Swiss-Ski mourns the loss of Walter Tresch

Former Lauberhorn winner Walter Tresch has died. The man from Uri passed away at the age of 78 after a long illness. According to his family, Tresch passed away peacefully at home last Saturday, August 29, after a long illness.

Between 1968 and 1978, Tresch competed in more than 200 World Cup and European Cup races. He stood on the World Cup podium a total of 14 times, winning four of those races. Among his victories were wins in Kitzbühel in 1976 and Wengen in 1977 – both in the combined event. He also won a silver medal at the 1972 World Championships in this discipline and, four years later, became the first Swiss skier to win the small crystal globe for first place in the corresponding World Cup standings.

Walter Tresch was a popular figure. He was highly respected by teammates and competitors alike, both as an athlete and, above all, as a person. Tresch, one of the greatest athletes in the history of Uri, first stood atop the World Cup podium in January 1971 after the downhill race in St. Moritz, the replacement race for the Lauberhorn downhill, which had been canceled due to lack of snow. He won in the Engadine Valley wearing bib number 39, finishing eight hundredths of a second faster than his friend Bernhard Russi, with whom he had already shared victory photos.

Tresch, who also competed in races on the then-North American professional tour, was connected to skiing beyond the slopes. He was a partner in the Völkl company and worked in its management for about three decades. The passionate golfer spent the last part of his life in Lenz, where he had bought a vacation home long before. He and his wife Rita had moved to the Grisons region from Attinghausen 13 years earlier.

Deepest condolences to the family and will always cherish the memory of Walter Tresch.