A retirement from skiing – with serious consequences?

The summer heat has Europe firmly in its grip, and yet there is news to report in the winter sports world: a skier has retired.

August 15, 2026

From: det

“It’s time to close this wonderful chapter”: With these words, Marco Pfiffner addressed the Instagram community this week. The Liechtenstein native has ended his skiing career at the age of 32 after 62 World Cup appearances.

It wasn't an entirely voluntary departure: Pfiffner was dropped from the Liechtenstein Ski Federation's squad a few weeks ago and would have had to finance the season himself. "That's simply impossible at the World Cup level," said the speed specialist, whose best result was 11th place in the combined event at the 2022 Winter Olympics. However, a major breakthrough eluded him.

A new situation is looming

Liechtenstein is considered a small but excellent skiing nation that has produced some giants in the past, including ski aces like Hanni Wenzel, Andreas Wenzel, Tina Weirather, and Marco Büchel. However, following Pfiffner's retirement, it is now certain that there will be no male skiers competing at the World Cup level next season.

Pfiffner in action. © AFP / DIMITAR DILKOFF

Charlotte Lingg, a seasoned World Cup competitor, is on the women's team, but she last competed in a race a year and a half ago due to injury. It's unclear when she will make her comeback.

Check out this post on Instagram
A post shared by Marco Pfiffner (@pfiffner_marco)

Liechtenstein has always had a representative in the World Cup since its introduction in 1967. Will that change this year for the first time in almost 60 years? Winter will tell – and it's not far off.

Keywords Winter sports Alpine skiing Marco Pfiffner