Aleksander Aamodt Kilde and ski instructor John Køltzow met again at Aurdal Valdres Alpinsenter Photo: Olav Melan / Aurdal Valdres Alpinsenter
Aleksander Aamodt Kilde enjoying skiing, opening honorary display in traditional family ski area
For the first time in years, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde enjoyed spending Christmas in Norway with his family. Usually, the World Cup racer must focus on the late-December competitions in Bormio, Italy, and spend the short Christmas break in Central Europe.
December 2024 offered Aamodt Kilde and his Norwegian family an out-of-the-ordinary treat: spending Christmas together at their mountain cabin and skiing at the nearby Aurdal Valdres Alpinsenter in Norway.
Honored
The 2024 Christmas season also included a special event. The World Cup speed specialist unveiled an honorary wall in the lodge at the Norwegian ski area where he and his family have enjoyed many weekends and holidays skiing together during most of his younger years.
On Dec. 26, Aamodt Kilde, his family, ski fans and friends gathered at the ski center’s lodge, Koja Panorama, to unveil the “Kilde wall” honoring the world-class athlete.
The wall displays a large action photo from the Hahnenkamm race in Kitzbühel, his Kitzbühel race bib, and a pair of Atomic downhill skis – all donated by Aamodt Kilde.
During the event, the popular and friendly racer signed the displayed photo, helmets and other equipment for many eager, younger skiers.
Skiing
A youngster asked Aamodt Kilde what it takes to become a good alpine skier. The 32-year-old replied that you must spend a lot of hours skiing, and your primary focus should be to play outdoors, have fun, and not stay indoors with your gaming consoles and tablets, according to the Aurdal Valdres Alpinsenter website.
In addition to unveiling the honorary wall in Koja Panorama, Aamodt Kilde skied at Aurdal Valdres Alpinsenter during the Christmas season. He offered friendly advice and coaching on the hill to other skiers, according to John Køltzow, a ski instructor at Aurdal Valdres Alpinsenter.
“It’s good to see him back on skis,” Køltzow stated afterward, referring to Aamodt Kilde’s long absence from skiing due to injuries. Years back, Køltzow worked as a ski instructor for Bærums Skiklub in Kirkerudbakken ski area near Oslo, Norway, around the time the Aamodt Kilde brothers – tiny Aleksander and six-years-older Andreas – skied there during their early childhood years.
While Aleksander was still very young, the family moved to a nearby area, and Aleksander joined the Lommedalen IL sports club. Parents Kristin and Einar have contributed positively to their sons’ ski clubs through the years.
Parent and family involvement in their children’s sports often plays a vital role in the development and history of successful skiers.
With Aamodt Kilde’s ski racing accomplishments – including winning one World Cup overall title and four speed discipline globes, two Olympic medals and two World Championship medals – the strong Aamodt Kilde family bond and teamwork have helped them build successes and overcome adversity.
Rehab – Part I
The uncommon opportunity for the family to spend the Christmas holiday together in Norway, instead of Aamodt Kilde focusing on late-December speed events, arose because he is still healing and working on rehab after the injuries sustained during his dramatic fall in Wengen, Switzerland on Jan. 13, 2024.
The severe injuries to his leg and shoulder made it impossible for him to walk and use his left arm, leaving him with a lot of pain, uncertainties, as well as a challenging mental period. Also, for months, he could not move around without a wheelchair – which he needed help to maneuver due to his injured shoulder.
Through determination, combined with top-notch medical and scientific assistance, challenging rehabilitation work, and support and help from his family and fiancé Mikaela Shiffrin, Aamodt Kilde started to regain mobility in portions of his body affected by his injuries.
In June 2024, he returned to skiing at the indoor ski center SNØ, right outside of Oslo.
Rehab – Part II
However, the progress was short-lived, as severe inflammation in his injured shoulder required surgery in July 2024. Unfortunately, the inflammation persisted, requiring more surgery in August 2024.
Aamodt Kilde is not yet at the end of the rehabilitation process. On Oct. 23, 2024, he shared a detailed update on social media regarding his left shoulder:
“The issue here is that the infection was so aggressive and was there in my shoulder for a long time, so it was eating on my bone. And that means that all the hardware and everything that was in my shoulder needed to go out. So, two of the muscles are still not attached at this moment, which means I need to do another surgery and reconstruct everything again. …
““I will have to do the surgery and then do, I think, three – four months with rehab on the shoulder before I can [put] any load on it,” Aamodt Kilde explained, and added: “But you will still see me around. I will definitely be at some races.”
Moving Forward
Some weeks later, Aamodt Kilde traveled to Colorado, where he visited fiancé Shiffrin, enjoyed a bit of recreational skiing, and watched the men’s World Cup downhill and super-G competitions in Beaver Creek on Dec. 6-7.
After enjoying the recent family Christmas, skiing, and unveiling the honorary wall at the ski area he knows so well, Aamodt Kilde hopes to experience positive results during the remaining surgery and rehabilitation period in 2025.
Sources: Aurdal Valdres Alpinsenter, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde social media, Kilde.unscripted by Audi
About the Author: Bente Bjørnsen Sherlock
