Fischer Celebrates The (R) C4

Nowhere are the demands on human beings and their equipment greater than where success is determined in fractions of a second: on the race course.

In the early 60’s Fischer is one of the largest ski manufacturers in the world. When Egon Zimmermann won the World Championships in the Giant Slalom in February of 1962 in Chamonix, Fischer was also on top in racing.

50 years of speed… let’s look back.

The 1960’s

On January 30th, 1964 Egon Zimmermann takes gold in the Innsbruck Olympic Downhill. This marks the pinnacle of his career. 50,000 spectators line the course and cheer the Austrian on. “Talent is as thin as a piece of paper; all the rest is hard work.”- Egon Zimmermann

The 1970’s

Markus Wasmaier was Giant Slalom world champion, wearing the RC4 VACUUM. In 1973 Franz Klammer wins the Downhill in Schladming, setting a world record of 111.26 kmh (69.13 mph) in the process. Three years later Klammer takes gold in the 1976 Innsbruck Olympics. “We used to have five different types of snow in a single race.” – Franz Klammer

Other notable success stories were Hans Kniewasser, Othmar Kirchmair, Elfi Deufl, and especially Regina Sackl who won the World Cup Slalom in the 1978-79 season.

The 1980’s

Fischer dominates the men’s Downhill at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. Austrian Peter Wirnsberger takes silver and Canadian Steve Podborski the bronze.

Two years later at the World Championships in Schladming is the next impressive success in a major event, as Hartmann "Harti" Weirather is Downhill champion. In 1985 Markus Wasmeier is the world champion in Giant Slalom, wearing RC4 VACUUM.

The 1990’s

The 1991 Alpine Ski World Championships in Saalbach/Hinterglemm are the most successful in Fischer history with a total of six medals.

Thomas Stangassinger starts things off with a silver medal in the Slalom. But the real star of these World Championships is a young racer named Stephan Eberharter. Not among the favorites, he takes gold in the Super-G. Now with a target on his back, he takes another gold a few days later in the Combined Downhill.

The Combined Downhill is a total triumph for Fischer. Eberharter, Kristian Ghedina, und Günther Mader sweep the top three medal spots. Italian Peter Rungaldier skis to silver in the Downhill, ensuring Fischer is represented there, as well. Further excellent performances by Thomas Stangassinger and Isolde Kostner, round off a highly successful season.

The final jewel in the crown of this successful decade is two championships in the Super-G for Atle Skardal, in 1996 in Sierra Nevada and a year later in Sestriere.

The 2000’s

In 2001 Swiss skier Michael von Grünigen puts an exclamation point on his successful career by winning the Giant Slalom at the World Championships in St. Anton. It is the first gold medal for Fischer in the Giant Slalom since Markus Wasmeier’s 1985 victory in Bormio.

Austrian Mario Matt also celebrates great success in the 2000’s on Fischer skis. Alongside his excellent World Cup performances, he takes the 2006 world champion title in Turin, then in 2007 World Championships in Are he takes the Slalom crown once again.

2010 through today

Familiar names such as Rainer Schönfelder, Steve Nyman, Manfred Mölgg, Reinfried Herbst and Jean Batiste Grange enjoy significant success in the 2010’s wearing Fischer. In 2011 Croatian Ivica Kostelic takes home the Crystal Globe as the winner of the overall World Cup. In the 2014 Sochi Olympics Nicole Hosp, from Tyrol, Austria enjoys tremendous success, earning a silver and a bronze. As a finale to her career she is a champion in the Team Competition at the 2015 World Championships in Vail/Beaver Creek, where she also takes silver in the Alpine Combined.

In 2017 Nicole Schmidhofer wins the Super-G in the World Championships in St. Moritz. In the 2018-19 Nici then takes the World Cup Downhill title and is second in the World Cup Super-G, followed immediately by Ramona Siebenhofer in third place. Schmidhofer goes on to take third place in the Super-G in the subsequent 2019-20 season.

Vincent Kriechmayr of Upper Austria has a long string of notable success in Fischer. In 2017-18 and in each of the following two seasons he earns second place in the World Cup Super-G. On top of that, he adds a third place finish in the World Cup Downhill in 2018-19. In the World Championships in Are he hauls in an impressive second place in Super-G as well as third in the Downhill.

2020 belongs to Swiss skier Daniel Yule. He wins not only the Slalom in Madonna di Campiglio, but also on his home course in Adelboden, and ski racing’s legendary Slalom in Kitzbühel. He ends the 2019-20 season in the same fashion as the previous year, third overall in the Slalom rankings.

The strong Fischer team has now been rounded out with Katharina Truppe, Ramona Siebenhofer, Max Franz, Luca Aerni, Marlene Schmotz, Marina Wallner, Stefan Brennsteiner,… who consistently serve up impressive World Cup results.

…to be continued