ZURBRIGGEN Pirmin (SUI) 04.02.1963 Saas Almagell SKI: Kaestle BOOTS: Nordica BINDING: Tyrolia 1990. retired Val Gardena 89 DH/1st Adelboden 87 GS/ 1st Sestriere 84 SL/1st Courmayuer 90 SG/ 1st World Cup 1984 Overall Podium, Oslo(NOR) 1st / P.Zurbriggen & E.Hess, 2nd / I.Stenmark & H.Wenzel, 3rd / M.Girardelli & T.McKinney World Cup Ranking General 1981/32nd, 1982/11th, 1983/6th, 1984/1st, 1985/2nd, 1986/2nd, 1987/1st, 1988/1st, 1989/2nd, 1990/1st. Special 1984 GS/1st, 1985 GS/2nd, 1986 SG/2nd. 1987 DH/1st, GS/1st, SG/1st, 1988 DH/1st, SG/1st, 1989 GS/1st, SG/1st, 1990 DH/3rd, SG/1st. World Championships 1985 Bormio DH/1st, GS/2nd, K/1st. 1987 Crans Montana GS/1st, SG/1st, DH/2nd, K/2nd. 1989 Vail DH/15, SG/2nd, GS/3rd, K/4th. Olympic Games 1984 Sarajevo DH/4th 1988 Calgary DH/1st, SG/5th, GS/3rd, SL/7th. World Cup: - 40 w. (10 DH, 10 SG, 7 GS, 2 SL, 11 K) 1. DH: Kitzbuhel 85 I,II, Las Lenas 86 I, Val d'Isere 86, Garmisch 87, Kitzbuhel 87, Aspen 87, Val d'Isere 88, Schladming 88, Val Gardena 89 SG: Val Gardena 83, Oppdal 84, Puy-St-Vinsent 84, Panorama 85, Hemsedal 86, Aspen 87, Schladming 88, Sestriere 89. Courmayeur 90, Hemsedal 90, GS: Sansicario 82, Adelboden 83, Aspen 84, Adelboden 87-I+II, Todtnau 87, Val Thorens 88 SL: Sestriere 84, Are 86 K: Wengen 82, Madonna 82, Garmisch 84, Kitzbuhel 85, 86, Are 86, Wengen 87, Kitzbuhel 87, St.Anton 88, Schladming 90, Kitzbuhel 90 Calgary OWG88 DH/ 1st Pirmin Zurbriggen made history in the mid 1980's : the first athlete ever to win all five specialties of modern alpine ski racing during his outstanding career. In December 1980, the Swiss ace began his World Cup career as a promising GS skier. Zurbriggen finished in 1990 as an impressive all-rounder who excelled in the speed events, DH and SG. He conquered his first of four Overall World Cup titles in 1984 and his first gold medals at the 1985 FIS World Championships. That was only two weeks after a serious knee injury at Kitzbuhel during his first downhill win. 1987 was Pirmin's best year: he won 9 World Cup races on his way to a second overall title, including topping the final standings in DH,GS and SG. He also added two gold medals in GS and SG at the FIS World Championships at Crans-Montana. In 1988 Zurbriggen was Olympic champion in DH after an fantastic run on the Nakiska course at Calgary. He finished his fine racing career in 1990 with a fourth Crystal Globe. A very religious person who grew up in a remote village near Saas-Fee, Zurbriggen attacked ski racing with incredible aggressiveness to reach his goals. A seemingly reckless skier in downhill, he loved the danger of steep, icy and treacherous courses. With a total of 40 World Cup victories over nine years and five gold medals, Pirmin Zurbriggen definitely belongs to the "All-Time Greats" of Alpine Skiing. He left the World Cup tour as a hero to start a family. A father of four kids, Pirmin now runs the hotel with his parents in Saas-Almagell. Biorama Basel