Franz Weber: Speed-ski record holder

• Franz Weber was an Austrian speed skier from Innsbruck.
• He set speed-ski records in 1983 and 1984.
• He reached 203.916 km/h in Silverton in 1982.
• In 1983 he set a world record of 208.092 km/h at Silverton.
• At Albertville 1992, speed skiing was a demonstration event, not a medal event.
• After speed skiing, he competed in Masters and Legends races.

Franz Weber, born in Innsbruck, was one of the leading speed skiers of the 1980s. Speed skiing measures the highest speed reached on a prepared slope, with the skier following a straight line. Body position, equipment and a controlled line matter because small movements can have large effects at extreme speed. Records must be understood in the context of the course and the relevant equipment category.

At Silverton, Colorado, Weber reached 203.916 kilometres per hour in 1982 and set a world record of 208.092 km/h in 1983. In 1984 he reached 208.937 km/h at Les Arcs. He won six consecutive world titles from 1980 to 1985, a run that established his place in the discipline. These figures describe separate runs at different venues and should not be conflated.

Weber initially ended his world championship career in 1985, then returned for the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, where speed skiing appeared as a demonstration event. He finished eighth and reached 222.222 km/h, his personal top speed. The event demonstrated the discipline but was outside the official Olympic medal programme.

After 1992, Weber took part in Masters and Legends events. In 1996 he set a team world record with three other skiers by skiing 16 Colorado resorts in one day. That endurance project differed from speed skiing, where velocity is measured over the final 100 metres and the course needs a long, gradually flattening run-out. Weber also took part in television productions and ski events, keeping him involved in skiing beyond his record-setting years.