The Ski-Club Arlberg
The Ski Club Arlberg is one of the oldest and well-known ski clubs in the Alps. Established on the 3rd of January 1901, the SCA with its 9,158 members from 60 countries is currently the largest ski club in Europe. Many World Champions and Olympic champions have emerged from this most traditional of clubs. And in the course if its long history, the Ski Club Arlberg has also profoundly influenced both alpine ski sports and tourism in the Arlberg region.
Tradition and history
On 3 January 1901, six friends set out from St. Anton am Arlberg through the fresh powder snow to St. Christoph am Arlberg – dressed in loden clothes and with heavy boots on their feet. After arriving at the Hotel Hospiz at 1,800 metres above sea level, they took a break that resulted in a fateful decision. They would found the Ski-Club Arlberg.
The following entry can still be read at the guest book of Hotel Hospiz: “Enthused by nature, dedicated to sport, motivated by the necessity to establish a modest meeting point for the friends of this noble pleasure, the spontaneously participating excursionists felt moved to found the ‘Ski-Club Arlberg’!” - St. Christoph, 3rd January 1901
Promotion of youth
The Ski-Club Arlberg pays special attention to the promotion of young talent. In the entire Arlberg region, more than 150 children are trained by highly qualified trainers.
In summer, the children and teenagers are prepared for the winter season with coordination exercises, mountain biking and many other sporting and social activities. Before the Arlberg ski season opens, the glacier trainings are held.
The Ski-Club Arlberg does not only deal with racing, of course. Free skiing, the use of avalanche transceivers, powder or firn descents and many other interesting variations are taught by the trainers.
The goal is set very clearly: The youth of the Arlberg should receive a comprehensive and well-founded training in snow sports, because skiing is one of the most important components of the Arlberg, which especially the young locals should master.
Famous Members
Hannes Schneider
Hannes Schneider, one of skiing’s greats in the 20s and 30s, began his career at the age of 13 when he was given his first pair of skis. Schneider went on to develop a new downhill skiing technique. When he was just 17 years of age, he worked as the first permanent ski instructor in the region and in December 1921 he established the first ski school in St. Anton am Arlberg. Later he made a name for himself as an author and actor. In addition to Hannes Schneider, many other personalities have influenced the history of the Ski-Club Arlberg.
Trude Jochum-Beiser
At the 1948 Olympic Games in St. Moritz, Trude Jochum-Beiser won gold in the combination and silver in the downhill and thus became the first female ski racer to win two medals at the Olympic Games. In addition, she won gold in the downhill at the 1952 Olympic Games in Oslo and gold in the downhill at the World Championships in Aspen in 1950.
Othmar Schneider
Othmar Schneider was kind of a star of the Winter Olympics in Oslo in 1952. As a runner of the Ski-Club Arlberg, Othmar Schneider created something unique, not only in the history of the Ski-Club Arlberg but also in Austria's history Through his victory in the slalom, Austria celebrated the first alpine gold medal at the Olympics. In downhill skiing Othmar Schneider reachd the 2nd place. The popularity of his successes led to his election as Austrian Sportsman of the Year 1952.
Egon Zimmermann
Egon Zimmermann from Lech won gold in the downhill at the 1964 Olympic Games in Innsbruck.
Karl Schranz und Gertrud Gabl
Between 1957 and 1973, Karl Schranz from St. Anton am Arlberg, won 8 World Cup downhill races and 5 combination titles. He also came under the top three in three giant slalom races. Karl Schranz was World Champion no less than three times: once in each of the disciplines of downhill, combination and giant slalom and he won the overall World Cup twice. A unique event in the history of the World Cup occurred in the winter of 1968-9, when the men’s and women’s overall World Cup titles were won by Karl Schranz and Gertrud Gabl respectively, both representing the Ski-Club Arlberg.
Patrick Ortlieb
Patrick Ortlieb was downhill Olympic champion in 1992 and downhill World Champion in 1996. He is one of only 5 ski racers who have won both the gold medal in the downhill at the Olympics and the downhill World Championship title. In addition, he won four World Cup races.
Mario Matt
At the 2001 World Championships held in St. Anton am Arlberg, a local member of the Ski-Club Arlberg won his first World Championship title in slalom: Mario Matt from Flirsch am Arlberg, also known as ‘Super Mario’ or the ‘Eagle from the Arlberg’. Mario won the race using a carving technique that was new at the time. Six years later, Mario once again won gold for the Ski-Club Arlberg in the World Championships in Aare in both the slalom and team events. In the Olympic Games of 2014 in Sochi, (Russia) Mario Matt won the gold medal in slalom. He is the most successful member of the Ski-Club Arlberg.