You are here:
Home
> Ski Racing
Ski Racing - Skier Nicknames
Image: Snowkings.
You know what it's like, you're sat there watching Ski Sunday or Eurosport and someone
like Graham Bell will make a reference to 'the Iceman', or 'the Tasmanian Devil' as one of the skiers
comes flying over a jump and then won't explain themselves,
leaving you baffled and wanting to know why the heck they've been called it.
So, for that reason, here's our list of nickames from the world of ski racing and the reason behind it (if it's known).
If you know of any others or know why someone's been given a nickname then please
email them
to us.
| Name | Nickname | Any reason for the nickname ? |
| Carlo Janka | The Iceman | Janka's cool, calm, almost unemotional 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 | |
| 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. |
| 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. Click here for his website. |
| 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 |
| 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. |
| Lindsey Vonn | Don Don | |
| Lindsey Vonn | Kildon | |
| Lindsey Vonn | The Don | |
Keywords
: FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Men's Nicknames
: Alternative names of famous skiers
: Nicknames of Winter Olympians
: This is our list of famous skier nicknames
