Norwegian ski racer Aleksander Aamodt Kilde has confirmed that he will miss the World Cup season opener at Sölden, Austria, on October 26. It has been 19 months since Kilde suffered serious injuries at the Lauberhorn Downhill in Wengen, Switzerland, that saw him with devastating injuries to his shoulder and laceration to his leg. The Norwegian athlete has been working relentlessly at his comeback to competitive skiing, however, faced several set backs as his shoulder became seriously infected, ultimately resulting in sepsis.
In an interview with Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang (VG), the 32-year-old stated that he was frustrated that things had been progressing slower than he had hoped. While he will miss the season opener in October, Kilde is hopeful to be ready for the Downhill in Beaver Creek, Colorado, on December 5.
In early August, Kilde returned to on-snow training at Galdhøpiggen Summer Ski Center in Norway—the highest summer ski area in Scandinavia on the Juvass Glacier. “It was a test of whether this works at all. My legs and the rest of my body felt very, very promising,” Kilde admitted to VG. The former overall World Cup champion in 2020 and winner of multiple Downhill and Super-G crystal globes, has endured a grueling road to recover. “When things go slower than you had hoped, you get a little frustrated of course.”
Norwegian alpine sports director Claus Ryste remains cautiously optimistic: “We recognize the skier Aleks and see how good his physical shape is. We are positive and sticking to the plan, but we don’t know how long this will take.”
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Encouraged, Kilde will now travel with teammates Fredrik Møller, Adrian Smiseth Sejersted and Simen Sellæg for a four-week training block in Chile, beginning August 21. While he still faces restrictions—his left shoulder cannot yet lift beyond 90°—he is hopeful of building strength gradually. “It won’t be full throttle with a speed suit the first few days,” Kilde acknowledged, “but maybe at the end I can throw myself a little with the other guys. It will be a case of putting stones on stones.” Even during his summer holidays, Kilde noticed the injury was impacting many activities. While visiting American-Greek ski racer AJ Ginnis in Greece, Kilde could not undertake activities such as diving.
The timeline ahead is unforgiving and there are only 15 weeks until the Downhill in Beaver Creek. The four-week camp in Chile will help get Kilde on the path to his comeback. The more important event on Kilde’s calendar is February 7, 2026, when the Olympic downhill takes place in Bormio, Italy. “The shoulder just needs to take the time it needs. Then I’ll rather enjoy the things I get to do.” After having to take a forced, extended break from skiing, Kilde is enthusiastic about the Chile camp. “Now I’m going on a trip with the guys—it’s fantastic. I haven’t taken that for granted,” Kilde added.
