Amidst the enthusiasm of the ski season ahead, November comes with its own stress level of anticipation. Let’s see how we’re doing on the checklist: Ski passes — almost all in hand. Prep skis — whew, thanks to my new friend Kass from Emergenskis mobile tuning for showing up at the office at Kiln for a quick wax and tune. Find ski boots — oops, where did I store them? Found ’em. Renew my subscription to Ski & Snowboard Live so I can get up at 5 a.m. to watch ski racing. Go, Mikaela! Refresh my memory on how to use my OpenSnow app.OK, I think I’m ready. Clearing off six inches of new snow from the car this morning reminded me that the time is now!Welcome back to season seven of Ridgelines, where I hope to bring you informative and entertaining insights each week. It’s my 55th year skiing, and it still holds the same excitement for me as it did as an 18 year old driving around to Alpine Valley (388 feet), Devil’s Head (500 feet), and Cascade Mountain (450 feet) in southern Wisconsin.As we approach opening day, I have a few new season resolutions this year:Approach the season more from quality than quantity. There’s no reason to duplicate my 72 days of last season. Use my Alta pass at least 10 times. I can’t hide from my friends at Alta, who know I only scanned in twice last year. Get back up to Beaver Mountain — a real hidden gem and well worth the two-and-half-hour drive from Park City. Get down to Eagle Point and Brian Head.  Go to someplace new in Europe. Expand my personal progression at Woodward. My friends there are already plotting my fate.So, this brings me to the news of the week that swept the ski world. Superstar Lindsey Vonn is planning a comeback! Not to be confused with the ill-fated return of long-retired Mike Tyson last Friday night, Vonn tipped off the world that she’s returning to the U.S. Ski Team and anticipating sliding back into the starting gate in the near future.Vonn has been teasing her fans since August when she snuck down to New Zealand for some stealth training. It ramped up last month as she trained on the Rettenbach Glacier in Sölden, Austria, before the opening races. Fans have their eyes on the Dec. 14-15 World Cup speed races at Beaver Creek, Colorado, or Dec. 21-22 in St. Moritz, Switzerland.Her return has been made possible by a new wildcard rule enacted this fall that permits past major champions who have been away from the sport for two or more years to move directly into the World Cup starting list without a need to further qualify. Austrian star Marcel Hirscher was the first to apply. Now, Vonn has thrown her name into the ring.Is it for real? Yes, it is. Will she expand on her World Cup wins? Maybe. Can she qualify for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina, Italy? Time will tell, but she does hold the record (12) for wins on the Olympic speed course in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Vonn isn’t making any predictions. And we shouldn’t, either. We should let her ski.Since winning the Olympic downhill title in 2010 and setting a new women’s record for World Cup wins with 82, Vonn built a global brand for herself. After retiring from the sport in 2019, her fame has continued to flourish. She has arguably touched a broader international audience than any alpine ski racer. Her return to the FIS Ski World Cup tour will bring a substantial audience to ski racing.Athletes like Vonn, who have been successful at the highest level of their sport over a long period of time, have achieved that success through intense internal motivation. So why is she returning at age 40? She is the only one who can really address that. As fans, we should sit back and enjoy an injection of suspense into our sport.See you for opening day later this week!The post Ridgelines: When is Lindsey Vonn’s opening day? appeared first on Park Record.