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'The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams' (Eleanor Roosevelt).

Double World Champion hoping for a place in the top ten in first race of the season

"Thank goodness it's not a disc playing up this time!", said a very relieved Mario Matt during the training course in Pitztal. The Austrian felt two weeks ago a sharp pain in his back while training on the icy snow. However, he now has his back trouble well and truly under control. The double World Champion put in a sensational performance in this special training session. With things as they stand today, his start in the opening World Cup race in Sölden on October 28 is not in danger.

Two days' break and a special session

Due to his back pain Matt was forced to leave the training course in Pitztal two days earlier than planned. This meant that the 28-year-old, who is a fixed starter in the Giant Slalom in Sölden, missed two important days on the hills. A racing pro like Matt knows that, "In the preparation phase, just before the first race, every day out on the skis is crucial." It was for this reason that he put in a special session at short notice with trainers Rainer Gstrein and Florian Winkler. A session that obviously paid off. Siegi Voglreiter, Racing Director at Fischer, observed with an expert eye that Matt was "awesomely fast".

"I still lack consistency in Giant Slalom for victory in Sölden"

Despite being in good form Matt himself remains down-to-earth and refuses to get carried away: "Victory in the Giant Slalom in Sölden would be asking too much. I still lack consistency in this discipline. My goal is clear though – the top ten." Matt will make use of the days with the team leading up to the race in Sölden to work on this missing consistency so his runs become smoother. 

Matt looking forward to highlights such as Sölden, Kitzbühel and Wengen

Matt has again taken a very positive approach to the hustle and bustle of the World Cup away from the slopes. He is looking forward in particular to races such as Sölden, Kitzbühel and Wengen, where there is more to think about than just racing. After all, you can't live without the lighter side of life. Matt gets on extremely well with his roommate, Mario Scheiber. And that too is one of many success factors. However, it can hardly be said that Mario Matt goes into a bout of depression when it's time for him to pack his bags and head off home. "Home is the place where I can really switch off. I scarcely think about skiing when I'm at home." The Tyrolean racer prefers to devote time to his horses - a welcome change away from the world of skiing.

Fischer press release

Fischer freeze-frames the Austrian in the Dachstein giant ice cave    

Mario Matt made it to the podium in all eight Slaloms in 2007. The crowning glory of this successful run came with the convincing win in the World Championship Slalom in Åre. You need nerves of steel to zip past the Slalom gates with such coolness. Fischer decided to document this coolness of their Austrian "Iceman" with the help of Munich based star photographer, Yorck Dertinger. The giant ice cave in the Dachstein World of Caves in Upper Austria served as the perfect location. "It's difficult of course to describe yourself in such a way, but I really do think I have very strong nerves and am also quite cool when I'm skiing," says the double World Champion, analysing his "Iceman" factor. This photo shoot in the "ice chapel" resulted in two extraordinary images. One shows the Austrian in a particularly cool outfit with the new Fischer RC4 Worldcup SC with Flowflex system. The other one shows him naked from the waist up with a Fischer tattoo on his chest.

"Aiming to repeat training performances in Giant Slalom better in races"

Matt is already in the middle of preparations for the upcoming World Cup season. "In Slalom I'm now back to where I was before the injury. I'd like to maintain the consistency here. It would be perfect if I could then step up a few gears in the Giant Slalom and Super Combined. I certainly have the potential in the Giant Slalom in particular, this is where I haven't been able to reproduce my training performances in races yet," says Matt, taking an optimistic view of the 2007/08 season. "I tested the new material back in spring. I got on really well with it and didn't notice any major differences. Fischer is currently working on more new material at the moment which I'll be testing in three weeks in New Zealand."

"World Championships in Åre were unique and an amazing feeling" 

The 28-year-old has now moved on from narrowly missing out on the small crystal globe in the Slalom. "It would have been nice of course, but I'm still very satisfied with how my season went. Everything went perfectly from January on. The World Championships in Åre were a unique experience for me and a fantastic feeling. When I first won a World Championship title in 2001 everything happened so quickly. I got into the World Cup and became World Champion. Due to injury I went through a very difficult period and had to work incredibly hard for my second WCH title." 

Matt also heading for success with Arab horse breeding

The Tyrolean's favourite hobby has to be his Arab horses, and he had more time for them once the season ended: "April is the month when I have the most time for my horses. I have to spend a lot of my time back in training now, though, but I try to make sure that I still have enough time for my horses." Matt's horse breeding is also going from strength to strength: "It's gone very well this year. I've also had very good foals."

Fischer press release

Pictures courtesy of Fischer / Yorck Dertinger