After Kvitfjell it’s over: the Swiss speed devil hangs up his skis

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Ralph Weber (30) will participate in his 100th World Cup race on Saturday in Kvitfjell (No.). It will also be his last appearance as a professional skier.

As the speed specialist announced in a video on social media, he ended his career after this descent. As a little boy he was already enthusiastic about drivers such as Didier Cuche (49), Daniel Albrecht (40), Marc Berthod (40) and Ambrosi Hoffmann (46). “I want to achieve that one day,” he said to himself at the time.

He remembers March 15, 2012 all the more emotionally. On that day in Schladming (Austria), Weber made his World Cup debut in the Super-G (22nd). At the same time, this was one of the last races in the career of his idol Cuche. “Then I knew: this is what you have always dreamed of, and a long, interesting journey awaits me,” Weber says in the video.

Lauberhorn as the highlight

During this journey he has experienced many ups and downs and has been able to learn a lot about himself. One of his highlights: 10th place in the Lauberhorn descent in 2020. “That was incredible.” He was ranked so well for only the second time in his career – in 2014 in Santa Caterina (It).

After a hernia slowed him down last season, Weber gave everything again in the summer to prepare for this winter. But the results were not forthcoming. He took part in four downhill races, was eliminated once and his best result is 32nd place. “As the season went on, I had to admit to myself that it was no longer enough,” Weber reveals. The dismissal started to become clear around the turn of the year. “When I crossed the finish line in Wengen, I knew this was it.”

It is not an easy step and cannot be compared to changing jobs, because ‘your whole life changes’. It is still unclear what Weber will do in the future. “I want to let it happen to me and find myself,” he says. (beer)

Source : Blick