5 women skiers who have made history on the snow

If one thing is clear to us, it is that the world of sport has always been dominated by men. However, this does not mean that there is no female presence, but rather that women have never been represented in the same way or on the same scale.

Names like Candide Thovex, Hermann Maier or Shane McConkey probably say a lot more than others like Lindsey Vonn or Ester Ledecká, especially for those who don't know much about skiing.

Despite the wealth of achievements that many women achieve in various sports disciplines, it never seems to be important enough to be credited with deserved success commensurate with their talent, and while it is It is true that in recent years this has been changing, it still does so at a very slow pace.

Because of this, despite the fact that the fame of women athletes does not reach the levels of that of men, at Uller we want to make a difference, and that is why we present below 5 of the women skiers who have made history on snow over different decades.

Anne Marie Moser-Pröll (1953)

If we go back in time, it is essential to name Anne Marie Moser-Pröll born in 1953. Nicknamed ‘The Tiger of Kleinarl’, the Austrian is considered one of the greatest female skiers in the history of the sport. This skier stands out because year after year she consolidated her leadership and the most characteristic quality of her career: mastery of the downhill race, although, it should be noted, that she also stood out in many others.

Among her numerous victories, 6 World Cup Generals stand out, thus being the skier who has received this title the most times, in addition, she also has 10 different titles and 62 victories in total.

Among his Olympic achievements, it should be noted that he has 2 silvers and 1 gold, which he won in 1980 at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics, and after which he finally decided to retire from sports life to dedicate himself fully to his family when he was about to turn 27 years old.

A decade was the time the Austrian needed to secure a place in Olympic skiing history and become one of the most successful female skiers who would serve as a benchmark for many years to come.

Blanca Fernandez Ochoa (1963)

A Spanish national, Blanca Fernández Ochoa was born in Madrid in 1963. Although full of achievements, her life was also affected by the tragedy.

With the great pressure of being the sister of fellow skier Francisco Fernández Ochoa, Blanca became the first woman to win an Olympic medal, in this case a bronze, for Spain at the Albertville Winter Olympics held in 1992.

A pioneer in promoting women's sports, Blanca's life has been linked to snow since she was very young, since she lived with her family in Cercedilla and her parents worked in the ski resort of Navacerrada. At the age of 8, she participated in her first competition and despite being quite inexperienced, she managed to position herself in fourth place. This moment was decisive in Blanca's life, since it was the cause of the young woman moving three years later to a training center in Baqueira Beret.

In 1978 she began in international competitions and from there, she did nothing more than reap victory after victory, like in 1985 when she became the first Spaniard to take first place in the World Cup.

At 29 years old and after winning bronze for Spain and 4 World Cups, Blanca retired after the Baqueira Beret championship. In 2019 and at the age of 56, Blanca disappeared and five days later her lifeless body was found. The skier left, but she left a legacy for Spanish skiing.

Petra Kronberger (1969)

Born in Austria in 1969, Petra Kronberger grew up on her grandparents' farm, as her parents were saving money to build her own home.

her Of humble origin, it was her own father who taught her to ski at only 2 years old and whose teaching undoubtedly paid off for her, since at the age of 6 she would win the first skiing competition she. At the age of 10, a sports coach noticed Petra and convinced her parents that she needed to train harder in order to reach professional levels. Petra's parents, even though they couldn't afford their daughter's academy fees, decided to make a big effort for fear of regretting it later.

Petra Kronberger's career was not very long, but even so, she was one of the only 5 women to have managed to win all disciplines of the World Cup in the same season. However, the Austrian only competed professionally for 5 years, since in 1992 and at the age of 23 she announced her retirement citing a loss of motivation for the sport.

Years later, she became a professor of German literature and art history and moved to Salzburg where she worked at the Museum of the same name and at Hohensalzburg Castle.

In 1996, this ski prodigy received a merit medal for her, because, in addition to her great gift for skiing, Petra was also admired for her humble and affable personality.

Lindsey Vonn (1984)

Born in the United States and nicknamed Don Don, Lindsey Vonn is one of the most acclaimed female skiers in history. His presence in this snow sport dates back many years. He is now 37 years old, but his path in skiing began when he was barely 3, the age at which he got on some boards. However, she would not start competing until she was 9 years old, after her family realized the great talent she had and that would undoubtedly make her stand out from the rest.

her Although she is now retired, her triumphs are numerous and she can boast of having won the Alpine Ski World Cup 4 times. In the Alpine Ski World Cup he also won several times throughout his career, 54 to be exact, and holds the record in the downhill and super-giant categories.

Vonn's career will never be forgotten, and it is that in addition to receiving the Laureus award in 2010 for being the best athlete, she also has 20 Crystal Globes, a trophy awarded for having the best score in her specialty .

Ester Ledecká (1995)

At only 26 years old and born in the Czech Republic, Ester Ledecká is considered one of the young promises, not only in skiing, but also in snowboarding. However, his second start came much later, since at only 9 years old, Ledecká showed great interest in getting on skis until he decided to opt for snowboarding when he reached international categories.

2018 was the year in which he made a name for himself in sports history thanks to his participation in the Yeon Chang Olympic Games in South Korea, where he won Olympic gold in both the Super G skiing and the Giant Parallel snowboarding, after hearing numerous times that he would have to choose one sport because he would not be able to perform at the highest level in both specialties.

A curious anecdote? The victory of the Yeong Chang Games was achieved with skis borrowed by the American Mikaela Shiffrin who gave up participating that year due to the tight calendar.

After this brief review of some of the lives of women who have made history on the snow, it is clear to us that sport has never been just a men's thing, and that in fact, there are many athletes who have dared to dream high and achieve your goals when many did not think it was possible.