There are wild headlines about him again: Ivica Kostelic. © AFP / LOIC VENANCE

Buried by avalanche? Ex-ski star stirs up controversy

On Wednesday, according to media reports, ski legend Ivica Kostelic was buried in an avalanche in Austria. He later posted on social media and shared his version of events.

03 April 2025

From: det

Just a few weeks ago, Ivica Kostelic hit the headlines when the skiing legend narrowly avoided tragedy during a kayaking tour and had to be rescued in dire distress at sea. Now, the former overall World Cup winner is once again in the spotlight. According to media reports, the Croatian was buried by an avalanche in Austria. His perspective, however, sounds somewhat different...

But first things first! On Wednesday, a major rescue operation took place in Obertauern in the Salzburg region. Two freeriders – a 45-year-old Croatian and a 30-year-old Austrian – triggered an avalanche, burying the Croatian about one meter under the snow. When rescuers arrived by helicopter, the Austrian freerider was in the process of digging his colleague out. In the end, the Croatian skier was lucky in his misfortune, as the whole incident ended well; no one was injured, and the two were even able to ski down to the valley independently.

Ivica Kostelic is a skiing legend. © AFP / DIMITAR DILKOFF

That evening, a report that caused quite a stir began to circulate. According to various Austrian media outlets, the buried man was Ivica Kostelic. The 45-year-old Croatian former ski star also posted several photos on Instagram on Wednesday showing him with a 30-year-old Austrian freerider in the Salzburg mountains.

Kostelic says he was an eyewitness

But after the articles appeared, Kostelic spoke out on Instagram and explained his side of the story. "Today I was a direct eyewitness to an avalanche in Austria, which, to my knowledge, did not injure anyone. Like any citizen, I provided my information following such an event as part of the usual procedures. I suspect that's how my name appeared in the news," Kostelic said.

Check out this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ivica Kostelic (@ivicakostelic)

The Croatian also added: "I'm skiing with my family and ask all media to respect my privacy and not bother me or my family. Thank you very much." So, there's been a lot of fuss about Ivica Kostelic, but the most important thing is: no one was hurt!