Ski stars Lindsey Vonn and Sofia Goggia: "We're all about speed"

Lindsey Vonn: Everything. The mountains are my happy place, where I find and feel joy. I feel freer [there] – stronger, more present, like anything is possible. There’s nothing better than skiing, going fast, racing. I grew up training. There was nothing else to do in Minnesota, and I wasn’t very good at sports. I competed in my first race at seven. Then and now, I’ve always been very competitive – it’s why I’m still here, why I came back. Despite all the falls, the suffering, how I feel about this sport will never change. Falling is just part of our job. I think Sofia sees it the same way.

Sofia Goggia: Absolutely. Especially if we’re talking about a love of speed. If you ask Nicola for a memory from when I was little, he’ll tell you about when I was always first, never second, in our races across the plateau that linked the Foppola and Carona slopes. Like Lindsey, I’ve been guided by a sense of competition.

Lindsey Vonn: It’s changed a lot over time, and with time – especially now, having been away for so long. How I train, what I eat... it’s all different, because my body is different. With my ‘new’ knee, thanks to science, I can now train more intensely and in a smarter way, but I take experience into my races. I can’t think about challenging a young person’s body like I did 20 years ago. In the World Cup, everyone is a good skier, but not everyone can handle the pressure in important races. Mental performance changes everything.

Sofia Goggia: It changes so much that when we’re feeling good about ourselves, when our emotions are in check and we trust in our abilities, even if our body is [only] at 60 percent, we can still get a podium finish. On the other hand, if your body is at 100 percent, but your head isn’t there, you won’t perform well, I can assure you. Of course, the best possible fitness training is fundamental, especially now with the new equipment. Skiing makes you age more quickly. It’s stressful, but, as Lindsey said, at the top [of the sport] all the athletes have the same potential, and what really makes the difference is learning how to manage your emotions. The more that time passes, the more you have to feel good about yourself; you have to protect your serenity. I’m not just talking about mental preparation, but something deeper. It’s about connecting with the right part of yourself.

Both: [Excitedly] The win in Cortina!

Lindsey Vonn: And winning all the most emotional, psychological and toughest downhills of my career, because I lived under huge pressure for years.

Lindsey Vonn: It’s a place where I feel profoundly connected to the mountains. In Lake Louise and Cortina, the mountains understand me, and I understand them. I got my first World Cup podium at the Olimpia delle Tofanein 2004; it’s where I understood the key to my success and where I did my last run before retiring. Sofia was injured, but she drove for five hours to see me and to bring me flowers. I was hoping that it would be a good race at least! [Laughs.]

Sofia Goggia: I knew her knee wasn’t good and that she was struggling to ski. I said to myself, “I have to go to Cortina for what’s probably going to be her last downhill.” I was wrong, luckily. How many times have you won there?

Lindsey Vonn: Twelve in total, between downhill and Super-G.

Sofia Goggia: Wow! Coming back to Cortina, it’s true that we both have a special connection to the mountains. The Olimpia delle Tofane is the queen of downhills. There’s something magical about the landscape. When we take the Duca d’Aosta chairlift for the pre-race inspection, surrounded by silence and the dawn that tinges the Dolomites with orange, you feel really grateful to God.

Lindsey Vonn: It’s magnificent.

Sofia Goggia: I almost forgot – it was in Cortina on January 19, 2015, that I had my first photo taken with Lindsey.

Lindsey Vonn: Really?!

Sofia Goggia: The season after that was when I started doing well and I got my first World Cup podiums. Also in Cortina, in 2018, I won my third downhill gold, my first at home. There really is something special about doing it in front of your own fans.

Sofia Goggia: In the past few seasons, Federica [Brignone], Marta [Bassino] and myself have taken women’s skiing in Italy to an unprecedented level. And we shouldn’t forget the achievements of Deborah Compagnoni. But I always come back to the fact that if you add my and Federica’s podiums together, Lindsey has won as many on her own!

Lindsey Vonn: Sofi is tenacious, genuine, natural, honest and passionate. I love her posts on Instagram, because she’s always spontaneous, unfiltered. She’s always herself, and we’re very similar in that way. After my father, she was the first person I told about my comeback.

Sofia Goggia: We trust each other, and I know she would be there if I needed her, and vice versa. Our relationship isn’t that common among athletes.

Lindsey Vonn: I haven’t skied for six years, so I’m not thinking about anything else! [Laughs.] Ten years ago, if you had asked me the same question, I would never have imagined I would be here. At this point, I really don’t have any idea what life has in store for me.

Sofia Goggia: As Forrest Gump says…

Both: [In unison, laughing] “Life is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you’re going to get!”

Lindsey Vonn: Everyone falls in the mountains; it’s impossible not to. But picking yourself up and carrying on skiing teaches you what it means to persevere. When you’re at the top of a mountain looking down, you see a world of possibilities; it’s up to you to choose your path. It’s a great metaphor for life.

Sofia Goggia: In her documentary, Lindsey says, “If you’re watching this film, never ever give up, never lose faith in yourself. It’s the most important thing.” I try to remember that every day.