A heat warning has been announced for Villach: a humid 32 degrees Celsius does not seem common for an early summer's day in Carinthia.

In addition, completely unsuitable for a winter sports conference.

It is to be foolish, but on the other hand also somehow apt, because for Peter Schröcksnadel climate change was and is never an issue.

Melting glaciers, roaring hot summers: the almost 80-year-old likes to brush scientific expertise off the table as "scare tactics" by pointing out that there have always been extreme weather conditions.

He argued similarly in the Covid crisis, at the height of which he announced that he would rather die from Corona than from cancer.

Achim Dreis

Sports editor.

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    Now he is still in good health, even if he loses his sovereignty over an important part of the ski world as agreed at the national conference of the Austrian Ski Association (ÖSV) this Saturday in Villach. But Schröcksnadel would not be Schröcksnadel if he hadn't also linked his departure with a power struggle. The multi-entrepreneur from Innsbruck was ÖSV President for 31 years and thus one of the most powerful men in a sport that is nowhere in the world taken so seriously as in the Alpine region. Physically small but with a large ego, the alpine godfather was often compared to the former Formula 1 impresario Bernie Ecclestone. For the "Alpen-Bernie", too, one thing counted above all: Success. And the red-white-red ski aces could usually deliver under his aegis,First and foremost Marcel Hirscher, who won the overall World Cup eight times in a row. Schröcksnadel then granted his favorite skier all the freedoms and privileges, from the private trainer team to the helicopter shuttle, when the going was urgent.

    The ski boss was not so good at dealing with criticism or rebellion. When Olympic champion Anna Veith demanded similar conditions as Hirscher in 2015, the dispute over marketing rights not only kept the winter sports nation in suspense, but also amused the feature articles in Viennese society. Years later, when the up-and-coming Katharina Liensberger wanted to change outfitters, but there was no shoe contract, Schröcksnadel threatened her with being thrown out. Both times the boss won the power struggle. Liensberger later advanced to become the star of the 2021 World Ski Championships as double world champion. As always, the President was the first to congratulate, but this time especially enthusiastically, because he rated her victories as his victories.

    Schröcksnadel doesn't like to talk about doping scandals that Austria's skiers have brought, especially from the Nordic sector.

    His reply to the raid at the 2006 Olympics in Turin is legendary: “Austria is a too small country to make good doping.” The topic off the table.

    At least for him.

    Austria was big enough.

    The old man now played a decisive role in shaping his succession.

    Schröcksnadel preferred the former downhill world champion Renate Götschl, not because he would have advanced to a feminist overnight, but because he wanted to prevent Michael Walchhofer from Salzburg.

    Now it will be Karl Schmidhofer, compromise candidate from Lower Austria.

    They are said to have diplomatic skills.

    It is the beginning of a new era.