The U.S. ski team took home two gold medals at the 2006 Torino Games, a feat matched only twice previously at the Olympics, in 1984 (three) and 1994 (two). Despite the success of Ted Ligety in the men's combined and Julia Mancuso in the women's giant slalom, however, the overall team performance was widely viewed as a disappointment.

Reflecting on the results from Sestriere and San Sicario, the immediate negative reaction reflects exceedingly high expectations rather than poor skiing. Of course, ten top-ten finishes (five each by the men and women) did not satisfy those who pinned success, or lack thereof, on the medal count.

Expectations will be even higher in 2010. The Games will be held just across the northern border, close enough for a full force of friends, family and fans to cheer their favorite skiers on and provide close to a home-hill advantage. More importantly, the team will return a veteran corps of skiers that has experienced success at big competitions and understands the uniqueness of the Olympics.

Women

Vonn in action

Top contender: Lindsey Vonn

The Torino Games, when Lindsey Vonn skied under her maiden name Kildow (she married Thomas Vonn in 2007), were marred by injuries sustained during an early downhill training run. Her determination to follow through with her race program in spite of severe back and leg pain helped earn her the U.S. Olympic Spirit Award after the Games. In her third Olympic appearance, Vonn will be extra motivated to earn an even bigger prize: Olympic gold. In fact, she could come away with medals in all five events.

Vonn has taken a somewhat unusual path to international stardom and being the all-event threat that she is today. She learned skiing at age three on little Buck Hill (vertical drop: 300 feet) in Burnsville, Minn. In her youth, conditions naturally lent more to focusing on the technical aspects of skiing. When she was 12, her family moved to Vail, Colo., so that she could broaden her talent at its world-class training facilities. During her junior years, she started making a name for herself in the speed events.

Now 25, Vonn has become one of the most consistent female skiers on the World Cup circuit over the past two seasons. Ten podium finishes, including six victories, in 2007-08 lifted her to her first overall World Cup title, the first for an American in 25 years. She continued her winning form in 2008-09, defending her overall title. She also won gold medals in the downhill and super-G at the 2009 World Championships in Val d'Isere, France. Although she remains stronger in the speed events, she has seen better results in technical events as well.

Looking to make a second splash: Julia Mancuso

Despite a highly-successful junior career and two bronze medals at the previous year's World Championships, Mancuso was not expected to reach the top of the podium at the 2006 Games. With two amazing giant slalom runs on a foggy day in Sestriere, however, she did. As is indicative of her free-spirited personality, Mancuso donned a tiara, a gift from a coach that became a good-luck charm and personal symbol, at the medal ceremony in Torino.

Success on the snow spelled immediate commercial success on land for Mancuso. Ski boot manufacturer Lange chose her as its first ‘Lange Girl' athlete in 2007. The popular poster ad campaign featured her in Lange boots and lingerie. Not afraid of attracting attention herself, she is also eager to bring it to others, as witnessed by her involvement in various humanitarian projects and charities.

The 2008 calendar year was a downer for Mancuso on the slopes (no victories, two podium finishes), but she found success in other areas. She climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise awareness and funds for charity Right To Play, visited children in the impoverished African nation Tanzania and hosted a Beijing-based show for NBC's Olympic web site (read more).

A native of Squaw Valley, Calif., the 24-year-old divides her time between two very distinct climates. During the off-season, she lives on the Hawaiian island of Maui, where she can pursue aquatic passions, such as surfing and paddle boarding. At the Vancouver Games, she hopes to compete in all five events.

Others to watch: Stacey Cook, Hailey Duke

Men

Top contender: Bode Miller

Bode Miller arrived in Italy as the headline athlete on a U.S. team that was trying to live up to the pre-Games slogan, "Best in the World." Coming off double-gold in the speed events at the previous year's World Championships, the hype, embodied by Nike's "Join Bode" ad campaign and numerous interviews, seemed justified. However, Miller was not in top racing form in Sestriere, and he skied out of more races than he finished. A perceived indifferent demeanor to defeat rubbed many detractors the wrong way, and perhaps unfairly, he became the symbol of the overall failures of the U.S. team.

Miller left the U.S. Ski Team in 2007 to train and test equipment independently, and the move appeared to pay off. He matched Vonn in winning the overall World Cup title (his second) in 2007-08. Unlike his compatriot, however, Miller has had a miserable defense campaign, with no event victories, a bothersome ankle and two controversial run-ins with the FIS (a missed bib drawing in Bormio cost him $933; ski boots that were one-hundredth of an inch too high in Zagreb resulted in disqualification). With each success or setback, the candid New Hampshire native has always opened up (read more).

Miller's aggressive style on the slopes is endearing to hardcore ski fans and creates positive comparisons to Alpine legends Franz Klammer, Alberto Tomba and Hermann Maier. Unfortunately, that high-risk daring has not always resulted in high reward on the Olympic stage. In three appearances, he has two silver medals, both won at the 2002 Salt Lake Games. The Vancouver Games, where he will likely race in all five disciplines, could be his last chance (he will be 33) to capture Olympic gold.

Looking to make a second splash: Ted Ligety

With his upset victory in the combined, Ted Ligety became the youngest U.S. male skier (21) to capture Olympic gold. In Vancouver, the Park City, Utah, native is out to prove that his win was no fluke. He could contend for medals in the super-combined as well as the slalom and giant slalom.

Straying away from the ‘slalom specialist' tag, Ligety has tried to develop his gliding skills for downhill and Super-G in recent years. However, his best international results have come in slalom and giant slalom. In 2007-08, he won the season title in giant slalom, earning his first World Cup globe. Solid results in the other technical events helped him finish fifth in the overall race.

Besides making a statement with his skiing, the affable skier known as "Shred" has made a statement with his own product line. After Torino, he co-founded Shred Optics, a company specializing in ski goggles and helmets. Ligety has plans to branch out into helmets. He has also sported different hair styles at competitions, from short to well below the shoulders.

Others to watch: Marco Sullivan, Steven Nyman, Scott Macartney, Andrew Weibrecht