The ongoing FIS Alpine Ski World Championship has been laced with injuries. And the injuries have been brutal enough to put dreams on hold. One such dream was that of American skiing’s all-time great Mikaela Shiffrin. The 99-time World Cup winner was chasing her historic 100th victory in Vermont on November 30 when disaster struck.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist flipped on the slope and hit the gates. The horrific fall gave her a puncture wound in the abdomen and some serious muscle trauma. Thankfully, she is on the road to recovery, and there is a chance she can make history in Kranjska Gora. So, Dr. Blake Clifton, a leading orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at Gunnison Valley Orthopedics, will fly to Slovenia to facilitate Shiffrin’s recovery and to make sure that every athlete on the team has the best possible support.
Dr. Blake Clifton is an orthopedic surgeon with training in pediatric and adult sports medicine. His areas of expertise are minimally invasive and open procedures aimed at repairing and reconstructing ligaments, cartilage, and bones of all the major joints in the body. He is, in fact, the only surgeon in the Western Slope of Colorado who has the training to treat sports injuries in children with open growth plates.
With a wealth of experience working with athletes, Dr. Clifton is quite aware of what the job entails. “Working with the U.S. Ski Team is both a privilege and a responsibility,” said Dr. Clifton. While his immediate commitment is to the U.S. Ski Team, he also wants to ensure that critical care is not the privilege of a few. “The opportunity to care for athletes at this level challenges me to stay on the cutting edge of orthopedic and sports medicine. These experiences allow me to bring advanced techniques and knowledge back to the Gunnison Valley, where I can provide the same high-quality care to our local athletes and community members,” Dr. Clifton said.
He will travel with the team to Slovenia and will be on his toes as the athletes train, prepare, and compete. “I am there as their team physician to help with anything if something happens. If an athlete goes down, I’m called down the slope. Hopefully, it’s a boring job and nobody gets hurt,” he said.
“Dr. Clifton’s dedication to the U.S. Ski Team underscores the world-class expertise available right here in the Gunnison Valley,” said Gunnison Valley Health CEO Jason Amrich. “His work with elite athletes directly benefits our community by ensuring our patients receive the same advanced care that supports the best in the world.” Gunnison Valley Health is a community-owned health system dedicated to providing comprehensive critical care to Gunnison County and its surrounding areas.
Dr. Clifton’s long association with American athletes
Dr. Clifton’s association with the U.S. Ski Team goes back eight years. He has assisted some of the world’s most elite athletes including Lindsey Vonn, Ted Ligety, and Mikaela Shiffrin. Besides his long association with the U.S. Ski Team, Dr. Clifton is also an NCAA team physician for Western Colorado University.
Dr. Clifton was also a team physician for the U.S. Team at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Dr. Gloria Beim, of Gunnison Valley Health (GVH), led the team. Reflecting on the appointment, CEO Jason Amrich said, “This appointment is another example of how our Gunnison Valley Orthopedics physicians support elite athletes at the national level.” Echoing the core value of GVH, he added, “It is incredible to know that through Dr. Beim and Dr. Clifton, everyone in the valley has access to the same orthopedic care as Team USA and the US Ski and Snowboard Team.”
With Dr. Clifton in Slovenia, American skiing fans can probably sleep a little easier. However, the question remains. Will Dr. Clifton be able to weave his magic in time for Mikaela Shiffrin to make history? Time will tell.
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