Christoph Atz and the stormy career after his career

If everything had gone normally, Christoph Atz would still be traveling in cold climes these days: the plan would have been for him to begin his training as a ski instructor in these weeks. But the Corona crisis also turned out to be a spoilsport for Atz - incidentally the cousin of tennis star Andreas Seppi - which is why he currently has time for agricultural work in his orchards in Kalteren.

For the young Überetscher, some peace is currently returning to everyday life after he otherwise travels around the globe all year round. Atz is a service man, so he makes sure that the skis of his athletes Nicol Delago, her sister Nadia and also Hanna Schnarf (she has since retired) are ideally prepared and extremely fast. A fascinating, but at the same time extremely tricky job, after all, in the World Cup it's all about hundredths of a second. A poorly machined ski can have a similarly fatal impact on time as a blatant skiing error. The pressure is correspondingly great. From the ski slope to the service room When Atz accepted his first job as a serviceman two years ago, there were many skeptical voices. Firstly, because the man from Kalter, at the very young age of 2, was an exception in the world of service men. Secondly, because in the eyes of many he had little experience.

Atz preparing the skis.

But the latter is not entirely true: Before the Überetscher switched to the “other side”, he was an active skier himself for a long time. Although he had modest success, he still managed 43 European Cup starts. He always had to prepare his skis himself and had therefore developed a certain instinct over the years. At that time, this didn't go unnoticed by the up-and-coming Nicol Delago, who was a year younger and whom Atz knew from before. “When I decided to end my skiing career, I got a call from Nicol. She asked me if I wanted to be her service man. I thought about it for a moment and then said yes.” Podium places as confirmation The previously mentioned skeptical voices died down relatively quickly. Because in December 2018 - just a few months after Atz took office as Delago's serviceman - the Val Gardena woman sensationally raced to second place in her home World Cup on the Saslong. It was her first podium finish. “That was a great satisfaction for me at the time. “You saw that not everything I did was wrong,” smiles the Überetscher. This year Delago improved and took second place two more times.

Nicol Delago celebrates her podium finish in Val Gardena. Christoph Atz (to the right of Delago) is also celebrating. © Pentaphoto

At 25, Atz is already one of the top skiers in the World Cup - also because he does his work with a lot of meticulousness and hard work. In total, he hoards no fewer than 65 pairs of skis at home for Nicol Delago and her sister Nadia. “The challenge is finding the right setup. For women, for example, it is particularly difficult to adjust the sharpness of the edges correctly,” says Atz. The ski is almost completely prepared the day before the race. On the race day itself, the service man is informed of the final details - such as the snow temperature and whether it is icy or aggressive - by the trainer who is inspecting the slopes and carries out the finishing touches.

“It’s a challenge every time,” explains Atz, who also states: “I really enjoy the job. If you also have an athlete like Nicol who can fight for victory in every race, that's great.” Fascinating and tricky, this fight for hundredths of a second.

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Christoph Atz and the stormy career after his career

On television or live on site, the focus in the World Cup circus is always on the ski aces, some of whom race as fast as an arrow on their long skis. Christoph Atz from Kalter, among others, ensures that the equipment underfoot works as well as possible.

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