Nicknames of Winter Sports People

A list of popular nicknames associated with winter sports men and women.

(and if you know of any others then please get in touch with us).

Ski Racing Nicknames

Name	Nickname	Any reason for the nickname ?
Beat Feuz	Cannonball (Kanonenkugel)	Is it because he's got a round face and tucks himself into a ball-like shape ? or is it because he hurtles down the slope as if fired from a cannon ? You decide.
Carlo Janka	The Iceman	Janka's cool, calm, almost emotionless personality during races, apparently gave rise to the "Iceman" tag. Whereas Didier Cuche celebrates victory with a dramatic kicking-off of his skis, Janka just raises his index finger in triumph !
Franz Klammer	The Austrian Astronaut
Franz Klammer	The Klammer Express	Klammer's speed and power going down the course was reminiscent of an express train loose on the piste.
Franz Klammer	Kaiser Franz
Henrik Kristoffersen	The Prince of the Vikings	Nickname given to the young Norwegian star by Eurosport commentator Nick Fellows.
Ted Ligety	Ligety Split
Ted Ligety	Ted Shred	A ski coach nicknamed him Shred when he was a young kid, due to his fearless, attacking style. And it rhymes with Ted, of course ! Ligety started Shred Optics in 2006 after winning his Olympics gold medal in the Combined event, naming the company after his nickname.
Hermann Maier	The Herminator	A re-wording of the Terminator, due to Maier's alleged indestructible body.
Mario Matt	The Arlberg Eagle (Der Arlberg Adler)	Olympic champion Matt is from the Arlberg region of Austria. In fact, he has owned the legendary Krazy Kanguruh bar in St.Anton since 2009.
Steve Missillier	Le Missile (the Missile)	The French skier is also known as "le Missile Savoyard" and "le Missile du Grand-Bornand". Missiles tend to go rather fast, and so does Steve and his er.. name sounds like Missile.
Felix Neureuther	The Cat	Derr.....
Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong	The Snow Leopard	Born in Glasgow but raised in Ghana, Nkrumah-Acheampong took up indoor-skiing in 2002 having moved to England. He managed to qualify for the slalom and giant slalom at the 2010 games representing Ghana, and his nickname is a nod back to the snowy version of one his country's big cats.
Manfred Pranger	The Tasmanian Devil
Benjamin Raich	The Blitz from Pitz (Ser Blitz aus Pitz)	Blitz is the German word for bolt/flash of lightning, and the Austrian is from Arzl im Pitztal
Dave Ryding	The Rocket	The British slalom-specialist from Lancashire acquired his nickname after hurtling passed everyone on the UK scene, rather like a rocket would. And, of course, there's the old alliteration with his name.
Toni Sailer	The Blitz from Kitz (Der Blitz aus Kitz)	Blitz is the German word for bolt/flash of lightning, and the legendary Austrian is from Kitzbuhel.
Vladimir Sabich	Spider	Born prematurely, his father immediately called him 'Spider' because of his thin legs and arms.
Alberto Tomba	la Bomba (the Bomb)	Not only one of the sport's most gifted skiers, but one of its most flamboyant character's. The powerfully built Italian was given the tag for his dynamic, never-say-die surges that brought him so much success and adulation on the slopes.
Lindsey Vonn	Don Don
Lindsey Vonn	Kildon
Lindsey Vonn	The Don

Snowboarding Nicknames

Name	Nickname	Any reason for the nickname ?
Shaun White	The Flying Tomato	Apparently it started because of his mass of red hair, and the impression it gave as he hurtled through the air.

Skeleton Nicknames

Name	Nickname	Any reason for the nickname ?
Amy Williams	The Bath Bullet	Err... she's from Bath and she hurtles down the ice like a bullet !