Lindsey Vonn ‘Super Strong' After Brutal Olympic Crash, Sister Karin Says

Lindsey Vonn’s resilience is being tested again -- and her family says the comeback road is anything but easy.

Vonn’s sister, Karin Kildow, tells TMZ Sports the days since Lindsey’s scary Olympic crash have been overwhelming as the American skier underwent a series of surgeries and hospital treatment for the injuries she suffered in the fall.

“It’s been a rough one, been in the hospital a lot,” Kildow told us at LAX on Saturday.

Of course, Vonn went down hard during the downhill event at the Winter Games … catching an edge at high speed and crashing into the safety netting. The wipeout forced her to be airlifted off the mountain -- ending her dreams of medaling.

Vonn -- who was competing with a torn ACL -- was discharged from the hospital on Sunday, but her plans to fly home to the U.S. remain unknown.

Physically, it’s been a grind.

“Just one day at a time," Kildow said. "She’s super strong, but there’s a lot of surgeries and things. We’re working on getting her back to the U.S.”

Kildow says Lindsey is approaching recovery the same way she attacked the mountain for two decades.

“She’s very strong, she’s getting through it … one day at a time,” Kildow said.

Of course, this isn’t Vonn’s first rodeo when it comes to devastating crashes. The Olympic gold medalist has battled torn ligaments, fractures and multiple knee surgeries throughout her career -- setbacks that would’ve ended most athletes.

Instead, she repeatedly clawed her way back.

And while social media critics have questioned everything from her decision to compete to the risks she took on the course ... her family isn’t letting the noise creep in.

“You know what? Everyone’s gonna have their thing to say, I think … but she’s strong and she did it," Kildow says.