A South Tyrolean ends his skiing career. © APA/afp / KERSTIN JOENSSON

An emotional South Tyrolean ski retirement

Just over two weeks ago, Simon Maurberger ended his skiing career. Now another South Tyrolean has followed suit.

March 30, 2026

From: dl

Hannes Zingerle announced his retirement on Instagram late Monday afternoon. The 30-year-old from Val Badia finished in the top 20 four times in the World Cup, with his best result being a 13th place in the giant slalom in Schladming in January 2024. In the European Cup, Zingerle reached the podium six times, with the giant slalom specialist taking the top spot three times.

“Now the moment has come for me to open the door to a new phase of my life,” Zingerle began his statement. “Ever since I watched ski races on TV in elementary school, I dreamed of experiencing those emotions myself. Crossing the finish line with the green light, skiing on the most iconic slopes in the world – that was the realization of little Hannes’s dream,” the South Tyrolean continued.

"Anyone who knows my story knows that over all these years I have been fortunate enough to experience the most beautiful and moving aspects of sport: the emotions of victories, the adrenaline of proving myself anew each day, the strength to get back up after every fall and every omission. But unfortunately, I have also experienced the less beautiful aspects of sport: the loneliness of defeats, the sleepless nights searching for answers I never received, the confrontation with highly questionable and opaque decisions," Zingerle wrote, among other things, in his lengthy statement.

"Skiing is a school for life"

Zingerle's closing words were particularly emotional. At the same time, he made an appeal: "Despite everything, I want to say one thing to all the athletes who are currently in an uncertain situation, who may be dropped from a team or are at the bottom of their category: Keep going. Don't let others tell you when it's over. Fight for your dreams, because it's not how many blows you take that count, but how often you get back up – and it's truly worth it. Skiing is, above all, a school for life."