The expansion of the "athlete cabins" at Söllereck has almost become a tradition. For the third time, Oberstdorf medalists in the Nordic disciplines gathered at Söllereck on Tuesday, March 28, 2023, to be honored for their outstanding performances at major events.

How it all began
In November 2021, three cabins of the Söllereckbahn cable car were decorated with the faces of outstanding athletes from Oberstdorf for the first time – Katharina Althaus (ski jumping) and Karl and Vinzenz Geiger (ski jumping / Nordic combined) were already delighted with their smiling faces almost a year and a half ago, which have adorned the gondolas at Söllereck ever since.

After the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February 2022, however, it wasn't just the three who received medals – three other athletes, Sofie Krehl (cross-country skiing), Alex Schmid (alpine skiing), and Julian Schmid (Nordic combined), were also honored shortly thereafter in the changing rooms for their fantastic performance.

Even after the Alpine World Ski Championships in February in Courchevel and the Nordic World Ski Championships, which recently took place in Planica, the existing changing rooms are now becoming fuller and fuller with medals. And what's particularly pleasing is that two more faces, Johannes Rydzek (Nordic combined) and Laura Gimmler (cross-country skiing), will also be smiling at Söllereck visitors from a gondola in the future.

Motivation for the Young Talents
The idea for the decals on the cabins was developed in collaboration with the municipality of Oberstdorf: "We are delighted to honor our local winter sports athletes, who all earned and won medals at the 2021 World Championships in Oberstdorf, the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, and the 2023 Nordic World Ski Championships in Planica, in this way. They have achieved outstanding performances at these major sporting events, among others, and we are very proud that such successful Olympic and World Championship medalists call Oberstdorf home," says Klaus King, Mayor of Oberstdorf. The Söllereck's 10-person gondola lift was not chosen by chance. "Many young athletes train at the Söllereck – we want to motivate our young stars even more by making their idols visible!" explains Henrik Volpert, CEO of Oberstdorfer Bergbahnen AG.

In the Gold Stars' changing rooms
The athletes themselves are also delighted about this special honor. "I have a very strong connection with the OBERSTDORF · KLEINWALSERTAL BERGBAHNEN. Oberstdorf has been my home since childhood – I learned to ski here in the mountains and thus laid the foundation for my career as a Nordic combined athlete," explains Johannes Rydzek, multiple world and Olympic champion in Nordic combined.