SKI-CLUB ARLBERG

The career of Hannes Schneider – one of the greatest athletes of 1920s and 1930s ski racing – began when he was given his first pair of skis at the age of thirteen. He developed a new downhill technique and at a mere seventeen years of age, he became the first permanent skiing instructor of the region, leading to him start St. Anton am Arlberg’s first ski school in December 1921. Later on, he made a name for himself as an author of books as well as an actor in films.

At the 1948 Winter Olympics, this young ace from Lech am Arlberg won the gold medal in the combined and the silver medal in the downhill competition. She was the first female athlete to win to medals at the same Olympic Winter Games. In 1952 she became Olympic downhill champion. Between these two Olympics, Jochum-Beiser won two medals at the 1950 World Championships in Aspen, Colorado; a gold in the downhill and a silver in the giant slalom.

Othmar Schneider was amongst the brightest stars of the 1952 Olympic Winter Games in Oslo. There he became the Austrian alpine skier to win a gold medal at Olympic level. In addition to this historical accomplishment, he also finished second in the slalom event. Following these outstanding achievements he was also awarded the title of Austria’s Sports Personality of the Year.

Egon Zimmermann from Lech won two medals at the 1962 World Championships in Chamonix, a gold in giant slalom and a bronze in downhill. He was named the "Skier of the Year" in 1963 by European journalists. However, his biggest triumph came in 1964, when he managed to win the downhill competition at that year’s Olympic Winter Games in nearby Innsbruck.

A native of St. Anton, Karl Schranz had a lengthy ski career, from 1957 to 1972. He won twenty major downhills, many major giant slalom races and several major slaloms. His many triumphs include three world championship titles and two FIS World Cup wins. In the season of 1968/69, not only he, but also Gertrud Gabl were able to win the winter-long competition for the Ski-Club Arlberg – a unique accomplishment in the rich history of the Alpine Ski World Cup!

Patrick Ortlieb won the respective downhill events at the 1992 Olympic Games in Albertville and the 1996 FIS Alpine Ski World Championships in the Sierra Nevada. Thus, he is only one of five racers to ever win the Olympic and world championships titles in this discipline. In addition, he also garnered four wins in FIS World Cup races.

At the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships 2001 in St. Anton am Arlberg, a local hero and Ski-Arlberg Club member excelled at the then-new carving technique and won the title in the slalom and a silver medal in the combined event. His name? Mario Matt from Flirsch am Arlberg, also known as “Super Mario” or “The Eagle of the Arlberg”. Six years on, he repeated this masterly performance and won another slalom gold medal as well as a silver medal in the team event. At the 2013 edition of the world championships, he was able to win his fifth medal, racing to bronze in the slalom event. A concluding highlight to a truly outstanding career, the 2014 Olympic Games in…