Radical step: Austrian ski professional changes sport

Mathias Graf was one of the ÖSV's slalom talents for a long time. In 2019, the 25-year-old made a big impression by finishing 18th in the Stangenwald in Kitzbühel, but he was unable to make the final breakthrough. The Vorarlberg native was unable to prevail in his twelve World Cup appearances, and this year things didn't go as planned in the European Cup either. That's why a radical step is now being taken.

Stopping is not an issue for Graf because: “I still enjoy skiing.” But for the new season he wants to take a new path and try out ski crosser. Now it's nothing unusual for an alpine speed rider to switch to ski cross racing (Siegmar Klotz did it), but a technical ace like Graf can definitely be described as a bit of an exotic figure in this spectacular sport.

“If everything goes well, I will make my racing debut at the European Cup in Pitztal at the end of November,” Graf told the Krone newspaper . The 25-year-old from Dornbirn got a first impression of his new job at a trial day in April and cut a good figure. In any case, Graf can always get tips from his brother Bernhard. He switched to ski crossers in 2014. “He always saw me as a speed rider,” reveals Mathias, who knows that the change won’t be easy. “But it’s never easy anywhere.”

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Radical step: Austrian ski professional changes sport

An Austrian ski ace takes a strange path and quickly changes his sport.

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