"There's definitely pressure building," said Thomas Vonn, who acts as a coach and manager for his wife. "That adds another layer to it — all the questions, and the comparisons to Phelps, and things like that. And obviously, that adds pressure. I mean, everyone's talking about five gold medals, even though swimming is different from skiing. It definitely adds things to think about. And then there's sponsors and fans and media demands and other obligations."

This is not to say there aren't benefits to being Lindsey Vonn, given her position and popularity.

There's money and fame, and, let's not forget, the sorts of opportunities not afforded to just anyone: hanging out with Roger Federer after watching him win Wimbledon, or visiting the set of "Law & Order," or attending the Emmys, or throwing out a ceremonial first pitch at Wrigley Field.

Vonn did all those things during her offseason this year.

Now it's down to business, though, 2 1/2 months of World Cup racing and Olympic preparation rolled into one, with some product- and sport-promoting mixed in.

"It's kind of hard to be Lindsey Vonn and be everywhere at the same time, but she gets it done," U.S. teammate Hailey Duke said. "She's busy. She's doing a lot of stuff. The Olympics are coming up."

As Miller or Vonn herself or anyone else immersed in the world of Alpine skiing will tell you, a World Cup title proves sustained excellence, while an Olympic medal can be the product of one very good day.

Looked at another way: One bad day — or a handful spread out over two crucial weeks — can force a favorite to go home from a Winter Games without a tangible reward.

"It's not like swimming or track and field, where you get in the same pool every single day, and if you're the best guy, you're going to win, more or less," said Ted Ligety, a surprise Alpine gold medalist for the United States at the last Olympics. "Ski racing is so far from that: There are so many light conditions, snow conditions, course conditions, start positions, rocks. ... It's far from guaranteed, even if you're the favorite."

Vonn is well aware of that.

And she sounds as if she wants to remind others, too.

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"Having not won a medal, I would be really happy with just one bronze. I'm going to go out there and try to win gold, but, you know, there's a lot of things that can happen in ski racing," Vonn said when the women's World Cup circuit made its lone U.S. stop in Aspen late last month. "I mean, I can get a big gust of wind, and my downhill race is over."

Almost as if to demonstrate the validity of that point, she went out the next day, hit a rock with her right ski, and wound up 39th in the first run of a giant slalom, failing to qualify for the second run. The day after that, she skied off-course in the opening run of a slalom.

Two events, two disappointments. Her recovery was swift as can be: She went from Aspen to Lake Louise, and once again was dominant.

About an hour after the miscue in the Aspen slalom, Vonn emerged from a course-side tent to speak to the media and discuss what happened, then made her way to where fans were yelling her name. She posed for every photo request, affixed her signature to every poster, hat and jacket put before her. And then most famous female skier on the planet chatted with pigtailed girls wearing braces, girls who remind her of little Lindsey, sneaking into the finish area at the 1999 world championships in Vail to ask Bode Miller for an autograph.

"It's not like basketball or baseball, and so I do feel an obligation to try and further my sport. I love ski racing. It's a great family sport, and there's so much about it that I love and I want to share with everyone," Vonn said. "So I feel obligated — but also happy — to tell a story. I want to get that message across, and hopefully these Olympics will be my opportunity."

Does that sound like someone who feels pressure?

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