At 47, Bode Miller will stick to developing skis and raising his kids. Same with 40-year-old Ted Ligety, who runs a ski-gear company while chasing his children around the mountain.
Julia Mancuso is just fine with beach life these days as the 40-year-old splits her time between Hawaii and Fiji, balancing family life with a burgeoning career as a foil surfer.
This trio of well-decorated American ski racers are all content in retirement – but they're all rooting for their longtime teammate Lindsey Vonn as she returns to World Cup ski racing at 40 — complete with a new titanium knee — this weekend at the famous Swiss resort of St Moritz.
They're holding their breath, too.
"She's one of the best there's ever been and it's great for the sport. I have no doubt she'll be fast," Miller said.
"I just want her to stay healthy."
Vonn retired in 2019 not because she was slowing down, but because she was broken down.
All those spills and crashes took a big toll on her. She's broken arms and legs, suffered concussions and torn knee ligaments. She's even been hurt celebrating, once slicing her thumb on a bottle of bubbly.
She always got back up and continued racing — until the pain became too much. Her last major race was in February 2019, when she took third in the downhill during the world championships in Sweden.
Last April, she underwent a partial right knee replacement. The pain soon dissipated.
Her strength back, along with her resolve, she announced last month she was rejoining the US Ski Team.
She will race in two super-G events on Saturday and Sunday. If all goes well there, and the rest of the season, she may even hang around for the 2026 Winter Olympics with ski racing held at one of her favourite venues in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
"I'm lucky," Vonn said, "that I have this second chance."
Former teammate Mancuso isn't surprised by Vonn's comeback.
"The fact that she is really taking it seriously and going for it makes a great story and I wish her all the best," Mancuso wrote. "It inspires all the old-timers out there that age is just a number. Can't wait to see how it goes."
Even in jest, Miller, a six-time Olympic medalist, doesn't take long to answer if he would ever contemplate a return.
"No," Miller said. "I would never come back."
But he believes Vonn has more to contribute.
"She's an amazing glider. She's got great aerodynamics. She's tactically really sound," Miller said. "She'll probably get more wins."
