A Goldfish in a Pond – Andrea's Biography

Andrea "Fischi" Fischbacher

October 14th 1985

Schwarzach

Libra

164 cm

Ski & Commercial School Schladming

No risk, no fun.

Andrea Fischbacher is born in Schwarzach, south of Salzburg.

Under the Christmas tree, Andrea gets on her first pair skis. When the lights go out on Christmas eve, Andrea is all ready and set to start her early career in her parent's private gym.

Exactly two months before Sigrid Wolf achieves Olympic gold at the Calgary Super-G-Premiere, Fischi circles around the ping-pong table at her family home. Cautious at first, but each lap sees little Fischi becoming a bit tighter and faster. The very next day, Andrea and her skis hit the slopes of Eben Ski Resort for the first time.

Andrea wins her first medal at the local ski championship. Twenty years to go until she receives her gold medal in Vancouver.

Every summer, when Andrea stays with her grandparents at their Moosalm alp cottage, she not only proves her physical talents but also her well developed business sense: Watching her climbing up a rope that is attached to the cottage's roof, guests encourage Andrea to do it again for them to watch. "What are you willing to pay?" little Andrea quips. 

Andrea starts her training at the Ski Club Eben, led by Theresia Kirchner and Simon Hochleitner. From now on she dominates every competition keeps dominating all the competitions in her age range at school, county and regional level.

Counting typos in her writing exercises? Andrea still prefers counting snow flakes and calculating how many times she can whoosh down the slopes before the lift closes for the day. She doesn't hesitate for even a second when she's asked her dream job: a ski racer, and only a ski racer!

Securing a spot at the Skiing Academy & Secondary Modern School in Bad Gastein is a defining first step in Andrea's racing career. At first, joining A the Salzburg Ski Association squad seems like a daunting task. But switching to the Skiing Academy at Schladming and later to the Ski & Commercial School in Schladming fast-tracks the "Fischi-Express", now under the wing of coach Gerhard Huttegger. Fischi is now quickly heading towards the Salzburg county team, and after that the Austrian Junior National Team, the second ("B") and first ("A") selection and finally the OESV National Team.