Lindsey Vonn has been clocked skiing at roughly 80–81 mph (about 129–130 km/h) in recent World Cup downhill races, with some runs reaching top speeds reported around 114 km/h (about 71 mph) on specific sections of the course. In general, elite Olympic downhill skiers like Vonn often ski in the 80 mph range, with the very fastest sections of the fastest courses approaching around 95 mph.

Quick Scoop: How fast does Lindsey Vonn ski?

  • Recent downhill races have measured Vonn at about 81 mph on a shortened World Cup course, which is among the highest speeds in women’s racing this season.
  • In another win during her comeback at age 41, timing data showed her reaching a top speed of about 114 km/h (around 71 mph) on the steepest, fastest part of the hill.
  • As a benchmark, downhill specialists in the Olympics typically hit around 80 mph, with some courses and racers pushing close to 95 mph on the very fastest sections.

Put simply: when you picture Lindsey Vonn in full downhill mode, think highway speeds and then some—she’s moving faster than most cars in city traffic, while carving ice on a steep mountain.

How that compares to “normal” skiing

  • Recreational skiers usually cruise at roughly 20–40 mph, depending on skill and conditions.
  • That means Vonn is often going about twice the speed of a fast, confident resort skier on groomers.
  • Only a short stretch of each race course is at absolute top speed; the rest is slightly slower but still extremely fast by normal standards.

Imagine your fastest, most dialed-in run at the resort—then double that speed, add ice, jumps, blind turns, and gates, and that’s the world Vonn is operating in.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.