partial knee replacement surgery, Vonn mounted a comeback to the sport in 2024. She placed 14th in the Super G in St. Moritz in her first race back. She then took sixth place in St. Anton in her first World Cup downhill race for about six years. She went on to take fourth place in the Super G 24 hours later.

As well as being a world-class ski racer, Vonn has a nonprofit called The Lindsey Vonn Foundation that works on “empowering girls from underserved communities with a positive and constructive atmosphere.”

With her winning record and comeback to ski racing, Lindsey Vonn has certainly made her mark on ski history and the town of Vail.

STAY INFORMED: Get free Colorado news with our daily newsletter (Click here)