Legendary Ski Coach Erich Sailer Dies At 99, Leaving A Monumental Legacy

Erich Sailer, the Austrian-born ski visionary who revolutionized American ski racing, has died at the age of 99 in his adopted home in the United States. Known as the architect behind generations of U.S. ski champions, Sailer's influence stretched far beyond the slopes of Buck Hill, Minnesota, where he founded one of the most prolific youth race camps in the country.

Born in Telfs, Austria, Sailer emigrated to North America in the 1950s, first to Canada and then to the U.S., where he began building a ski racing empire from the ground up. Alongside fellow Austrian legends Pepi Gramshammer and Anderl Molterer, he established race camps that became incubators for future stars.

Among his most famous protégés was Lindsey Vonn, who began skiing under Sailer's guidance as a child at Buck Hill. Vonn paid tribute to her mentor, saying, “Yesterday my coach passed away. It’s hard to put into words how much of an Impact Erich Sailer had on my life but I will try…

"Erich was more than my ski coach. More than my father’s ski coach. Erich was my family. My father has known him for 62 years and he has been a part of my life since I was born. There is no doubt that I would not be the person or skier I am today without him. The entire ski racing community would not be the same without him. He single handedly did more for skiing than any other coach in America and perhaps the world. Even from the small but mighty Buck Hill, Minnesota-which he put on the map as a premier racing program.

"Today we mourn but also must celebrate Erich. He would want us to be on the mountain, doing what we love to do; ski. I know he’s got his hand timer up there, making sure we are always getting faster and still getting upset with me when I’m leaning too much on my inside ski.

"Erich… I will try to make my last turns in ski racing fast for you… I will try to make them mean something more for you. You always believed in me… even now, at 40. Your passion and love for skiing was the same as when I was a kid. I’m so thankful I got to see you this summer. Thankful to hear that belief in me one last time. I will use that when I’m in the starting gate this last season but also for the rest of my life. I will never forget you. Never.

"Ich liebe dich Erich. Give my Mom a hug up there for me. Until we meet again"

His request to build better ski racers was year round job since 1956 when, as a newcomer to the U.S., he pioneered summer ski racing on this continent with a camp at Timberline on Oregon’s Mt. Hood. “I had to learn a lot,” he admits. “We had 16 injuries in 20 days on the soft snow.” He not only learned, he expanded and by 1967, he launched a camp on the Bear Tooth Pass outside Red Lodge, Montana. It soon became the biggest ski racing camp in the country, attracting 700 skiers in a forty-day session.

But Sailer’s greatest achievements were in the Midwest, not on the mountains. In 1960, he came to Buck Hill (or Buck Bump as the locals call it) in Burnsville, Minnesota. The 45 member ski team had never won a race but within a year, four racers were headed to the Junior Nationals. “That’s when I said I’m going to put somebody on the U.S. Ski Team from the flatlands,” remembered Sailer. True to his mission, 15 racers from Buck Hill have made that team and four have competed at the Olympics, including Lindsey Kildow and Kristina Koznick who represented the U.S. in Torino.

While Sailer helped thousands of skiers to earn medals, he too  collected some prestigious awards. In 1998, he was the first to be honored as USSA’s Development Coach of the Year and the USOC named him Ski Coach of the Year. In 2004, he was presented with the USSA’s Tom Reynolds Lifetime Achievement Award.

Called the “Yoda of Ski Coaching,” Sailer helped start the US Ski Coaches Ski Association and even more important, he’s inspired dozens of world class competitors to “pass it on” and also coach, including: Karl Schranz, Pepi Gramshammer, Bill Marolt, Anderl Molterer, Billy Kidd and Andy Mill.

Sailer also coached Kristina Koznick, Sarah Schleper, and Resi Stiegler, among others, shaping the trajectory of U.S. ski racing for decades.

Kristina Koznick added “There are no words. My heart is broken, yet I have never felt more grateful. You were my coach. You were my mentor. You poured your heart and soul into me. I was so blessed to know and love you Erich. The ski racing was just frosting on the top. All the wins were filled with joy because you helped me get there. A big piece of me feels missing without you here. I don’t remember my life on earth without you in it. It won’t be the same without you…but I will see you again someday. I can’t wait. I love you!!!”

Sailer’s contributions earned him a place in the U.S. Ski Hall of Fame, and his camps became synonymous with excellence, discipline, and passion. His daughter Martina announced his passing on Facebook, writing, “Legende, Coach, Mentor, Freund, Vater, Ruhe in Frieden, Dad”.

He will be laid to rest in his hometown of Telfs, fulfilling his wish to return to the soil where his journey began.

As Lindsey Vonn poignantly wrote, “I will try to give my last turns more meaning for you. You always believed in me”. Erich Sailer’s belief in his athletes—and in the transformative power of sport—will echo through every carve and every race for years to come.

Above all, Erich Sailer proved that it’s not the size of the mountain that makes champions; it’s the commitment to excellence.