Reto Schmidiger surprisingly ends his career

Slalom specialist Reto Schmidiger is ending his career with immediate effect. The 32-year-old from Nidwalden from the Hergiswil Ski Club is retiring from ski racing, as he announced on Instagram.

«When preparing for the European Cup classics in Pozza di Fassa and Obereggen, I definitely felt that my priorities and thoughts were no longer focused on racing to the same extent as usual. Performances and results as I imagine them are no longer possible for me in top-class sport,” writes Schmidiger on Instagram.

The decision to end his career has matured in the last few weeks. «I thought a lot about my sporting past and future. The hard road back to the top, which was rewarded with appearances on the World Cup stage last season, is still very present. Another lasting memory of my career, combined with the great joy that I was able to share this special moment with you again,” Schmidiger continues.

Schmidiger achieved his best World Cup result in 2011 in the slalom on Lenzerheide when he finished eighth. There are also three top 10 placements in 93 starts in the World Cup. At the Junior World Championships in 2010 and 2011 he won three gold medals in slalom and combined. There is also a bronze medal.

Schmidiger was repeatedly set back by injuries. When he lost his A-squad status at Swiss-Ski in spring 2022, he continued at his own expense. In December 2023 he won the European Cup slalom in Obereggen and then returned to the World Cup. However, in five starts he achieved nothing notable.

The 32-year-old completed his last race on November 24th in the European Cup in Levi. There he finished 20th. The last time he scored World Cup points was in Wengen in 2022, when he finished 23rd.