{{Short description|Swiss alpine skier (born 1962)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}} {{Infobox alpine ski racer |image = K01-M2-0046.tif |image_size = |caption = Hess in February 1987 |disciplines = Technical events |club = |birth_date = {{birth date and age|6 March 1962|df=yes}} |birth_place = Wolfenschiessen,<br>Nidwalden, Switzerland |death_date = |death_place = |height = 1.63 m |wcdebut = 1978 |retired = 1987 |website = |olympicteams = 2 |olympicmedals = 1 |olympicgolds = |worldsteams = 4 |worldsmedals = 6 |worldsgolds = 6 |wcseasons = 15 |wcwins = 31 |wcpodiums = 76 |wcoveralls = 2 |wctitles = 6 |show-medals = yes |medaltemplates= {{Medal|Sport|Women's alpine skiing}} {{Medal|Country|{{SUI}}}} {{MedalCount|total=yes|type=World Cup race podiums | Slalom | 21 | 1 | 10 | Giant slalom | 6 | 9 | 5 | Combined | 4 | 7 | 3 }} {{MedalCount| total=yes|type=International competitions |Olympic Games | 0 | 0 | 1 |World Championships | 6 | 0 | 0 }} {{MedalCompetition | Olympic Games }} {{MedalBronze | 1980 Lake Placid | Slalom }} {{MedalCompetition | World Championships }} {{MedalGold | 1982 Schladming | Slalom }} {{MedalGold | 1982 Schladming | Giant slalom }} {{MedalGold | 1982 Schladming | Combined }} {{MedalGold | 1985 Bormio | Combined }} {{MedalGold | 1987 Crans Montana | Slalom }} {{MedalGold | 1987 Crans Montana | Combined }} }} '''Erika Hess''' (born 6 March 1962) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Switzerland. One of the best female racers of the 1980s, Hess had 31 World Cup wins (22 in slalom), four slalom titles (1981–83 and 1985), and two overall titles (1982, 1984). She also won six World Championship gold medals between 1982 and 1987, and took bronze in the slalom at the 1980 Winter Olympics at age 17. Hess missed another medal in 1985, when she led after the first run of the slalom at the "Stelvio" course at Bormio, but failed to finish the second leg.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/athlete-biography.html?sectorcode=AL&competitorid=24616|title=Erika Hess - Athlete Information|publisher=fis-ski.com|accessdate=1 March 2021}}</ref>
==Biography== Born in Wolfenschiessen, Nidwalden, Hess' first World Cup start was at age fifteen in Berchtesgaden, West Germany, on January 25, 1978, and her first podium was on December 6, 1979, at Val-d'Isère, France. She retired at age 25 following the 1987 season with 31 World Cup victories, 76 podiums, and 146 top tens in 165 starts.<ref>[http://www.ski-db.com/db/profiles/erika_hess_sui_whsser.asp Ski-db.com] – results – Erika Hess – accessed 2010-03-13</ref> She won six World Cup Slalom Races in a row from January to the season finish in March 1981.
Hess was awarded with the »Skieur d’Or« (»The ski racer in gold«, later named "Serge Lang Trophy" - named after Serge Lang - an award given by "The Association Internationale des Journalistes de Ski", an international Consortium of journalists competent for ski sports) on November 22, 1982 (5 points ahead to Phil Mahre). She tied for the slalom title in 1986, but was runner-up to Roswitha Steiner due to the tiebreaker: Steiner had four slalom wins and Hess had two.
Her cousin Monika Hess (<!--she is two years younger than Erika,-->b.<!-- born May 24,--> 1964) also was an alpine ski racer.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/12/15/sports/miss-quario-of-italy-takes-cup-slalom.html|title=Miss Quario of Italy Takes Cup Slalom|work=New York Times|language=English|date=15 December 1983|accessdate=24 September 2021}}</ref>
She explained her retirement in an article in the newspaper Sport that an important reason for her career end before Calgary 1988 was the factors given at the Olympic Games such as weather, hustle and bustle, nervous pressure, which weigh many times more heavily at the Olympics than at a normal race. She had not been able to cope with these circumstances.<ref>{{Citation |last=Brandes |first=Holger |title="Ich hatte Angst, dass man mir das ansehen könnte ..." |date=2001 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-322-97541-6_19 |work=Der männliche Habitus |pages=149–151 |place=Wiesbaden |publisher=VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften |doi=10.1007/978-3-322-97541-6_19 |isbn=978-3-8100-3257-7 |access-date=2022-10-25|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
Hess married Jacques Reymond (her trainer); the couple and three sons were living at Saint-Légier-La Chiésaz in Vaud at the time of Reymond's death in May 2020 (due to COVID-19).
Erika is organizing races and training camps for upcoming ski racers.
==World Cup results== ===Season titles=== {| class="wikitable" ! Season ! Discipline |- | rowspan=1 align=center | 1981 || align=center | Slalom |- | rowspan=2 align=center | 1982 || align=center | '''Overall''' |- | align=center | Slalom |- | rowspan=1 align=center | 1983 || align=center | Slalom |- | rowspan=3 align=center | 1984 || align=center | '''Overall''' |- | align=center | Giant slalom |- | align=center | Combined |- | rowspan=1 align=center | 1985 || align=center | Slalom |- |}
===Season standings=== {| class=wikitable style="text-align:center" !Season !! Age !! Overall !! Slalom !! Giant<br>Slalom !! Super G !! Downhill !! Combined |- | 1978 || ''15'' || 28 || 16 || 21 || rowspan=5|<small>''not<br>run''</small> || — || — |- | 1979 || ''16'' || 15 || 18 || 10 || — || — |- | 1980 || ''17'' || 7 || 6 || 5 || — || — |- | 1981 || ''18'' || style="background:silver;"|2 || style="background:gold;"|1 || style="background:#c96;"|3 || 34 || 4 |- | 1982 || ''19'' || style="background:gold;"|1 || style="background:gold;"|1 || style="background:#c96;"|3 || 35 || style="background:silver;"|2 |- | 1983 || ''20'' ||style="background:#c96;"|3 ||style="background:gold"|1|| 4 || rowspan=3|<small>''not<br>awarded<br>(w/ GS)''</small> || — || 4 |- | 1984 || ''21'' || style="background:gold"|1 || 4 || style="background:gold"|1 || 35 || style="background:gold"|1 |- | 1985 || ''22'' || 4 || style="background:gold"|1 || 12 || — || 5 |- | 1986 || ''23'' || style="background:silver;"|2 || style="background:silver;"|2 || 7 || 20 || 25 || style="background:silver;"|2 |- | 1987 || ''24'' || 4 || style="background:#c96;"|3 || 4 || 18 || 32 || style="background:#c96;"|3 |}
===Race victories=== * 31 wins – (21 SL, 6 GS, 4 K) * 76 podiums – (42 SL, 20 GS, 14 K) {| class="wikitable" |- ! Season ! Date ! Location ! Race |- | rowspan=7 align=center | 1981 || align=right|13 January 1981 || {{flagicon|AUT}} Schruns, Austria || align=center | Slalom |- | align=right|21 January 1981 || {{flagicon|SUI}} Crans-Montana, Switzerland || align=center | Slalom |- | align=right|31 January 1981 || {{flagicon|SUI}} Les Diablerets, Switzerland || align=center | Slalom |- | align=right|3 February 1981 || {{flagicon|FRG}} Zwiesel, West Germany || align=center | Slalom |- | align=right|15 March 1981 || {{flagicon|JPN}} Furano, Japan || align=center | Slalom |- | align=right|24 March 1981 || rowspan=2| {{flagicon|SUI}} Wangs–Pizol, Switzerland || align=center | Slalom |- | align=right|25 March 1981 || align=center | Giant slalom |- | rowspan=8 align=center | 1982 ||align=right|13 December 1981 || {{flagicon|ITA}} Piancavallo, Italy || align=center | Slalom |- | align=right|21 December 1981 || {{flagicon|FRA}} St. Gervais, France || align=center | Slalom |- | align=right|3 January 1982 || {{flagicon|YUG}} Maribor, <!--Slovenia-->Yugoslavia || align=center | Slalom |- | align=right rowspan=2|20 January 1982 || rowspan=2|{{flagicon|AUT}} Bad Gastein, Austria || align=center | Slalom |- | align=center | Combined |- | colspan=3 align=center | {{flagicon|AUT}} ''1982 World Championships'' |- | align=right|20 March 1982 || rowspan=2|{{flagicon|FRA}} L'Alpe d'Huez, France || align=center | Giant slalom |- | align=right|21 March 1982 || align=center | Slalom |- | rowspan=3 align=center | 1983 || align=right|8 December 1982 || {{flagicon|FRA}} Val-d'Isère, France || align=center | Giant slalom |- | align=right|17 December 1982 || {{flagicon|ITA}} Piancavallo, Italy || align=center | Slalom |- | align=right|9 February 1983 || {{flagicon|YUG}} Maribor, <!--Slovenia-->Yugoslavia || align=center | Slalom |- | rowspan=7 align=center | 1984 || align=right|1 December 1983 || {{flagicon|YUG}} Kranjska Gora, <!--Slovenia-->Yugoslavia || align=center | Slalom |- | align=right|11 December 1983 || {{flagicon|FRA}} Val-d'Isère, France || align=center | Giant slalom |- | align=right|14 December 1983 || {{flagicon|ITA}} Sestriere, Italy || align=center | Combined |- | align=right|15 January 1984 || {{flagicon|YUG}} Maribor, <!--Slovenia-->Yugoslavia || align=center | Slalom |- | align=right|22 January 1984 || {{flagicon|SUI}} Verbier, Switzerland || align=center | Combined |- | align=right|29 January 1984 || {{flagicon|FRA}} St. Gervais, France || align=center | Giant slalom |- | align=right|17 March 1984 || {{flagicon|TCH}} Jasná, <!-- Slovakia-->Czechoslovakia || align=center | Giant slalom |- | rowspan=3 align=center | 1985 || align=right|19 March 1985 || {{flagicon|USA}} Park City, UT, USA || align=center | Slalom |- | colspan=3 align=center | {{flagicon|ITA}} ''1985 World Championships'' |- | align=right|22 March 1985 || {{flagicon|USA}} Heavenly Valley, CA, USA || align=center | Slalom |- | rowspan=3 align=center | 1986 || align=right|12 December 1985 || {{flagicon|ITA}} Sestriere, Italy || align=center | Combined |- | align=right|15 December 1985 || {{flagicon|SUI}} Savognin, Switzerland || align=center | Slalom |- | align=right|11 March 1986 || {{flagicon|USA}} Park City, UT, USA || align=center | Slalom |- | rowspan=3 align=center | 1987 || align=right|5 December 1986 || {{flagicon|USA}} Waterville Valley, NH, USA || align=center | Slalom |- | align=right|21 December 1986 || {{flagicon|ITA}} Val Zoldana, Italy || align=center | Slalom |- | align=center colspan=3 | {{flagicon|SUI}} ''1987 World Championships'' |}
==World Championship results == {| class=wikitable style="text-align:center" ! Year !! Age !! Slalom !! Giant <br> Slalom !! Super-G !! Downhill !!Combined |- | 1978 || ''15'' || — || 9 || rowspan=4|<small>''not run''</small> || — || — |- | 1980 || ''17'' || style="background:#c96;"|3 || DNF2 || — || — |- | 1982 || ''19'' || style="background:gold;"|1 || style="background:gold;"|1 || — || style="background:gold;"|1 |- | 1985 || ''22'' || DNF2 || 11 || — || style="background:gold;"|1 |- | 1987 || ''24'' || style="background:gold;"|1 || style="background:silver;"|— || — || 7 || style="background:gold;"|1 |} <small>From 1948 through 1980, the Winter Olympics were also the World Championships for alpine skiing.</small><br><small>At the World Championships from 1954 through 1980, the combined was a "paper race" using the results of the three events (DH, GS, SL).</small>
==Olympic results<!--50px-->== {| class=wikitable style="text-align:center" ! Year !! Age !! Slalom !! Giant <br> Slalom !! Super-G !! Downhill !!Combined |- | 1980 || ''17'' || style="background:#c96;"|3 || DNF2 || rowspan=2|<small>''not run''</small>|| — || rowspan=2|<small>''not run''</small> |- | 1984 || ''21'' || 5 || 7 || — |}
==See also== *List of FIS Alpine Ski World Cup women's race winners
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{sports links}} * {{Ski-DB}}
{{Navboxes | title=Related | list1= {{s-start}} {{s-ach|aw}} {{succession box | before = {{flagicon|SUI}} Denise Biellmann | title = Swiss Sportswoman of the Year | years = 1982 | after = {{flagicon|SUI}} Doris de Agostini }} {{s-end}} {{Footer World Champions Slalom Women}} {{Footer World Champions Giant Slalom Women}} {{Footer World Champions Combined Women}} {{Footer World Cup Champions Women}} {{Footer Slalom World Cup Winners Women}} {{Footer Giant Slalom World Cup Winners Women}} {{Footer Alpine combination World Cup Winners Women}} {{Authority control}} }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hess, Erika}} Category:1962 births Category:Living people Category:People from Wolfenschiessen Category:Sportspeople from Nidwalden Category:Swiss female alpine skiers Category:Olympic medalists in alpine skiing Category:FIS Alpine Ski World Cup champions Category:Olympic alpine skiers for Switzerland Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Switzerland Category:Alpine skiers at the 1980 Winter Olympics Category:Alpine skiers at the 1984 Winter Olympics Category:Medalists at the 1980 Winter Olympics