Lindsey Vonn: The Final Season is a documentary that profiles greatest female skier during her final season in the sport.

She entered the season with a goal of 87 World Cup victories but because of injuries, she finished with 82. It’s nothing to complain about because Vonn currently holds the women’s record in skiing. One can only imagine that she would have finished with north of 90 victories if she didn’t miss much of the 2013-14 seasons. But even in the final months, injuries put a stop to training. A planned season debut in November 2018 didn’t happen. Vonn finally started her final season of competitive racing in January 2019.

While the skier doesn’t appear in The Weight of Gold, her comments in this documentary make a compelling case when it comes to athletes and mental health. It should not be a stigma to discuss depression! I cannot even imagine what it must be like to compete at a high level and not be open about depression and such. Regardless, you can’t help but feel for athletes in a moment of pain. They work so hard and it especially hurts to see them suffer injuries.

Vonn sits down for interviews in the film and recounts her life growing up in Minnesota before moving to Vail, Colorado. It was in Vail where Vonn ultimately knew she could make it as a skier. Life would take her to Park City, Utah as a member of the U.S. Ski Team at a time when her parents’ marriage was falling apart. Many of us would come to know her for the first time by way of the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. Where others follow skiing every year, others follow the sport for a few days every four years during the Winter Olympics. Whether skiing under Kildow or Vonn, the skier became a fan favorite. Vonn’s competitive career would come to an end during the World Championships in Are, Sweden in 2019. Where some documentaries are a live-action Wiki page, this isn’t one of them.

Thanks to Teton Gravity Research, cameras were embedded with Vonn during the final months of her skiing career. Capturing outdoor action is never an easy feat. However, the footage is quite beautiful even during the moments where it hurts. I have great respect for anyone that is capable of capturing footage at these heights because I know that I certainly wouldn’t be able to do it.

Lindsey Vonn: The Final Season is a revealing look at the costs of being human in racing. Her recent autobiography, Rise: My Story, makes for a solid reading companion to the film.

DIRECTORS: Todd Jones and Steve Jones
SCREENWRITER: Aaron Cohen
NARRATOR: Liev Schreiber
FEATURING: Lindsey Vonn

Lindsey Vonn: The Final Season aired November 26, 2019 on HBO. The film is currently streaming on HBO Max.

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