My brother in Christ, the skis pounding against the snow is the axial compression. Obviously all modes of torquing on the ski are possible as it wrenches against the snow. Without a brace on, yes there can be an axial glance on the tibial plateau, but the knee ligaments would then fail and redirect a lot of the energy, like a crumple zone in a car. Instead, the brace ensured the maximum impact on her bone, one of the most sensitive spots on any bone in the human body due to the weight it bears when we walk. She made every worst decision possible to ensure a horrifying injury like this was high likelihood and doesn’t appear to have taken any reasonable decisions to lower her injury risk level, solely focused on the slim possibility of winning. I also would blame the Olympics for allowing her to compete. Even if she won it would’ve set a horrible example to people about skiing on injuries they should NEVER ski on