Paula (Paola) Rosa Wiesinger later Steger (27 February 1907 – 12 June 2001) was a pioneering

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

alpine skier Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for ...

and

mountain climber Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, ...

who competed at one edition of

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...

and three editions of the

FIS Alpine World Ski Championships The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships is an alpine skiing competition organized by the International Ski Federation (FIS). History The inaugural world championships in alpine skiing were held in 1931. During the 1930s, the event was held annua ...

(1932, 1933, 1934, 1936).

Biography

Wiesinger was born in

Bolzano Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third la ...

. She won the 1932 women's Downhill world championship in

Cortina d'Ampezzo Cortina d'Ampezzo (; lld, Anpezo, ; historical de-AT, Hayden) is a town and ''comune'' in the heart of the southern (Dolomitic) Alps in the Province of Belluno, in the Veneto region of Northern Italy. Situated on the Boite river, in an alp ...

, and competed in the

1936 Winter Olympics The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games (german: IV. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 ( bar, Garmasch-Partakurch 1936), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 16 ...

, finishing 16th in the alpine skiing combined event. She married Hans Steger. In 1935 Wiesinger was invited to view the

Trofeo Mezzalama The Mezzalama Trophy ( it, Trofeo Mezzalama, french: Trophée Mezzalama, a.k.a. ''white marathon''

, a competition that was only intended for male

ski mountaineer Ski mountaineering (abbreviated to skimo) is a skiing discipline that involves climbing mountains either on skis or carrying them, depending on the steepness of the ascent, and then descending on skis. There are two major categories of equipmen ...

s. Due to an injury leave of

Giusto Gervasutti Giusto Gervasutti (17 April 1909 – 16 September 1946) was an Italian mountain climber, Alpini officer and skier. Biography Gervasutti, also known as "Il Fortissimo" ("the strongest"), was born in Cervignano del Friuli. He started climbing at th ...

, she took his military uniform, covered her face with sunglasses and his cap, and took part instead of him, but the cheat was discovered at a check point of the race. She died in Seiser Alm. A hotel and a statue in Siusi allo Sciliar are dedicated to Wiesinger.

Olympic Games results

World Championship results

National titles

Wiesinger won 15 national titles. *

Italian Alpine Ski Championships The Italian Alpine Ski Championships ( it, Campionati italiani di sci alpino) are the national championships in alpine skiing, organised every year by the Federazione Italiana Sport Invernali (FISI). 2023 edition held in La Thuile, Aosta Valle ...

**Downhill: 1931, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936 (5) **Slalom: 1931, 1933, 1934, 1936 (4) **Combined: 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936 (6)

References

External links