Industry News
Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed something on Mikaela Shiffrin’s arm at Levi, Finland, last week. The American skiing legend and several other international elite athletes wore an armband during the Slalom World Cup race. The armband carried an image of deceased aspiring athlete Matilde Lorenzi, who died following an accident during training at Schnalstaler Glacier in Italy on October 28, and read “Ciao Matilde.” The Italian athlete had crashed onto an icy piste face first, suffering devastating injuries in the process. She was airlifted in critical condition to a hospital in Bolzano but succumbed to her injuries shortly after.
Matilde Lorenzi’s family kickstarted a fundraiser #Matildina4Safety just days after the tragic death of the 19-year-old skier. The fundraiser aims to improve safety for alpine skiers through funding research into new technologies that can improve safety for ski racers. The project seeks to improve helmets and neck and head protection systems to reduce trauma and impacts to the chest, trunk, and abdomen. The family hopes that the funds can help with the involvement of leading companies in the sector, including universities and research institutes, to improve skier safety. The family seeks to fund the development of prototypes of new safety equipment that could eventually help save another young athlete’s life. “We need to have a device that better protects a skier at the moment of impact,” Matilde’s father, Adolfo Lorenzi, explained. To support the project “Matildina4Safety,” donations can be made by bank transfer, IBAN: IT35D0304830520000000000205.
Matilde’s sister Lucrezia Lorenzi, an Alpine ski racer for the Italian National Team, found the courage to compete at Levi as well, a mere 19 days after her sister’s death. “Before the start, it started to snow heavily,” she recalled in an interview with Italian newspaper La Corriere. “In those big flakes, I saw Mati again. Snow has always been our life. I found my strength thinking about us—about her. That thought stayed with me until the gate opened.”
After the race, Lucrezia thanked all skiers who participated, especially Mikaela Shiffrin, who “carried the armband all the way to the top of the podium.” Shiffrin came to Lucrezia after the race and gave the grieving sister a heartfelt embrace. “I thanked her, and she got emotional too,” Lorenzi said in the interview with La Corriere. “It was a touching moment after such a strange and heavy lead-up. I spent the eve of the race trying to overcome my sadness, picturing Mati as she always was—smiling.”
Friday would have been Matilde’s 20th birthday, and while her family honored the day back home, Lorenzi remained in Levi, determined to carry on. “We all agreed that I should compete,” she explained. With the help of a mental coach, she focused on finding her footing amid the grief. Returning to the sport that had claimed her sister’s life was no easy decision. “It was hard, but it had to be done,” Lorenzi said with quiet resolve. “She would never have forgiven me if I had stopped. I couldn’t make her responsible for my unhappiness.”
In the snow that marked both their passion and their loss, Lorenzi carried Matilde’s memory forward—not as a burden but as a source of strength.
Dear friends at FIS,
we read your message with profound gratitude and deep emotion. The quiet yet meaningful gesture that united the ski community in Levi was a touching reminder of the solidarity and compassion that define our sport.
In a moment of immense grief, seeing so many gather around Lucrezia in memory of Matilde was both moving and uplifting. It reaffirmed that beyond competition, skiing means being part of a family, a community bound by shared values and mutual support.
Your words perfectly captured the essence of that moment. Knowing that the strength of this community can transform grief into a tribute of hope and resilience brings us great comfort.
Thank you for your sensitivity and for standing with us in honoring Matilde’s spirit. Her love for skiing and its values will continue to inspire us all.
With heartfelt gratitude,
– The Lorenzi Family #ciaomatilde
via Instagram
Matilde Lorenzi would have turned 20 on November 15, one day before the Levi World Cup.
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