) is a former alpine ski racer

Alpine skiing

Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...

, who specialized in downhill. He was World Cup champion in downhill three consecutive seasons (1991

1991 Alpine Skiing World Cup

The 25th World Cup season began in August 1990 in New Zealand, resumed in December, and concluded in March 1991 in the United States. The overall winners were Marc Girardelli of Luxembourg and Petra Kronberger of Austria....

, 1992

1992 Alpine Skiing World Cup

The 26th World Cup season began in November 1991 in the United States and concluded in March 1992 in Switzerland. The overall winners were Paul Accola of Switzerland and Petra Kronberger of Austria....

, 1993

1993 Alpine Skiing World Cup

The 27th World Cup season began in November 1992 in Sestriere, Italy, and concluded in March 1993 in Åre, Sweden. Marc Girardelli of Luxembourg won his fifth overall title, which still stands as the most in World Cup history...

), second only to Franz Klammer

Franz Klammer

Franz Klammer is a former champion alpine ski racer. Klammer overwhelmingly dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons . He was the gold medalist at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, winning the downhill at Patscherkofel in dramatic fashion...

 (5). He won a total of 17 World Cup downhill races, third behind Klammer (25), and Peter Müller

Peter Müller (skier)

Peter Müller is a Swiss former champion alpine ski racer, a prominent downhiller during the 1980s. A world champion in 1987 in the downhill, he was a silver medalist the downhill in two world championships and two Olympic games .Müller was the World Cup season titlist in the downhill in 1979,...

 (19). Together with Franz Klammer

Franz Klammer

Franz Klammer is a former champion alpine ski racer. Klammer overwhelmingly dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons . He was the gold medalist at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, winning the downhill at Patscherkofel in dramatic fashion...

, Toni Sailer

Toni Sailer

Anton Engelbert "Toni" Sailer was an Austrian alpine ski racer, who is considered among the best the in the sport. He won three gold medals in alphine skiing at the 1956 Winter Olympics, becoming the only triple gold medalist from that Games and thus the most successful athlete in 1956...

, Jean Claude Killy and Karl Schranz

Karl Schranz

Karl Schranz is a former champion alpine ski racer, one of the best in the 1960s.During his lengthy career , Schranz won twenty major downhills, many major giant slalom races and several major slaloms...

, he is considered among the best downhill racers of all time. He also won the season title in Super-G

Super Giant Slalom skiing

The Super Giant Slalom is an Alpine skiing discipline. It is usually referred to as Super G and is a "speed" event, along with the faster Downhill event; the Giant Slalom and Slalom events are known as the "technical" disciplines.-History:...

 in 1991.

Heinzer won at the world's most famous downhill venues: Kitzbühel

Hahnenkamm, Kitzbühel

The Hahnenkamm is a mountain in Austria, directly south of Kitzbühel, in the Kitzbühel Alps. The elevation of its summit is above sea level.The Hahnenkamm is part of the ski resort of Kitzbühel, and hosts the annual World Cup alpine ski races, the Hahnenkammrennen...

 (3x), Wengen

Lauberhorn

The Lauberhorn is a mountain in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland, located between Wengen and Grindelwald. Its summit is at an elevation of 8110 feet above sea level....

, Val Gardena (2x), Garmisch

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a mountain resort town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region, and the district is on the border with Austria...

, Val-d'Isère, Aspen

Aspen Mountain

Aspen Mountain may refer to*Aspen Mountain - a mountain in Colorado, USA*Aspen Mountain - a ski resort on the mountain of the same name outside Aspen, Colorado*Aspen Mountain - a mountain in North Carolina, USA...

, Lake Louise

Lake Louise Mountain Resort

The Lake Louise Ski Area is a ski resort located in Banff National Park, near the village of Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. It can be reached from Banff, from where it is a 35 to 45 minute drive west on Trans-Canada Highway, or Calgary, a 2-hour drive...

, and St. Anton. His victory in the downhill event at the 1991 World Championships

FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1991

The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1991 were held in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria between January 22 and February 3, 1991....

 came after three fourth places at previous championships (Schladming

Schladming

Schladming is a small mining town in the Austrian state of Styria, that is now very popular with tourists. It has become a large ski resort and has held various skiing competitions recently. The shopping area has lots of cafes, restaurant and a variety of shops and caters well for tourists.As of...

 (1982

FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1982

The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1982 were held in Schladming, Austria, between January 31 and February 7, 1982. The women's races were held in Haus im Ennstal....

), Bormio

Bormio

Bormio is a town and comune located in the province of Sondrio, Lombardy region of the Alps in northern Italy. It has a population of 4,200...

 (1985

FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1985

The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1985 were held in Bormio, northern Italy between January 31 and February 10, 1985.These were the first world championships held in an odd-numbered year, and the last without the Super-G event....

) and Crans-Montana

Crans-Montana

Crans-Montana is a ski resort in western Switzerland, in the heart of the Swiss Alps in the canton of Valais. It is located on a plateau above Sierre at an elevation of about 1500 m above sea level, allowing good view over the Valais Alps and Weisshorn in particular...

 (1987

FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1987

The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1987 were held in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, between January 27 and February 8, 1987.The world championships included Super-G for the first time; it was first run on the World Cup level four seasons earlier, in December 1982.-Medals table:...

). He didn't compete at Vail in 1989

FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1989

The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1989 were held in Vail, Colorado, U.S.A., from February 2-12, 1989.Vail and Beaver Creek would also host the World Championships a decade later, in 1999....

. At the 1994 Winter Olympics

Alpine skiing at the 1994 Winter Olympics

Alpine skiing at the 1994 Winter Olympics consisted of ten events held near Lillehammer, Norway. The speed events were held at Kvitfjell and the technical events at Hafjell, from February 13-27, 1994.-Downhill:February 13, 1994-Super G:February 17, 1994...

 his ski binding broke a few meters after the start, putting him out of the race.

Heinzer ended his illustrious career a month later, retiring from international competition at age 31 with 17 World Cup victories and 45 podiums.

He now runs his own sports products company in Altdorf

Altdorf, Switzerland

Altdorf is the capital of the Swiss canton of Uri. The municipality covers an area of and is located at a height of above sea-level, to the right of the river Reuss.-Location:...

, and since the winter of 2004, also works as the assistant coach of Swiss national downhill team.

Season titles

4 season titles: 3 downhill, 1 super G

Super Giant Slalom skiing

The Super Giant Slalom is an Alpine skiing discipline. It is usually referred to as Super G and is a "speed" event, along with the faster Downhill event; the Giant Slalom and Slalom events are known as the "technical" disciplines.-History:...

Season	Discipline
1991 1991 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 25th World Cup season began in August 1990 in New Zealand, resumed in December, and concluded in March 1991 in the United States. The overall winners were Marc Girardelli of Luxembourg and Petra Kronberger of Austria....	Downhill
	Super-G Super Giant Slalom skiing The Super Giant Slalom is an Alpine skiing discipline. It is usually referred to as Super G and is a "speed" event, along with the faster Downhill event; the Giant Slalom and Slalom events are known as the "technical" disciplines.-History:...
1992 1992 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 26th World Cup season began in November 1991 in the United States and concluded in March 1992 in Switzerland. The overall winners were Paul Accola of Switzerland and Petra Kronberger of Austria....	Downhill
1993 1993 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 27th World Cup season began in November 1992 in Sestriere, Italy, and concluded in March 1993 in Åre, Sweden. Marc Girardelli of Luxembourg won his fifth overall title, which still stands as the most in World Cup history...	Downhill

Individual races

17 race victories: 15 downhill, 2 combined

Alpine skiing combined

Combined is an alpine skiing event. Although not technically a discipline of its own, it is sometimes referred to as a fifth alpine discipline, along with downhill, super G, giant slalom, and slalom.-Traditional & Super-Combined:...

Season	Date	Location	Race
1983 1983 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 17th season of World Cup competition began in December 1982 in Switzerland and concluded in March 1983 in Japan. For the first time, the overall titles were won by two Americans, Tamara McKinney and Phil Mahre, who won his third consecutive overall title...	December 19, 1982	Val Gardena, Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...	Combined Alpine skiing combined Combined is an alpine skiing event. Although not technically a discipline of its own, it is sometimes referred to as a fifth alpine discipline, along with downhill, super G, giant slalom, and slalom.-Traditional & Super-Combined:...
1984 1984 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 18th World Cup season began in December 1983 in Kranjska Gora, Yugoslavia , and concluded in March 1984 in Oslo, Norway. The overall champions were Pirmin Zurbriggen and Erika Hess, both of Switzerland....	December 9, 1983	Val-d'Isère, France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...	Downhill
	December 10, 1983		Combined
1986 1986 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 20th World Cup season began in August 1985 in Argentina, resumed in December, and concluded in March 1986 in Canada. The overall champions were Marc Girardelli of Luxembourg and Maria Walliser of Switzerland.-Calendar:Note:...	February 22, 1986	Åre Åre (ski area) Åre is an alpine ski area in Sweden, founded in 1909. It is located in Åre Municipality, Jämtland, just outside and above the village of Åre, approximately 80 km from the city of Östersund. The ski lift system is on the Åreskutan mountain, at an elevation of 1420 meters ; its absolute summit... , Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....	Downhill
1987 1987 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 21st World Cup season began in August 1986 in Argentina, resumed in late November, and concluded in March 1987 in Sarajevo. The overall champions were Pirmin Zurbriggen and Maria Walliser, both of Switzerland....	January 4, 1987	Laax Laax Laax is a municipality in the district of Surselva in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.-Geography:Laax has an area, , of . Of this area, 35.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while 30.6% is forested... , Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....	Downhill
1988 1988 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 22nd World Cup season began in November 1987 in Italy and concluded in March 1988 in Austria. The overall champions were Pirmin Zurbriggen and Michela Figini, both of Switzerland....	March 11, 1988	Beaver Creek Beaver Creek Resort Beaver Creek Resort is a major United States ski resort near Avon, Colorado, run by Vail Resorts. The resort comprises three villages, the main Beaver Creek Village, Bachelor Gulch, and Arrowhead to the west... , USA	Downhill
1991 1991 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 25th World Cup season began in August 1990 in New Zealand, resumed in December, and concluded in March 1991 in the United States. The overall winners were Marc Girardelli of Luxembourg and Petra Kronberger of Austria....	December 14, 1990	Val Gardena, Italy	Downhill
	January 12, 1991	Kitzbühel Hahnenkamm, Kitzbühel The Hahnenkamm is a mountain in Austria, directly south of Kitzbühel, in the Kitzbühel Alps. The elevation of its summit is above sea level.The Hahnenkamm is part of the ski resort of Kitzbühel, and hosts the annual World Cup alpine ski races, the Hahnenkammrennen... , Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...	Downhill
	March 8, 1991	Aspen Aspen Mountain (ski area) Aspen Mountain is a ski area located in Pitkin County, Colorado, just outside and above the city of Aspen. It is situated on the north flank of Aspen Mountain and the higher Bell Mountain at an elevation of 11,212 ft just to the south of Aspen Mountain... , USA	Downhill
	March 16, 1991	Lake Louise Lake Louise Mountain Resort The Lake Louise Ski Area is a ski resort located in Banff National Park, near the village of Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. It can be reached from Banff, from where it is a 35 to 45 minute drive west on Trans-Canada Highway, or Calgary, a 2-hour drive... , Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...	Downhill
1992 1992 Alpine Skiing World Cup The 26th World Cup season began in November 1991 in the United States and concluded in March 1992 in Switzerland. The overall winners were Paul Accola of Switzerland and Petra Kronberger of Austria....	December 14, 1991	Val Gardena, Italy	Downhill
	January 17, 1992	Kitzbühel, Austria	Downhill
	January 18, 1992		Downhill
	January 25, 1992	Wengen Lauberhorn The Lauberhorn is a mountain in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland, located between Wengen and Grindelwald. Its summit is at an elevation of 8110 feet above sea level.... , Switzerland	Downhill
1993 Alpine skiing World Cup The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France and the USA...	January 10, 1993	Garmisch Garmisch Classic Garmisch Classic is an alpine ski resort in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, Germany. The resort is in the Bavarian Alps, and its maximum elevation is 6726 feet above sea level, with a vertical drop of 4429 feet... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...	Downhill
	January 16, 1993	St. Anton, Austria	Downhill
	January 23, 1993	Veysonnaz Veysonnaz Veysonnaz is a municipality in the district of Sion in the Swiss canton of Valais.-Geography:Veysonnaz has an area, , of . Of this area, or 29.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 44.5% is forested... , Switzerland	Downhill

External links

• FIS-ski.com - World Cup season standings - Franz Heinzer - 1981-94
• Ski-DB.com - Results - Franz Heinzer