On a chilly morning, Vonn took two warmup runs followed by three aggressive passes through the super-G course in her race suit, hugging the corners tight and looking quite fast. Afterward, she said her surgically repaired knee felt "really good."
So much so that Vonn will travel to Lake Louise, Alberta, this week for downhill training on a course she usually dominates. If training goes well, she will race for the first time since tearing ligaments in her right knee during a high-speed accident at the world championships in February.
"Just trying to ski solid," she said. "I'm not trying to do race runs. I'm trying to build into it. Not push it too hard. But I was still be able to be aggressive and confident in what I'm doing so that when I get up to Lake Louise I can hopefully have a good feeling right away."
As she rehabbed the knee over the offseason, Vonn was anticipating a return for the nearby Beaver Creek races this weekend. She was on pace, too, before her wipeout at the speed center in Copper Mountain in which she partially tore her ACL.
Vonn said it's been difficult to watch Lara Gut of Switzerland win the downhill and super-G races on a new course Vonn was very much look forward to trying out before the 2015 world championships.
"Frustrating to miss the race," Vonn said. "Definitely with this current situation, there was no way I could've skied that bumpy, steep course. I know it was the right decision. That gives me a peace of mind. I'm trying to look forward to Lake Louise and cheer for my team."
Asked if she planned to attend the giant slalom race on Sunday, Vonn said, "Oh, no.
"My family is leaving so I'm spending a couple of extra hours with my family. Then, I'm going to pack up and get ready for Lake Louise."
Vonn needs three wins to match Austrian great Annemarie Moser-Proell's record of 62 victories in World Cup races.