Lindsey Caroline Vonn, born on Oct. 18, 1984, is a four-time overall ski world cup winner and a U.S. Ski Team alpine ski racer. Ever wondered how fast Lindsey Vonn skied?
Vonn’s fastest downhill speed is over 100 miles per hour.
What Was Vonn’s Skiing Ability as a Child?
Lindsey Vonn has been interested in skiing since she was a child. Born to Linda Anne and Alan Lee Kildow, she grew up in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Her mother is of German and Norwegian ethnicity, while her father is Irish.
Don Kildow, Lindsey Vonn’s grandfather, taught her to ski in Milton, Wisconsin. Afterward, she started taking skiing and snowboarding lessons at Buck Hill Ski and Burnsville, Minnesota respectively.
It is not a surprise that Vonn’s parents encouraged Lindsey as her passion for skiing grew. Vonn began skiing at the age of two before enrolling in Erich Sailer’s famous transformation plan at Buck Hill in Burnsville, Minnesota.
Vonn’s father, Alan Lee Kildow, was essential to her success. Her father was also a skier and even won a national junior skiing championship when he was 18. But he stopped skiing after a knee injury. He compelled Lindsey to improve and take her skiing lessons seriously.
When Vonn turned 9, she met her inspiration and role model, Picabo Street, who was an Olympic gold medalist. Their interaction eventually led to Picabo becoming Vonn’s skiing coach.
What Are Some of Lindsey Vonn’s Achievements?
In 2016, Vonn won her 20th crystal World Cup trophy for both men and women. In terms of her superb rating, she scored second among all skiers, male and female.
As a successful female skier, Vonn was second only to Annemarie Moser-Proll, with three consecutive victories and championships in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2012. Vonn made history in 2010 by being the first American woman to win a Winter Olympics downhill gold medal.
In addition, she won an unprecedented eight World Cup overall titles in the downhill category (2008–2013, 2015, and 2016) and five in the super-G category (2009–2012, and 2015).
Does Lindsey Vonn Snowboard?
Lindsey Vonn is also a snowboarder, although her skiing skills are superior. The snowboarder Ester Ladecka defeated Lindsey Vonn to win gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Ester Ledecka, the world champion snowboarder from the Czech Republic, pulled off one of the most unexpected triumphs in the history of the Winter Olympics. She beat Lindsey Vonn in the opening race of the Pyeongchang Games by the narrowest of margins.
Vonn remarked that it would be fantastic if skiers and snowboarders could race on different mountains. According to her, she does like snowboarders but it would be great if there was space between them and skiers.
Vonn said although she wished she had finished with a medal, she wasn’t disappointed, citing Ladecka’s incredible versatility.
She said, “I wish I had as much athleticism as she has that I could just hop from sport to sport and just, like, win everything.” But unfortunately, I’m only good at ski racing – and she still beat me.”
What Sort of Skis Does Lindsey Vonn Use?
A successful skier must have a high-quality board and be flexible. Skis can be made of metal, plastic, or even wood, but the board must be durable and flexible regardless of its composition. It is believed that the success or failure of a skier is dependent on their board’s quality.
Lindsey Vonn uses a men’s longer ski. She went from the French manufacturer Rossignol to Magic Heinzi skis designed by Haemmerle, who worked for three years with the American Bode Miller.
Haemmerle spent an average of six to seven hours each day in his workshop during the Pyeongchang Olympics. He applied two to three coats of fluorocarbon wax to the skis’ wooden bases and polished their metal edges.
In addition to the metal brushes and waxes, a substantial element of his job entails analyzing the data provided by the wax firms and instructors. He also goes up the mountains to estimate expected snow conditions and temperatures skiers will be facing.
Haemmerle once brought 30 pairs of skis to Pyeongchang and prepared two sets for the race before choosing which to take up in the gondola and pass off to Vonn at the start.
Then, he waited around 100 seconds before he could view the results of his labor. A fantastic ski must be of high quality and great durability to produce exemplary results.