"Krone" competition

“Very special to be so close up for once”

The four "Krone" winners with men's head coach Marko Pfeifer (center).(Bild: Christof Birbaumer / Kronen Zeitung)

An exclusive look behind the scenes: The four winners of the "Krone" competition experienced an eventful afternoon at the World Cup final in Saalbach-Hinterglemm - including a meet and greet with men's head coach Marko Pfeifer. 

"It was something very special to get such an insight - you might only experience something like this once in a lifetime," marveled Iris Planitzer. Alongside Roland Rohrer and the two Salzburgers Franz and Manuela Brandstätter, the Styrian was one of the four lucky winners of the "Krone" competition and was able to take a look behind the scenes at the World Cup final in Saalbach-Hinterglemm. First there was a backstage tour by World Cup organizing member Jimmy Fritsch, who reported on the challenges involved in staging an event of this magnitude. In the press center, Saalbach press officer Markus Aichner welcomed the lucky winners. Before ORF presenter Oliver Polzer took the time to give a brief insight into everyday TV life.

Insight into the everyday life of the head coach
The final highlight was a meet and greet with men's head coach Marko Pfeifer. "What does a typical working day of a head coach look like?" and "What does he actually do in the summer?" The head coach's answers were surprising. Pfeifer said: "Both in summer and winter, I'm very busy with organizational matters - travel planning, hotels, meetings. My phone is actually on 365 days a year, even when I'm on vacation." Which is only possible with family support, as Pfeifer says: "I'm incredibly grateful for the support from home, without it it wouldn't be possible. But we are a ski fanatic family, my wife and sons accept that."

The supposedly small successes
After the Carinthian told them about his career from young skier to head coach, the four wanted to know: "What has been your personal highlight in terms of successes so far?" Pfeifer thought about it for a moment, then mentioned Manuel Feller's slalom globe or Vincent Kriechmayr's victory in Kitzbühel. "But sometimes even the supposedly small successes are very special - for example, when one of my skiers with bib number 50 finishes in the top ten."

Finally, the ÖSV men's media manager, Thomas Schrammel, reported on his day-to-day work and described his dealings with established stars such as Manuel Feller, Marco Schwarz and Vincent Kriechmayr. The four "Krone" winners left the Hotel Hasenauer with a big grin on their faces. "Those were great and exciting insights, a cool afternoon - very special to be so close up for once."