Leo Baebler

Leo Baebler was born in Žire, the son of two teachers originally from Postojna. His mother was of Italian descent. In his early childhood, his parents were forced to move apart due to World War I; Leo was sent to live with his mother and two siblings in Ledine, Idrija while his father went to Bosansko Grahovo. The family also spent some time in Bled before moving to Radovljica, and Baebler completed his primary schooling in Kočevje. It was during this time where Baebler took to skiing and joined the local ski club in Ljubljana, competing in domestic Nordic combined and ski jumping events. One of the top competitors in his field, he was selected to represent Yugoslavia at the 1936 Olympic Winter Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Competing in the Nordic combined event alongside four other countrymen, he finished 34th in a field of 51 competitors.

Baebler later attended post-secondary studies in Zagreb and Ljubljana, studying law, in which he earned a doctorate in 1938. He worked for a brief time in the court system before joining the Academy of Arts and Sciences in Ljubljana in 1941, and later rose to lead the organization as its director in 1945. He served in that position until his death at the age of 64 in 1976 after a period of ill health. Baebler was also an avid alpinist and enjoyed mountain climbing for most of his life.