Alice McKennis Duran was raised by her single father on a ranch along the Colorado River. She is a genuine American cowgirl and a badass. Her season ended in the fencing in Val d’Isere, France on Dec. 18.  While it’s a statistical inevitability that a 12-year downhill career like hers will pass through the OR, she has seen her surgeon in nine of those 12 years. I can’t think of a single skier who has suffered so many catastrophic injuries and after each, returned to the top of her sport.  We spoke on the eve of the race she won back in 2013 in St. Anton, about the highs and lows of life in the fast lane of downhill, and about whether her sport has become too dangerous. There is also the matter of her future: Will she continue and, come the day, would she pass her love of ski racing on to her kids?