Patrick Ortlieb

Patrick Ortlieb (born 20 May 1967) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer and Olympic gold medalist from Austria. A specialist in the speed events, he was also a world champion in the downhill event.

Born in Bregenz in Vorarlberg, Ortlieb started skiing early at the age of three. He won the downhill event at the 1992 Winter Olympics in France, gathered twenty World Cup podiums (sixty top tens), and was World Champion in 1996 in downhill. At the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, he finished fourth in the downhill at Kvitfjell. A month earlier, he won the famed downhill on the Hahnenkamm in Kitzbühel, Austria.

Five years later in January 1999, Ortlieb's racing career ended at age 31 after a serious crash during a practice run on the same slope at Kitzbühel. He suffered a compound fracture of the right femur and a badly dislocated and slightly fractured right hip after losing control and crashing into the safety nets at the Hausbergkante (mountain house corner). Later in the year, he was elected to the National Council of Austria for the Freedom Party of Austria, where he stayed for three years.

Ortlieb currently runs a four-star hotel, named Hotel Montana, in Lech am Arlberg in Vorarlberg.

Ortlieb is the father of fellow alpine skier Nina Ortlieb.

World Cup results Race podiums 4 wins – (3 DH, 1 SG) 20 podiums – (18 DH, 2 SG)

Season standings Season Age Overall Slalom GiantSlalom Super-G Downhill Combined 1989 21 30 – – – 12 — 1990 22 43 – – – 17 14 1991 23 23 – – 26 6 — 1992 24 10 – – 18 4 18 1993 25 7 – – 7 7 6 1994 26 12 – – 21 3 — 1995 27 11 – – 9 3 — 1996 28 20 – – 27 3 — 1997 29 33 – – 16 14 — 1998 30 62 – – 32 27 — 1999 31 82 – – – 35 —

World Championship results Year Age Slalom Giant slalom Super-G Downhill Combined 1991 23 — — — 7 — 1993 25 — — cancelled 8 — 1996 28 — — — 1 — 1997 29 — — — 8 — The Super-G in 1993 was cancelled after multiple weather delays.

Year Age Slalom Giant slalom Super-G Downhill Combined 1992 24 — — 18 1 — 1994 26 — — — 4 —