The Most Famous

SKIERS from Switzerland

This page contains a list of the greatest Swiss Skiers. The pantheon dataset contains 817 Skiers, 57 of which were born in Switzerland. This makes Switzerland the birth place of the 5th most number of Skiers behind Germany, and Sweden.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Swiss Skiers of all time. This list of famous Swiss Skiers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Swiss Skiers.

1. Pirmin Zurbriggen (b. 1963)

With an HPI of 50.52, Pirmin Zurbriggen is the most famous Swiss Skier. His biography has been translated into 25 different languages on wikipedia.

Pirmin Zurbriggen (born 4 February 1963) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Switzerland. One of the most successful ski racers ever, he won the overall World Cup title four times, an Olympic gold medal in 1988 in Downhill, and nine World Championships medals (4 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze).

2. Hedy Schlunegger (1923 - 2003)

With an HPI of 50.22, Hedy Schlunegger is the 2nd most famous Swiss Skier. Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Hedy Kaufmann-Schlunegger (10 March 1923 – 5 July 2003) was a Swiss alpine skier. At the 1948 Winter Olympics, Hedy Schlunegger was the first Olympic Gold medalist in Lady's Downhill skiing. After her success in skiing, Hedy Kaufmann-Schlunegger and her husband managed a sporting goods store in Grindelwald. Olympic medalist Martina Schild is her granddaughter.

3. Bernhard Russi (b. 1948)

With an HPI of 49.35, Bernhard Russi is the 3rd most famous Swiss Skier. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Bernhard Russi (born 20 August 1948) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Switzerland. Born in Andermatt in the canton of Uri, he is an Olympic, World Cup, and World champion in the downhill event.

4. Madeleine Berthod (b. 1931)

With an HPI of 49.03, Madeleine Berthod is the 4th most famous Swiss Skier. Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Madeleine Chamot-Berthod (born 1 February 1931) is a Swiss former alpine skier. She was born in Château d'Oex, Vaud. Berthod was Swiss Sportspersonality of the year in 1956. She competed at the 1952, 1956 and the 1960 Winter Olympics, winning gold in the women's downhill at the 1956 Games.

5. Vreni Schneider (b. 1964)

With an HPI of 48.77, Vreni Schneider is the 5th most famous Swiss Skier. Her biography has been translated into 35 different languages.

Verena "Vreni" Schneider (born 26 November 1964) is a retired ski racer from Switzerland. She is the most successful alpine ski racer of her country, the fourth most successful female ski racer ever (after Lindsey Vonn, Annemarie Moser-Pröll and Mikaela Shiffrin) and was voted "Swiss Sportswoman of the Century".

6. Simon Ammann (b. 1981)

With an HPI of 48.06, Simon Ammann is the 6th most famous Swiss Skier. His biography has been translated into 43 different languages.

Simon Ammann (; born 25 June 1981) is a Swiss ski jumper. He is one of the most successful athletes in the history of the sport, having won four individual Winter Olympic gold medals in 2002 and 2010. His other achievements include winning the 2007 Ski Jumping World Championships, the 2010 Ski Flying World Championships, the 2010 Nordic Tournament, and the 2010 Ski Jumping World Cup overall title.

7. Renée Colliard (1933 - 2022)

With an HPI of 47.78, Renée Colliard is the 7th most famous Swiss Skier. Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Renée Colliard (24 December 1933 in Geneva – 15 December 2022) was a Swiss alpine skier. At the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, she became Olympic champion in Slalom.

8. Lara Gut-Behrami (b. 1991)

With an HPI of 46.92, Lara Gut-Behrami is the 8th most famous Swiss Skier. Her biography has been translated into 44 different languages.

Lara Gut-Behrami (née Gut; Italian pronunciation: [ˈlaːra ˈɡut]; born 27 April 1991) is a Swiss World Cup alpine ski racer who competes in all disciplines and specializes in the speed events of downhill and Super-G. She won the gold medal in the super-G event at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. With 45 World Cup victories to her name across 3 disciplines, she is one of the all-time greats in Alpine skiing.

9. Marie-Theres Nadig (b. 1954)

With an HPI of 46.91, Marie-Theres Nadig is the 9th most famous Swiss Skier. Her biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Marie-Thérèse Nadig (born 8 March 1954) is a retired Swiss alpine skier.

10. Walter Steiner (b. 1951)

With an HPI of 46.84, Walter Steiner is the 10th most famous Swiss Skier. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Walter Steiner (born 15 February 1951) is a Swiss former ski jumper who competed in the 1970s.

People

Pantheon has 62 people classified as Swiss skiers born between 1920 and 1997. Of these 62, 53 (85.48%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Swiss skiers include Pirmin Zurbriggen, Bernhard Russi, and Madeleine Berthod. The most famous deceased Swiss skiers include Hedy Schlunegger, Renée Colliard, and Antoinette Meyer. As of April 2024, 5 new Swiss skiers have been added to Pantheon including Antoinette Meyer, Roger Staub, and Jasmine Flury.