Memorial Page for Erika Mahringer

Erika Mahringer (born 16 November 1924 in Linz; died 30 October 2018 in Mayrhofen), also known as Riki Mahringer and after marriage as Erika Spieß-Mahringer, was an Austrian alpine skier and later ski instructor. At the 1948 Olympic Winter Games in St. Moritz she won bronze in the slalom and in the alpine combined. After racing, she and Ernst Spieß shaped a ski school and an early children's ski school in Mayrhofen.

From Linz to Tyrol

Mahringer was born in Linz and moved to Tyrol as a young woman. In 1947 she achieved victories at Seefeld and on the Marmolata; in the same year she joined the national team of the Austrian Ski Federation. This early period brought her into a sport that was rebuilding international competition after the Second World War and attracted strong public attention in Austria.

St. Moritz 1948

At the 1948 Olympic Winter Games in St. Moritz, Mahringer was among the Austrian athletes who quickly returned to the international front group. She won bronze in the combined; another bronze followed in the slalom. In the downhill she placed 19th. The two medals remained the most visible sporting moment of her career and made her a fixed figure in Austria's postwar skiing history.

Aspen, national titles and awards

In 1950 Mahringer won silver in downhill and slalom at the World Championships in Aspen. In 1951 she became Austrian champion in downhill, giant slalom, slalom and combined, and was named Austria's Sportswoman of the Year. At the 1952 Olympic Winter Games in Oslo she narrowly missed another medal with fourth place in the downhill. She ended her active career in 1954; that year she also received the Ski d'Or.

Mayrhofen and ski school

In November 1954 Mahringer married skier and coach Ernst Spieß. Together they founded the Mayrhofen Ski School. In 1955 Riki's Skikindergarten was created there as an early model for supervised children's skiing. Mahringer's work therefore remained closely connected with skiing, but in another role: instruction, childcare, tourism and passing on experience became part of her second professional life.

Family and later years

Erika and Ernst Spieß had two children, Nicola Spieß and Uli Spieß, who also became active in alpine skiing. The family remained connected with sport, ski instruction and tourism in Mayrhofen. Mahringer's path therefore led from early international competitions to work through which many children and guests learned to ski in Mayrhofen.

Farewell

Erika Mahringer died in Mayrhofen on 30 October 2018. She was 93 years old. Her career connected Austrian Olympic medals, ski-instructor work and a Mayrhofen ski school whose children's programme reached well beyond racing.