Radiantly blue skies set against a mountain panorama with sparkling snow, combined with top athletes competing on slopes, cross-country trails, and ski jumps: As a promoter of active winter sports, the Austrian Ski Association (ÖSV) forms the foundation for international skiing events. Every year, it attracts countless enthusiastic winter sports fans who watch the athletes live or on television.
The ÖSV – on the road to success from the very beginning
Since its founding, the Austrian Ski Association has been writing a remarkable success story. Today, more than 1,100 clubs with hundreds of thousands of members are united under its umbrella. Headquartered in Innsbruck, the association is one of the largest sports federations in Austria.
The Austrian Ski Association was founded in 1904. However, eight years earlier, sports pioneers Max Kleinoscheg and Gerda Paumgarten established its predecessor organization and organized the first ski race in Central Europe in 1893. Just three years later, the first ski jumping competition took place, with the winner achieving a jump of 8.50 meters. Compared to the distances reached today, that certainly brings a smile.
The full diversity of mountain sports – from alpine skiing to ski mountaineering
What makes the Austrian Ski Association special is that it not only maintains divisions for classic winter sports such as alpine skiing, ski jumping, Nordic combined, cross-country skiing, and biathlon. Snowboarders, freestyle athletes, ski mountaineers, and freeriders also find a home here. In total, the ÖSV supports 14 different sports.
In addition, the Austrian Ski Association operates several professionally managed subsidiaries. They prepare and host world championships and competitions in biathlon, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and ski jumping in Austria.
The Four Hills events in Innsbruck and Bischofshofen are an unforgettable experience
The ski jumping events in Innsbruck and Bischofshofen during the Four Hills Tournament around New Year are legendary. In addition, numerous ÖSV events take place at the Villacher Alpen Arena ski jumping facility. An important date in the calendar for alpine skiing fans is the annual opening of the FIS Ski World Cup in Sölden: the Hahnenkamm race in Kitzbühel, held on one of the world’s most challenging downhill courses, is considered an absolute classic.
A crowd favorite: World Cup slalom under floodlights
Another spectacular event is THE Nightrace in Schladming, a nighttime men’s slalom race under floodlights. This unique show event organized by the Austrian Ski Association is part of the FIS World Cup and ranks among the largest ski parties in the world. Every year, the event attracts up to 50,000 spectators.
The municipality of Hochfilzen, located at over 950 meters above sea level in the idyllic and snow-reliable Pillerseetal valley, has meanwhile made a name for itself as a biathlon venue and transforms every December into a meeting point for the world’s best biathletes. Exciting world championships and World Cup races are held there in one of the oldest yet most modern biathlon stadiums.
From elite sports to recreational sports
The Austrian Ski Association is divided into the areas of elite sports, competitive sports, recreational sports, as well as marketing and communications. In addition, it supports winter sports in schools and organizes Ski Austria camps for enthusiastic amateur racers and ski tourers.
From an early age, young talents in the ÖSV’s competitive sports department are introduced to competitions. Organizing major events and supporting athletes with marketing form an important foundation for this. Time and again, this commitment bears fruit: in sports such as alpine skiing, ski jumping, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, biathlon, Nordic combined, and para snowsports, as well as at world championships and Olympic Games, the Austrian Ski Association regularly achieves major successes.
The Austrian Ski Association celebrates its sporting icons
Many virtuoso slalom specialists as well as daring downhill racers and ski jumpers from Austria have made sports history. The list of successful winter sports athletes is long and includes alpine champions such as Annemarie Moser-Pröll, Franz Klammer, Hermann Maier, and Marcel Hirscher. Austrian ski jumping legends include Gregor Schlierenzauer and Thomas Morgenstern. Among the world’s most successful snowboarders are Julia Dujmovits and Marion Kreiner. Watching them is pure fascination. It is no wonder that tickets for Austrian Ski Association sporting events are highly sought after and that countless viewers cheer along from their homes in front of the television.
