Industry News
There were no Olympic or World Championship medals at stake, but seeing Sofia Goggia back on skis at the Stelvio Glacier, Italy, smiling, just five months after fracturing her tibial plateau in training in early February, was a special moment.
The Bergamo native and symbol of Italian alpine skiing chose the Stelvio Glacier in the Bormio region in Italy to regain her feel on the snow. After her initial comeback to the slopes a few weeks ago, Goggia and her team returned to the glacier on Friday, July 5, for another block of training. The physical and mental responses were exactly what the 2022 Beijing Olympic Champion had hoped for.
“After the injury, the orthopedists predicted six months before I could ski again, but I managed to speed up the timeline a bit: my first run was at four months and ten days, and now we’re at five months exactly. I feel very good, better every day. Clearly, the bone still needs time to fully consolidate, but the stability is already excellent. That’s why coming to the glacier now was ideal, to understand the adjustments needed for my boots ahead of the training block in Argentina.”
— Sofia Goggia
For Sofia, the slopes of Bormio and Stelvio, which also hosted training sessions for her teammates Alex Vinatzer, Christof Innerhofer, and Tommaso Sala, are familiar territory. “I’ve been coming to Stelvio since I was very little; I remember my first summer camps here with the ski club. Being on these slopes feels like coming home.”
The physical recovery is progressing well, but Sofia Goggia’s experience in coming back from severe injuries encourages necessary caution. “With my team, I’ve planned a macro schedule leading up to the next World Cup, but we know we need to stay flexible and ready to adapt based on my health and physical condition. There’s a plan, but we’ll be ready to adjust as needed.”
The upcoming season, with the first official World Cup race scheduled for October 26 in Sölden, Austria, also includes the World Championships in February 2025 on the slopes of Saalbach, Austria. 12 months later, the Milan-Cortina Olympics represent the ultimate goal for all alpine athletes, with Bormio set to crown the new Olympic champions in Men’s alpine skiing, and ski mountaineering.
For Sofia Goggia, however, it’s crucial to take things one day at a time—a challenge for someone as naturally ambitious as she is. “I need to take it day by day; it’s still a journey to be built. I try not to think about February, let alone beyond that. There’s a summer of intense physical work ahead to restore full strength in my foot, followed by a progression on skis leading up to the first race of the season. I need to focus on that and not let my mind race too far ahead.”
For more information on summer skiing at the Stelvio Pass, including slopes, prices, and facilities, or to book training slopes, visit https://passostelvio.eu.
Updated information on the opening of the Stelvio Pass and other passes in the area is always available at https://www.bormio.eu/en/alpine-passes.
