Erika Mahringer

Who is Erika Mahringer?

Erika "Riki" Mahringer is an Austrian former alpine skier who competed in the 1948 Winter Olympics and in the 1952 Winter Olympics. In 1948 she won the bronze medal in the slalom event as well as in the Alpine combined competition. In the downhill contest she finished 19th. Four years later she finished fourth in the 1952 Olympic downhill event. In the same year she finished 17th in the giant slalom competition and 22nd in the slalom contest.

The Spiess family has been resident in Mayrhofen, and active in the tourism industry since 1954.

After their wedding in 1954, the famous Ski racer Erika "Riki" Mahringer and the successful ski racer Ernst Spiess, founded the Mayrhofen Ski School, and in 1955 the first children's Ski School in the world – "Riki’s Skikindergarten".

Ernst Spiess, authorised mountain and ski guide, built in the 50's and 60's, a mountain tour programme based in Mayrhofen employing up to 12 mountain guides. In the early 80's, the ski school grew to employ over 170 ski instructors and was especially for the children's ski school, world famous. The children were both active in the ski school after the end of their international ski careers.