Walter Steiner from Toggenburg celebrates his 75th birthday on Sunday, February 15. The 1972 Olympic medal winner was one of the most popular athletes in Switzerland in the 1970s.
15.02.2026, 05:01
15.02.2026, 07:24
SDA
The picture shows a state of emergency in Wildhaus in Toggenburg. Walter Steiner stands in the center of a huge crowd, flowers in his hands, flanked by Adolf Ogi (in a suit and tie), then Director of the Swiss Ski Association.
On March 8, 1977, the people give their homecomer a triumphant welcome after Steiner becomes ski flying world champion in Vikersund, Norway. It is the moment when sporting success, closeness to the people and national enthusiasm come together.
Walter Steiner became a symbol of fearless flying, a long-distance hunter. He won the silver medal at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, and in the same year he won his first world championship title in ski flying. These successes established him internationally and made him a figure of identification at home.
Steiner also made his mark at the traditional Four Hills Tournament: in 1974 he won the New Year's competition in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and in 1977 he won the final competition in Bischofshofen.
Thinker and inventor
But Steiner is more than just a successful athlete. He is a thinker, a tinkerer, someone who gets to the bottom of things. As the best flyer of the seventies, the ski jumper sailed down to the valley in a flat, wide flight path, which is why many still call him the "bird man" today.
However, it was precisely these skills that repeatedly pushed him to his physical limits. The landing slopes at that time were not adapted to his flight line. Steiner often landed hard on the flat, suffering knee injuries and permanent damage.
He recognized the undesirable development in international ski jump construction early on and tried to stop it. He warned of safety risks and called for larger transition radii in the landing zones. He was hardly listened to at the time.
It was only years later that his demands were incorporated into the standards of the FIS world federation. A late but lasting legacy. Today, the gentle transitions from the steep slope to the flat area cushion even hill record distances cleanly.
World Championship medals in cross-country skiing
After the end of his active career, Steiner emigrated to the north and has lived in Falun, Sweden, for many years. There he also found a new approach to the sport. In old age, he switched disciplines and became an extremely successful cross-country skier, winning medals at the senior world championships.
Next Sunday, on February 15, Walter Steiner will be 75 years old. The jubilation of the Toggenburg reception is long gone, but his mark on ski jumping and in the minds of Swiss sports fans remains.
