Siegmar Klotz is taking a new path

At the beginning of April, Siegmar Klotz quietly announced his departure from alpine skiing in an interview with the daily newspaper “Dolomiten”. “I was a skier of national interest, so I was allowed to train with the national team, but I had to pay for a lot of the stays, flights and so on myself. Since you're traveling all over the world on the World Cup tour, it was no longer financially viable," said the 28-year-old, explaining his decision at the time.

Passion remains passion But Sigi's passion for skiing was not lost, after all, Klotz was on the slopes in 96 World Cup races. Of course, this great passion cannot be turned off from one day to the next like a light switch. Siegmar Klotz knew that - and so did the Italian winter sports association, which got wind of Pawigler's retirement and wanted to get him into the ski cross team. “This relatively new sport is an Olympic discipline, so the association wants to put together a competitive team and is constantly looking for former World Cup riders,” explains Klotz, who followed the association’s call and committed to ski cross for the coming winter. The 28-year-old was already able to get a taste of the new material at two European Cup races in Grasgehren and the Italian Championships. Klotz really enjoyed ski cross: “As a former downhill skier, the change isn’t that big. The most difficult innovation is certainly the start. In addition, there are always several riders on the slopes, so there is no perfect line like on a downhill run. You have to drive tactically and have a good overview in order to manage the race as well as possible.”

The one Stefan Thanei imitates His goal for the upcoming season is to take part in the World Cup. “But I still have to collect a few FIS points for that,” explained Klotz, who was at the training camp on the Stelvio Joch with the ski crossers at the beginning of July and who, along the way, found a new friend. Burgeiser Stefan Thanei was also an alpine speed rider before switching to ski cross in 2012. “Before I moved, he encouraged me. Today we often go to the weight room together. I’m looking forward to this new challenge,” Klotz concluded.

Thomas Debelyak, Sports News

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Siegmar Klotz is taking a new path

The 28-year-old from Pawigl ended his career in the alpine ski circuit in the spring. But that doesn't stop him from continuing to be active on the soft white. With slightly shorter skis, but with the same motivation, Klotz will be hunting for ski cross points in the future.

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