It took 13 seconds for Lindsey Vonn’s comeback to be over. From the time she exited the gate to the moment she was screaming in pain on the slopes of Milan, just 13 seconds had passed. She was airlifted out, underwent seven surgeries, and was sent home. By her own admission, she is “still in survival mode.” So when she walked up the stairs of the 2026 MET Gala without crutches, it meant everything. 

It was only her third public appearance since the crash.  But Vonn stood tall,  walked up the stairs of the Metropolitan Museum, and posed for photographs like nothing happened. 

“I feel really good,” Vonn told Associated Press. “And it’s much better than being in a wheelchair. So I’m very happy.”

Given what she’s been through, that’s saying something. The 41-year-old was on the verge of making Olympic history before the crash. Instead, she came off the mountain with a complex fracture on her left leg so severe that amputation was on the table. Her doctor’s quick thinking saved her leg.

She isn’t out of the woods either. Vonn needs to undergo a ninth surgery soon. The 41-year-old tore her ACL prior to her crash and still needs to get that repaired. It does mean that the one crash led to as many surgeries as the total she had for all her other injuries combined. It definitely wasn’t the way Lindsey Vonn saw her comeback ending, and neither did fans.

Still, the recovery has been nothing short of remarkable. After spending more than two weeks in the hospital, she was home by March 2nd. Four days later, she was already training. She’s been steadily building since, with her entire journey documented on Instagram. Her CBS Morning appearance earlier this month felt like a milestone. The MET Gala felt like another one.

“I’m just kind of doing the best I can with what I have, as everyone does,” Vonn added. “I’ve been dealt a pretty bad hand, but Thom made me feel amazing tonight. And I’m just so thankful to be here and to not be on crutches.”

Though she may be off crutches, Lindsey Vonn still has a long way to go. That has naturally led to questions about her potentially retiring, although the American has refused to rule anything out.

Lindsey Vonn opens up on her potentially retiring

When Vonn announced her return in late 2024, most people didn’t expect her to actually make an Olympic squad. Then she did what she always does — shocked everyone.

The then-40-year-old didn’t just make the Olympic team; she made history. Vonn podiumed in all five downhill races leading up to the Winter Olympics and won one, becoming the oldest woman ever to win a World Cup race. Then she tore her ACL and chose to compete anyway. That tells us everything about how seriously she took her comeback.  And yet, Lindsey Vonn has refused to rule anything out, even a possible return to skiing.

“I just don’t want to jump to any conclusions or even speculate on what I might do,” Vonn told Associated Press. “I may retire. I may never race again and that would be completely fine, but I’m not in a position emotionally to make that decision at this point.”

For now, any return for the alpine skiing icon will take a long time. After all, Vonn still has to undergo her ninth surgery, which will fix her ACL and remove the metal in her leg. That will put her back into rehabilitation and recovery mode again, pushing her return down the line. And Vonn confirmed as much.

“Regardless, nothing would really happen until ’27-28 because I still have one more surgery left to take out the metal and to replace my ACL. That still needs to happen,” Vonn explained.

“Once I get my ACL fixed, then that’s another six months, so I have at least I would say a year and a half ahead of me before I could really be back to 100%, even just training in the gym.”

And so, even as uncertainty looms over her future on the slopes, Lindsey Vonn’s walk up the MET Gala stairs felt like a quiet victory. It wasn’t about medals or comebacks this time, just a reminder that step by step, she’s still moving forward.