THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE SKI-CLUB
Established on 3 January 1901, Ski-Club Arlberg ranks amongst the oldest and most famous ski clubs of the Alps. With currently more than 9.016 members from 57 countries, it is one of the largest ski clubs of Europe.
World Champions and Olympic Champions have emerged from this traditional club. And last but not least, the Ski-Club Arlberg has set numerous impulses as well as milestones for alpine skiing and tourism at the Arlberg in the course of its long history.
PROMINENT MEMBERS, PIONEERS AND LEGENDS
The many prominent members of Ski-Club Arlberg include a wide range of celebrities from all walks of life such as politics and culture, representatives of European high royalty as well as a multitude of local ski pioneers and legends!
HANNES SCHNEIDER
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 starting St. Anton am Arlberg’s first ski school in December 1921. Later on, he made a name for himself as an author as well as an actor.
TRUDE JOCHUM-BEISER
Trude Jochum-Beiser won the gold medal in the combined event and the silver medal in the downhill event at the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, making her the first female ski racer to win two medals at the Olympics. At the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, she won the gold medal in downhill. At the 1950 World Championships in Aspen, she also won gold in the downhill.
OTHMAR SCHNEIDER
Othmar Schneider was amongst the brightest stars of the 1952 Olympic Winter Games in Oslo. As a skier of Ski-Club Arlberg, he achieved something unique, not only in the history of Ski-Club Arlberg but also in the history of Austria. By winning the slalom, Austria celebrated its first alpine gold medal at the Olympic Games. In the downhill, the star from Lech made it to 2nd place. The popularity of his successes led to him being elected Austrian Sportsman of the Year at the end of 1952.
KARL SCHRANZ
Karl Schranz from St. Anton won eight World Cup downhill races between 1957 and 1972, took five combined titles and made the podium three times in the giant slalom. In addition, he crowned himself World Champion three times in the downhill, combined and giant slalom disciplines and twice outpaced the competition in the overall World Cup. Uniquely in the history of the World Cup, Karl Schranz and Gertrud Gabl each won the overall World Cup ranking for Ski-Club Arlberg in the 1968/69 winter season.
EGON ZIMMERMANN
Egon Zimmermann from Lech won two medals at the 1962 World Championships in Chamonix, gold in giant slalom and bronze in downhill. He was named “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.
PATRICK ORTLIEB
Patrick Ortlieb became Olympic Champion in 1992 and World Champion in 1996 in downhill. He is one of only five ski racers to have won Olympic gold and the World Cup title in downhill. In addition, he also garnered four wins in World Cup races.
MARIO MATT
At the Ski World Championships 2001 in St. Anton am Arlberg, a local hero and Ski-Club Arlberg 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 later, he repeated this masterly performance at the World Championships in Aare and won another gold medal in slalom and in the team event. At the World Championships in 2013 he was able to win his fifth medal, racing to bronze in the slalom event. A concluding highlight to a truly outstanding career, were the Olympic Games in Sotchi in 2014, where he won his well-deserved slalom gold medal!
STATISTICS
In the past club year 2022/23, 589 new members were admitted to the SCA at the various Stammtisch-Meetings. Hence, the current membership count for the year 2023 comprises 9,016 club members.
The Ski-Club Arlberg is particularly proud of the fact that its members originate from 57 countries! This impressive number of Ski-Club Arlberg members is only possible because all local representatives, board members and friends of Ski-Club Arlberg have recruited new club members.