Manuel Feller also didn't have a good season. © AFP / MARCO BERTORELLO

As bad as 40 years ago: Austria's ski crisis

Austria's Alpine Ski Team has been canceled for the 2024/25 season. A battered winning image remains, and the team returned home from the World Cup finals in Sun Valley without a World Cup globe, but with historic negative results.

March 28, 2025

From: apa/dl

In terms of victories, the skiing nation celebrated five, the fewest since 1986/87 (two), and with 23 podium finishes, the proud Austrian Ski Association is sailing at a 40-year low. The World Championships remain as a bright spot.

The major event in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, where the athletes impressed with seven medals – including World Championship titles for Raphael Haaser and Stephanie Venier – was a key factor in the season's direction. "We have to be honest: This year, everything was focused on the home World Championships. That's been on the athletes' minds for two years. It's a burden," said women's head coach Roland Assinger on ORF. "I have to congratulate the Austrian team. Things could have turned out differently."

Numbers don’t lie: Miles behind Switzerland

Although his team's World Cup results fell short of last year's figures, they were clearly the stronger sex compared to the Austrian Ski Federation. Four of the five victories went to the women. Speed ​​ace Cornelia Hütter was on the podium three times, and Katharina Truppe was a surprise winner in the slalom at the end of the season. Assinger spoke of a "good season," but one that would have been lacking, for example, a globe win like Hütter did last year. "Ultimately, we have a lot of athletes who simply want more. We have individual athletes who are performing very well. Broad consistency – several who made it onto the podium – was lacking."

Vincent Kriechmayr also fell short of expectations. © APA/afp / PATRICK T. FALLON

In 1984/85, Austrian skiers achieved only 21 podium finishes (fewer only in 1966/67). Since then, they have consistently – and usually significantly – achieved more. A record season like 1999/2000, with 107 podium finishes and 40(!) individual victories, will probably never be repeated. However, just three years ago, in the post-Hirscher era, ÖSV athletes were on the podium almost twice as often (43) as in the winter just ended. Heroic daily performances are declining, as are successes based on consistency: For the fourth time in six years, the Austrians have failed to lift a single one of the at least ten glass trophies awarded for discipline rankings. In the Nations Cup, they are 3.364 points behind the all-dominant Switzerland.

“That’s not a claim, that’s a fact.” Men's head coach Marko Pfeifer

Austria's men narrowly avoided total disgrace. Lukas Feurstein's victory in the final Super-G of the season, however, only slightly concealed the poor overall record. In terms of the overall World Cup, the team was uncompetitive without a fit Marco Schwarz. The fact that Vincent Kriechmayr, who was struggling with himself, finished twelfth as the best ÖSV skier speaks volumes. "That's not our ambition, it's a fact. But it's not like we're just idling around somewhere—in any discipline," said men's head coach Marko Pfeifer, who was reluctant to join in the doom-mongering.

Broken superpower

He stands behind the skiers, and the team is intact. For the first time, there were no podium finishes in the downhill. In the Super-G and the technical disciplines, as the World Cup finals showed, "we are strongly represented," and the ÖSV men are among the strongest. However, Pfeifer admitted that they are not achieving the results they wanted.

"We're always within striking distance; we're not missing a world of difference. But of course, with eleven podium finishes and one victory, we want more," said the Carinthian, outlining his mission for the next season and beyond. He is "very much concerned" about internal reshuffles, i.e., new compositions of the training groups and their coaches. Andreas Evers will lead Kriechmayr's speed training group, and further changes are not out of the question.

2026 Olympics as a possible turning point

The age structure is a growing concern across all genders, as the majority of top athletes are at an age where retirement seems not so far away. After the 2026 Olympic Games, many could take this step. Who would fill the gaps? The pool of athletes under 25 who can already succeed in the World Cup is exceptionally small.

One of the better ones: Cornelia Hütter. © APA/afp / PATRICK T. FALLON

The 23-year-old Feurstein is undoubtedly the biggest prospect for the future, Stefan Eichberger (24) is another glimmer of hope, and Julia Scheib is also only 26. Giant slalom world champion Haaser is 27, and Katharina Liensberger will soon turn 28. Last season, Ski Austria's podium finishers, 13 in total, averaged 29,1 years old. The average age of the twelve Swiss athletes is 28,4 years, while the seven Norwegian athletes averaged 26,1 years.