Siegfried Weiß

Siegfried Weiß belonged to the so-called Golden Generation of cross-country skiers of the late 1950s and 1960s. He was from the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) together with Helmut Hagg, Herbert Steinbeißer and upcoming Walter Demel. Weiß won four national titles over 50 km and took part in four Olympic Games between 1956-68. He then started for the mixed German team from 1956-64, and for West Germany in 1968. Long distance ski runs to school and hard work on his parents’ farm brought him the background for top-level long distance skiing. In 1960 at Squaw Valley he was close to his greatest sport moment when he held a good result at the first intermediate time, but then waxing problems dropped him down to 24th place at race end. In 1972 Weiß retired and went back to farming. He later criticized skating style as “an unnatural moving style.”