June Alpine Injury Report: Gut-Behrami Defers Retirement Amid Grueling Rehab as Safety Mandates Expand

As the calendar turns to late June, the elite ranks of FIS Alpine skiing typically begin packing their bags for the southern hemisphere, chasing winter snow in Chile and Argentina. Yet for several of the sport's most decorated champions, the 2026 off-season is being contested entirely inside the walls of physical therapy clinics. The latest injury report reveals a stark contrast across the women's speed circuit: while some icons face grueling, multi-ligament rehabilitations, others have emerged from the Olympic cycle with clean bills of health and a renewed focus on the upcoming World Cup campaign.

At the center of the recovery watch is Swiss superstar Lara Gut-Behrami. The 34-year-old's previous season ended before it truly began when she suffered a devastating crash during a November 2025 Super-G training session at Copper Mountain in Colorado. Medical imaging confirmed the worst: a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), a torn medial collateral ligament (MCL), and severe meniscus damage in her left knee.[1]

The injury forced Gut-Behrami to miss the entirety of the World Cup season and the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. Prior to the crash, the two-time overall World Cup champion had publicly announced that the 2025-2026 season would be her last, outlining plans to retire and relocate to London with her husband.[2][3]

However, the trauma of the Copper Mountain crash has prompted a dramatic reversal in her mindset. Refusing to let an injury dictate the conclusion of a legendary career that boasts 48 World Cup victories, Gut-Behrami has officially deferred her retirement. She stated clearly that she intends to recover fully and regain her peak performance capacity before making any final decisions about her future on the slopes.[2]

Her surgical reconstruction was performed at Hôpital de La Tour in Geneva, overseen by longtime orthopedic specialists Dr. Olivier Siegrist and Dr. Julien Billières. The complexity of repairing three distinct structures in the knee requires a highly conservative and meticulously phased rehabilitation protocol.

Swiss women's head coach Beat Tschuor noted that while a standard isolated ACL recovery takes roughly six months, Gut-Behrami's additional ligament and meniscus damage pushed her projected timeline closer to nine months. Now seven months post-operation, she is deep into the strength-building phase of her recovery, with the Swiss Ski Federation cautiously targeting a return to snow for late pre-season training this fall.

Gut-Behrami's resilience is mirrored by the ongoing recovery of U.S. Alpine icon Lindsey Vonn. After executing a highly publicized comeback to race at the Milano Cortina Games on a partial knee replacement, the 41-year-old suffered a complex tibia fracture during the Olympic downhill event in February.[1]

Vonn's injury required immediate airlift evacuation from the Tofane course, and she has since undergone three separate surgeries to stabilize the bone and address complications. Despite the severity of the fracture, Vonn has consistently shared positive updates from her recovery, maintaining the fierce optimism that defined her career.[1]

While Vonn's status for the 2026-2027 season remains highly uncertain, the international skiing community has rallied behind her. FIS President Johan Eliasch recently expressed his hope to see the American legend back on skis, praising her unmatched character and bravery in the face of repeated physical trauma.[1]

On a much brighter note for the American speed squad, newly minted Olympic downhill gold medalist Breezy Johnson has entered the summer training block with a completely clean bill of health. Johnson's status is a massive relief for the U.S. team, given her extensive history of knee injuries that previously cost her 22 months of racing.[4]

Johnson gave fans a terrifying scare when she caught an edge and crashed hard into the catch fence during the Olympic Super-G race in Cortina, just days after securing her downhill gold. In a testament to both luck and her improved physical conditioning, she walked away from the high-speed collision entirely unscathed.[4]

Adding to the uplifting nature of her Olympic experience, Johnson was met at the bottom of the mountain by her boyfriend, who proposed to her moments after she unclipped her skis. Now engaged and fully healthy, Johnson is utilizing the summer to build foundational strength without the grueling burden of injury rehabilitation.[4]

Italy's Sofia Goggia is also enjoying a rare, fully healthy off-season. The Italian speed queen overcame a broken tibia and ankle in 2024 to compete at the highest level last season, and she is currently utilizing the June window to undergo intense dry-land training in Verona.[5]

Working closely with her strength coach, Flavio di Giorgio, Goggia is prioritizing long-term joint health and explosive power development. Because of the degenerative nature of her previously injured knees, her dry-land protocol is heavily customized to maximize muscle load while minimizing joint impact.

Goggia reports no swelling or pain during her high-intensity sessions, a highly encouraging sign as she prepares for the Italian team's scheduled August departure for on-snow speed camps in Ushuaia, Argentina, and La Parva, Chile.[5]

The sheer volume of severe injuries across the elite circuit has not gone unnoticed by the sport's governing body. In response to the physical toll exacted on athletes like Gut-Behrami and Vonn, FIS is implementing sweeping new safety regulations for the 2026-2027 season.[3]

Chief among these changes is a new mandate requiring all athletes to wear cut-resistant undergarments during World Cup and Continental Cup races. The protective fabric is designed to mitigate the severe lacerations caused by razor-sharp ski edges during high-speed tumbling crashes.[3]

Additionally, FIS is expanding its mandatory airbag requirement. Previously required only for World Cup Downhill and Super-G events, the MotoGP-adapted airbag vests will now be mandatory at the Continental Cup level. By pairing advanced protective technology with the athletes' own relentless rehabilitation efforts, the sport is actively working to ensure that its greatest champions can safely reach the finish line.[3]