South Tyrol's ski volcano that died out too soon

"If you hadn't existed, we would have had to invent you," said his longtime teammate and friend Gustav Thöni at that memorable farewell ceremony. As always, Thöni aptly expressed what distinguished Erwin Stricker: He was a unique individual, a man who left a deep mark—and continues to do so 15 years later. And not only as an inventor, but above all as a dynamic entrepreneur who, after his skiing career, extended his reach far beyond Europe to China, the USA, and Kamchatka (Russia).

Erwin Stricker was characterized by an incredible drive. For him, there was only one thing: full throttle! This drove his coaches and then-head of racing, Sepp Messner, to fury during his active career. Like at the 1974 Ski World Championships in St. Moritz, where the gold medal in the combined event was up for grabs. Not with Stricker. He let Messner know before the World Championship slalom: "Sepp, everyone is showing signs of failure. Just coming out is the way to go." So the Brixen native, born as an optant child on August 15, 1950, in Mattighofen, Upper Austria, took off like a wild horse – only to land on his backside after five gates. He was gone, and with him the World Championship title in the combined event, which he thought was certain.

It succinctly describes the character of the most famous South Tyrolean ski racer of all time, along with Gustav Thöni and Dominik Paris. Erwin Stricker didn't do things by halves. Not in sports, not in life. When he did, everything was done with great passion and at a tremendous pace.

A versatile guy Stricker always pursued this pace. At 14, he taught himself to ski on the Plose, attracted attention by winning the then-renowned Harrar ski race on the Plose, and by 19, he was already on the national team. To afford his training, he worked as a waiter on the Stelvio Pass.

He often took incredible risks to compensate for his lack of talent. The result was spectacular crashes. These were also what made him so popular. His nickname "crazy horse" was coined by an American ski journalist and was more than apt. Italian writers translated it as "cavallo pazzo," and in South Tyrol he was given the title of "jack of all trades" (according to the Duden dictionary, a multi-talented person who is worthy of admiration, even a universal genius).

Sepp Messner recalls many details from the 1970s: "For Erwin, there was only top or flop. His willpower was phenomenal. He trained more and more diligently than anyone else. His strong sense of justice often caused him to clash, and he didn't always make friends with it. But he was a friend who always looked out for others, especially the weaker ones."

Lifelong commitment to those in need Stricker's commitment to helping those in need only really took off after his active career. He founded the "Skirasu" Foundation, which cared for injured ski racers. And he was a lifelong member and supporter of the South Tyrolean Sports Aid Foundation. On the seven-member advisory committee, he decided who was eligible for financial support.

<a data-caption="Erwin Stricker (Bildmitte) war dabei, als die legendäre „Valanga azzurra“ geboren wurde und beim Weltcup-Riesentorlauf in Berchtesgaden am 7. Jänner 1974 die ersten fünf Plätze belegte, von links Piero Gros, Gustav Thöni, Stricker, Helmuth Schmalzl und Tino Pietrogiovanna." data-fancybox="inline-275724" target="_image" href="https://s3-images.sportnews.bz/_images/scale/1280x1280/img/2025/08/erwin-stricker-bildmitte-war-dabei-als-die-legendaere-valanga-azzurra-geboren-wurde-und-beim-weltcup-riesentorlauf-in-berchtesgaden-am.jpg"><img alt="Erwin Stricker (center) was there when the legendary “Valanga azzurra” was born and took the first five places in the World Cup giant slalom in Berchtesgaden on January 7, 1974, from left: Piero Gros, Gustav Thöni, Stricker, Helmuth Schmalzl and Tino Pietrogiovanna." class="uk-img-preserve" src="https://s3-images.sportnews.bz/_images/scale/1280x850/img/2025/08/erwin-stricker-bildmitte-war-dabei-als-die-legendaere-valanga-azzurra-geboren-wurde-und-beim-weltcup-riesentorlauf-in-berchtesgaden-am.jpg"> Erwin Stricker (center) was there when the legendary “Valanga azzurra” was born and took the first five places in the World Cup giant slalom in Berchtesgaden on January 7, 1974, from left: Piero Gros, Gustav Thöni, Stricker, Helmuth Schmalzl and Tino Pietrogiovanna.

At least as legendary as Stricker's crashes were his ideas for improving the equipment. The vulture beaks were intended to help reduce the risk of tangling. The Parablacks were designed to prevent skis from crossing. Curved ski poles, aerodynamic helmets, and a "racing suit made of cowhide" (as then-FIS President Gianfranco Kasper put it) were other of Stricker's ideas that decisively prevailed.

Speaking of helmets: Sepp Messner recalled with a shudder that Erwin Stricker "once showed up wearing a steel helmet. It was at a downhill training session, but nobody there was interested in the fastest rider. All the journalists gathered around Stricker to find out what the helmet was all about."

Erwin Stricker was also extreme in his professional career. "I founded 25 companies," he said of his restless and restless professional life. This didn't stop him from making a radical change in his life every ten years.

Something special every ten years In 1990, at the age of 40, Erwin Stricker and his family embarked on a year-long trip around the world. The trip took him to New Zealand, where he visited the Azzurri during summer training and the World Cup races at Mount Hutt.

In 2000, Erwin Stricker—then 50—also took a sabbatical to visit old ski veterans. In Norway, he met Erik Haker, in Canada, Dave Irwin, and in Beverly Hills, Klaus Heidegger. He called his neighbor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and over a bacon snack, they talked about more than just skiing and acting.

Erwin Stricker was a gifted artist between the slalom poles—the problem was that he rarely reached the finish line. © repro

And in 2010? Erwin Stricker was once again on the path to doing something "different." Former slalom specialist Kurt Ladstätter, Stricker's close business partner since 2000 at the ski and bike rental organization Rent and Go, said: "Erwin increasingly talked about wanting to retire. He wanted to transfer all the rental business to Gerhard Königsrainer and me. One last major concern for him was the gentle mobility of electric bikes. He still wanted to tackle that, but otherwise, he was retreating."

That this didn't happen is fitting for Erwin Stricker's turbulent, fast-paced, unpredictable life. As his wife Linda aptly said on the day of his farewell: "Erwin and I were married for 33 years. I would have loved to win the gold medal with him, but unfortunately, as so often happens, he ended the race prematurely."

Erwin Stricker died on September 28, 2010, after a short, serious illness at the age of just 60. He left behind his wife Linda and his beloved children Nina and Tim.

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South Tyrol's ski volcano that died out too soon

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