Federica Brignone returned to snow on July 30 at Zermatt – Cervinia, taking an important step toward a possible final World Cup season.
The two-time Olympic champion skied for the first time since March 1, when she finished eighth in the second of two World Cup super-Gs in Soldeu, Andorra. Her return came 151 days after that final race of an extraordinary 2025-26 season.
Brignone returned to World Cup competition at Kronplatz on Jan. 20, less than three weeks before the Milano Cortina Olympics. She finished sixth in the giant slalom after spending 292 days away from racing because of a serious left leg and knee injury.
She then delivered one of the most remarkable comebacks in Olympic alpine skiing history, winning gold medals in super-G and giant slalom on home snow.
Back on snow at Cervinia
The Italian Winter Sports Federation released footage of Brignone skiing on the Cervinia glacier alongside her brother and coach, Davide Brignone. The session was intended to help her regain familiarity with skiing while evaluating how her left knee responded.
Brignone also shared footage from the return on Instagram with the caption, “Baaaackk.”
The brief session represented another significant milestone, although it did not confirm that Brignone will compete during the 2026-27 season.
Her return came shortly before Zermatt temporarily suspended public summer skiing on the Theodul Glacier. Persistent warm temperatures had made it increasingly difficult to maintain the snow coverage required to prepare the glacier and meet Switzerland’s high safety standards.
The closure does not necessarily alter Brignone’s longer-term plans. She is expected to continue her on-snow preparation in Ushuaia, Argentina, before deciding whether to pursue another World Cup season.
A comeback few believed possible
Brignone’s road back began after she crashed during the Italian championships in Val di Fassa in April 2025. She sustained multiple fractures to her left leg and serious damage around the knee, ending the most successful World Cup season of her career.
Only weeks earlier, Brignone had secured the overall, giant slalom and downhill World Cup titles at age 34.
The severity of the injury left questions extending well beyond whether she could return to competition.
“After my injury last year, I didn’t even know if I would be able to ski again in my life,” Brignone said earlier this year.
Her sixth-place finish at Kronplatz provided an emphatic answer. However, what followed at the Olympics elevated the comeback into one of the defining stories of the Games.
Brignone won the Olympic super-G on Feb. 12 before adding giant slalom gold three days later. She became the oldest woman to win an Olympic alpine skiing gold medal and completed the Games with five career Olympic medals.
Her season continued in Soldeu
Brignone did not end her season after the Olympics. She returned to World Cup competition for two super-Gs in Soldeu, finishing 15th on Feb. 28 and eighth on March 1.
Those races provided another test of her recovering leg after the physical and emotional demands of the Olympics. However, Brignone elected to end her season before the World Cup Finals rather than push further into an already remarkable comeback.
Her eighth-place finish March 1 remains her most recent World Cup start. That makes the July 30 session her first time skiing since Soldeu, rather than her first time on snow since the Olympics.
One of Italy’s greatest
Brignone is the most successful Italian woman in World Cup history. Her career includes 37 World Cup victories, 85 podium finishes and two overall titles.
She also won giant slalom gold and super-G silver at the 2025 world championships in Saalbach. Those results formed part of a dominant 2024-25 season in which she established herself as the world’s leading overall skier before suffering the injury that threatened her career.
Her success at the Milano Cortina Olympics added another defining chapter. Brignone accomplished more than simply returning to competition. She won two of alpine skiing’s most demanding disciplines while still managing the effects of an injury that had once made skiing again uncertain.
Click image to view Instagram post
Will Brignone race one final season?
Brignone has not committed to the 2026-27 World Cup campaign. However, returning to snow and planning additional training indicate that continuing her career remains a possibility.
She recently told Olympics.com that another season would probably be her last.
“If I show up, it will probably be my last season,” Brignone said.
Her presence would add another major storyline to an already compelling women’s World Cup season. Yet Brignone’s decision will depend on more than her desire to race. She must determine whether her knee can withstand the training and competition required at the sport’s highest level.
For now, the July 30 return is a meaningful step rather than a declaration. After 151 days away from skiing, Brignone is back on snow. Whether that road leads to one final World Cup season remains unanswered.
About the Author: Matt Garcka
