Exactly a year ago, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde fell heavily on the descent in Wengen at 100 km/h. Since then he has been working on his comeback.
It was a scene that overshadowed the race and caused silence on the finish slope: Exactly a year ago, on January 13, 2024, Aleksandar Aamodt Kilde fell so badly on the Lauberhorn descent in Wengen that he still hasn’t returned a year later the World Cup has swept.
Just under 100 meters from the finish, the Norwegian lost control of his skis at top speed, rolled over and landed in the safety net. The ski ace was treated for almost half an hour, lost a lot of blood and was finally transported away in a helicopter. The diagnosis: a dislocated shoulder and a deep cut in the calf.
Wengen was actually a “child’s play”
In Wengen, of all places. On the longest descent in the World Cup, of all places, the route that suits him so well. A year earlier, Kilde celebrated a double victory in the Super-G and the downhill with an outstanding performance. Twelve months later, the Lauberhorn descent was his undoing. The end of the season was sealed shortly after the crash.
Up to this point, Kilde had won 21 World Cups, was runner-up twice and won a silver and a bronze medal at the Winter Olympics. He was one of the top favorites in almost every race. It is uncertain whether he will ever be able to match this performance again.
Seven weeks in a wheelchair
Immediately after the fall, the then 31-year-old left his future open: “At this point it is still too early to say whether I can compete at the highest level again,” he explained. “It’s not about getting back on skis, but about everyday life.” Kilde posted pictures of his injury on Instagram. At that point at the latest, the severity of the fall became clear again.
The speed driver was in a wheelchair for a total of seven weeks and had to undergo several operations, once he fainted and another time he suffered a panic attack. “This is a very difficult situation for me, to say the least”Kilde wrote on Instagram. But Kilde accepts this difficult situation. He works on his comeback every day. The Norwegian wants to get back on the slopes. But he is set back by complications in his healing process. The shoulder is causing problems and he has to have repeated operations.
Discussion about safety in skiing
The accident sparked a safety debate in skiing and discussions about mandatory airbags were reignited. The German national coach Christian Schwaiger criticized the busy racing calendar: “If we overload the weekends with races, we are inviting really bad things to happen,” he warned. “The program we are currently running is insane.” But not much has changed since then.
Kilde’s fiancée and top skier Mikaela Shiffrin drew her own conclusions from the Norwegian’s injury. Before this season, she announced that she would forego downhill racing. The risk of injury is too high.
Aleksander Aamodt Kilde and Mikaela Shiffrin.
But even despite the waiver, Shiffrin was seriously injured. During the giant slalom in Killington she suffered a stab wound to her stomach while skiing. There was even talk of the end of the season. The American is currently working on her comeback. The goal: the Alpine Ski World Championships in Saalbach-Hinterglemm (February 4th – February 16th).
Kilde’s plan: Back in the World Cup next season
Kilde will only be there as a spectator. And yet, a year after the horror fall, there are still positive things to report from him. At the beginning of December, the 32-year-old was seen on a World Cup slope again for the first time. In Beaver Creek he and his colleagues stood on the track to inspect it. “The doctor gave me permission to drive around a bit. And believe me, I’m soaking it up”said Kilde on social media.
But Kilde still can’t fully start training. Because in January he will have another operation on his shoulder. “I’m feeling better every day, hopefully everything physically will be back to the way it was before my injury.”he said. The goal: a return to the World Cup next season. “But everything has to be right with operations and rehab. I’ll do everything that’s possible.”he said in the ORF interview. Is it possible to return for the Lauberhorn descent in January 2026? It would be his well-deserved reward for his hard work on the comeback.