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Olympic Skiers Warn Glacier Loss as Marmolada May Disappear by 2034

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Athletes Sound Alarm During Milan‑Cortina Games Team USA’s Lindsey Vonn, Mikaela Shiffrin, and Italy’s Federica Brignone publicly warned that the glaciers they once trained on are vanishing, with Vonn stating on Feb. 3 that “most of the glaciers that I used to ski on are pretty much gone” and Shiffrin linking the retreat to the sport’s future after winning her third Alpine gold [1]. Their comments came amid the opening days of the 2026 Winter Olympics, highlighting the issue for athletes, spectators, and organizers [1]. The athletes’ statements have amplified calls for stronger climate policy to protect skiing venues [1].

Visible Glaciers Have Receded to Tiny Ice Patches Glaciers that were once visible from Cortina have shrunk to small patches at high elevations, and reaching the Marmolada now requires a long mountain drive, illustrating the scale of loss [1]. The dramatic reduction means that iconic training grounds are no longer accessible for Olympic competitors [1]. This physical disappearance underscores the urgency of the athletes’ warnings [1].

Italian Glaciologists Document Accelerating Decline Antonella Senese of the University of Milan reported that Italy has lost more than 200 km² of glacier area since the late 1950s, with the rate of loss accelerating over the past one to two decades [1]. The data show a clear trend of rapid ice retreat across the Alpine region [1]. Researchers attribute the acceleration to rising temperatures and reduced snowfall [1].

Marmolada Projected to Vanish by Mid‑2030s University of Padua studies indicate the Marmolada glacier has halved in the last 25 years and could be mostly gone by 2034 if warming reaches 2.7 °C [1]. Climate models suggest limiting warming to 1.5 °C could preserve roughly 100 Alpine glaciers, extending Marmolada’s lifespan [1]. The projection places the glacier’s potential disappearance within the lifetimes of current athletes and fans [1].

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Timeline

2010 – Lindsey Vonn wins Olympic downhill gold in Vancouver, establishing herself as one of the sport’s all‑time greats and setting a benchmark for future U.S. skiers [14].

2019 – Vonn retires after a career that includes 82 World Cup wins and three Olympic medals, citing cumulative injuries as the reason for stepping away [24].

2024 – Vonn undergoes a partial knee replacement on her right knee, receiving a titanium implant that later allows her to compete at elite speeds again [14][24].

Dec 12, 2025 – Vonn posts a 1.16‑second lead in the World Cup downhill at St. Moritz, hitting 119 kph and confirming she is targeting a gold medal at the Milan‑Cortina Games [16].

Dec 13, 2025 – She finishes second in the same venue, narrowly missing the win by 0.24 seconds but reinforcing her podium consistency heading into the Olympic season [15].

Dec 15, 2025 – Vonn wins the opening downhill of the season in St. Moritz by 0.98 seconds, becoming the oldest World Cup downhill winner ever and prompting her to reconsider retirement [14].

Dec 23, 2025 – Vonn officially qualifies for her fifth Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, securing one of four U.S. spots after four podiums in five downhill races and leading the World Cup downhill standings [20][26].

Jan 11, 2026 – She extends her record as the oldest World Cup downhill winner by taking a victory in Altenmarkt‑Zauchensee, Austria, and widens her season lead to 129 points [25].

Jan 21, 2026 – Team USA’s Breezy Johnson returns to Cortina after a 2022 crash, highlighting the lingering impact of severe knee and back injuries on elite skiers [7].

Jan 29, 2026 – Vonn confirms she will race the women’s downhill at the 2026 Olympics, emphasizing that “my age is a big advantage” and that she wants to finish the race on her own terms [24].

Jan 30, 2026 – In the final pre‑Olympic World Cup downhill at Crans‑Montana, Vonn crashes on a jump, tears her left ACL, sustains bone bruising and meniscal damage, is airlifted to a Swiss hospital, and posts “my Olympic dream is not over” on Instagram [3][13][18][19][22][23].

Feb 3, 2026 – Vonn tells reporters her knee feels “stable, strong and not swollen,” declares she is “very hopeful” to start the Olympic downhill, and vows not to “let this slip through my fingers” despite the complete ACL rupture [2][8][11][21].

Feb 4, 2026 – Head coach Chris Knight says he has “no doubts” Vonn can compete, noting her daily improvement and that she is training with a brace, crutches, box jumps and weighted‑vest pool work while surgery remains off the table [10][4][5].

Feb 4, 2026 – A global preview lists 2,900 athletes from 90+ nations competing from Feb 6, highlights the debut of ski mountaineering, the return of NHL players, and names Vonn among the marquee U.S. hopefuls [1].

Feb 5, 2026 – Olympic training runs begin at Tofane, giving Vonn a chance to test her injured knee on the Olympic course ahead of the women’s downhill on Feb 8 [6].

Feb 6, 2026 – Vonn shares an Instagram workout video showing lunges and squats in a knee brace, writes “I’m not giving up…,” and confirms a training run is scheduled for that day before the downhill race on Feb 8 [17].

Feb 8, 2026 – The women’s downhill is slated to take place in Cortina d’Ampezzo, the event Vonn aims to start despite her recent ACL injury [6][17].

Feb 18, 2026 – Olympic skiers including Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin publicly warn that “most of the glaciers that I used to ski on are pretty much gone,” linking rapid glacier loss in the Alps to the future of winter sport [9].

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