Marcel Hirscher heads to the top

From Next magazine issue 3/2008. Text by Timo Repo

Here’s a name to remember: at only 19, Marcel Hirscher is a rising star for Austria and the Atomic alpine team. Last season he won two Junior World Championships and scored two podium finishes in the men’s World Cup. This season Hirscher may well be one of the brightest starts on the alpine circuit.

In the 2006/07 season, Marcel Hirscher took gold in giant slalom and finished second in slalom at the Junior World Championships. The young Austrian made his final breakthrough last season by bringing home gold in both slalom and giant slalom at the Junior World Championships held in Formiga, Spain. To top it off, Hirscher’s bold skiing brought him two third-place finishes in the men’s World Cup in Kranjska Gora and Bormio.

The alpine circle thinks Hirscher has great potential and might beat any of the top skiers this season. In fact, Marcel is expected to reach the podium at the season opener in Soelden.

Coached by his own father

Marcel Hirscher has been coached by his father Ferdinand, who heads his own skiing school in Annaberg, the family’s hometown near Salzburg. Marcel’s main practice slopes are still the ones surrounding the village. Every now and then Hirscher trains with downhill skier Michael Walchhofer, who lives only an hour away in Zauchensee.

Hirscher admits that his success has required a great deal of hard work. Not a single World Championship title or World Cup placing has come for free.

“I’ve always loved speed and risky sports. I was only three when my father took me to the slopes in Annaberg, and I’ve loved alpine skiing ever since. I took part in my first competition at the age of six. That got me addicted to both speed and technique disciplines. My father’s instructions and hard work have brought me to this point. I wouldn’t trade a single day.

“You’re never ready as a winner or skier – that much is true. The ability to learn new things about equipment, technique, and training every day is a must. I’ve retained that interest and, in fact, it keeps growing with good achievements,” said Hirscher in Zauchensee this summer.

Not easy to win

Hirscher made his breakthrough last season both in the juniors and in the men’s World Cup. But despite a good start to the season, the Austrian was not prepared for two gold medals in the Junior World Championships.

“You always need a bit of luck to win a race. I tweaked my technique with my father’s help all season and it finally brought results in Spain. It’s too early to get excited, though, because the men’s World Cup will be very different. The opponents are a lot tougher, so you must continue to develop your skills.”

Is that the magic of alpine disciplines – the fact that skiers are constantly required to accumulate more information about equipment, the snow, their own skills, and resolution?

“It’s a big leap from juniors to men. I must change my training and attitude to competitions. There’s no room for mistakes in the World Cup if you want to remain at the top,” says the 19-year-old.

Hirscher also plans his free time around his passions. Although some sports are basically prohibited during the alpine season, he is attracted to testing his limits in various sports.

“I’ve always liked speed sports, such as motorcycles and motocross, and am always interested in going beyond my limits. Such moments also give me more self-confidence for the competition season,” Marcel explains.

World Championship dreams

Hirscher has spent the summer and early autumn testing new equipment and improving his fitness for the opening race in Soelden. Clean skiing is what Marcel aims at in the coming season. He also hopes to finish among the top 20 in the men’s World Cup. The Austrian’s main goal, however, is the men’s World Championships in Val d’Isère. After that, he will head to the Vancouver Winter Olympics in Canada.

“A medal in the World Championships or the Olympic Games is definitely one of my future goals, but it’s still too early for such dreams. Before I can expect results I must first perfect my technique and skiing.

“The world of Alpine sports is full of twists and turns, which makes it difficult to predict results. It goes without saying, though, that the race slopes need talented and colorful individuals,” says Hirscher.

  • Marcel Hirscher
  • Height: 173 cm
  • Weight: 70 kg
  • Date of birth: March 2, 1989
  • Place of birth: Annaberg, Austria
  • Hobbies: motocross, paddling,
  • soccer, climbing
  • Coach: Ferdinand Hirscher