Egon Schöpf

Austrian Egon Schöpf showed promise in his youth as a skier, but his career was interrupted by World War II before it could really get off the ground. He spent two years as a prisoner during the conflict and began studying at the University of Innsbruck upon his return in 1946.

It was here that Schöpf renewed his passion for skiing and won titles in the downhill, slalom, and combined at the 1947 University World Championships. That same year, he won the first of three consecutive Austrian national titles in the slalom, adding a combined victory in 1948 and finally clinching all three disciplines in 1949 by winning the downhill as well. In between, Schöpf represented his country at the 1948 St. Moritz Olympics, where he was fifth in the downhill and sixth in the slalom.

Schöpf won his only major international medal at the 1950 World Championships, where he was third in the downhill behind Zeno Colò of Italy and James Couttet of France. Schöpf was also fifth in the slalom and 20th in the giant slalom. He retired from active competition after this tournament, but made a brief comeback in 1952 in time to represent Austria at that year’s Olympics in Oslo. He failed to complete either the downhill or the giant slalom, and then retired for good.

In addition to his career as an alpine skier, Schöpf was also active as a handball player from the late 1940s and had a few appearances on the Austrian national team. In the mid-1950s he also became a rally driver. In 1960 he became race supervisor for the Kneissl ski company and worked with successful skiers such as Karl Schranz, Heinrich Messner, Leonhard Stock and Marc Girardelli. He later ran a hotel in St Anton am Arlberg in the Tyrolean Alps.