Tina Weirather: Life After Racing, but Class Is Permanent – Where the Skiing Legend Is Today

You don’t have to think long when it comes to the most defining faces in alpine skiing over the last decade. Tina Weirather is right up there. Even though we no longer see her in the starting gate for the speed disciplines, the native of Liechtenstein, with her Swiss roots, has stayed connected to the sport. Whenever there’s a classic race in St. Moritz or Wengen, the thought crosses your mind: man, she used to ski that slope with such effortless authority.

The news of her retirement in the spring of 2020 hit like a bolt from the blue. But let’s be honest: anyone who followed her career knew that after all those hard landings and injuries, her body was going to draw a line. Tina was never the type to fight for every start at any cost – she was the one who raced with an almost audacious coolness when it really mattered. Her style was that elegant, smooth glide that made the hard-packed piste look like a fluffy carpet.

For a young Tina Weirather, the daughter of Hanni Wenzel and Harti Weirather, the pressure was, of course, immense. But she didn’t just carry the name; she gave it new meaning. Winning the small Crystal Globe in Super-G in 2018 was the crowning achievement of a season where she was simply untouchable. Anyone who watched the races in Lake Louise knows: that was her personal happy place on the circuit. There, she showed she wasn't just the "princess" from the principality, but a fiercely competitive force at World Cup level.

Her World Cup achievements read like a who’s who of the speed elite:

• World Cup Discipline Title in Super-G (2017/18 season) – the small Crystal Globe for absolute consistency across the entire season.
• Seven World Cup victories in the speed disciplines, including several on the classic courses in North America and Europe.
• Five additional podium finishes at World Championships and Olympic Games, including 4th place in Pyeongchang 2018 – a placing every racer knows: so close yet so far, but a testament to her world-class ability.

What is Tina Weirather doing today? After retiring, she didn’t just fade into the white noise of sports history. She consciously stepped back to give her body and mind a break. Together with her husband, Swiss ski racer Andreas Sander, she now splits her time between the Austrian Vorarlberg region and her home in the Rhine Valley. If you meet her today, you sense this calmness. She’s enjoying life without a race number, occasionally appears as an expert on TV – and yes, she’s passing on the joy of snow to the next generation. Completely without performance pressure, just for the fun of it.

For us in Switzerland and neighbouring Liechtenstein, Tina Weirather remains one of the most charismatic athletes we’ve ever had. That blend of laid-back ease and iron will was what set her apart. And that’s exactly why it’s great to still see her on the slopes now and then – no longer in a racing suit with a stopwatch, but with her family, a smile on her face. That’s the best proof: you can end your career without losing your passion.

When you think of Tina Weirather, the old saying comes to mind: old flames never die. For the Swiss and Liechtenstein ski community, she’s not just a former racer. She’s one of our own. As long as there are World Cup races in Switzerland, there will be moments that spark that feeling – and we’ll remember the time when Tina stood at the very top of the podium, raising the Crystal Globe with that inimitable smile. That, to me, is class that lasts.