Isolde, former world champion, runs a chalet in Selva di Val Gardena: “I’m the jack of all trades, I’m in the kitchen and I take tourists skiing. Today’s Italian women’s team is no stronger than we were. My children? One is a chef, one helps us, and the little one wants to be Ronaldo.”
Three Olympic medals, three World Championship medals, 15 World Cup victories, 51 podium finishes, winner of the Downhill World Cup in 2001 and 2002: Isolde Kostner was one of the fastest skiers in the world. Now she is a successful entrepreneur.
Isolde, what have these first 50 years been like?
“Not boring at all. I had a wonderful childhood, two parents who gave me freedom: in the summer to play in the woods and meadows; in the winter to ski, cross-country ski, play ice hockey, and skate. You could still go sledding on the street.”
Then came her years as an athlete.
“I started training seriously at 11 and stopped at 31. I fulfilled my childhood dream of skiing on TV one day. My mom was a huge fan and watched all the races. And so was I. My idol was Zurbriggen. It wasn’t skiing that was my passion, but sport in general: volleyball, cycling, climbing, hiking, swimming, cross-country skiing. I learned so many things: always in contact with so many people who came from different places, from different families, I was enriched.”
Who is Isolde Kostner today?
“I am a mother of three children, aged 19, 17, and 9. I also own two businesses: the B&B where I got married, the Garní Residence Soraiser in Selva di Val Gardena, which belonged to my husband’s family, and, for the past three years, the luxury chalet Vilaiet in Ortisei.” .
She is still in contact with many people.
“Tourists don’t stay for more than a week, but the nice thing is that they are on vacation and generally more relaxed. But woe betide if there’s no Wi-Fi…”
What is your role?
“In the B&B, I’m the jack of all trades: if there’s no maid, I’m the maid; if my husband isn’t there, I make breakfast; I’m wherever I’m needed. I take care of the gardens, spending whole days tending to the flowers and pruning the bushes. And then there’s the laundry and the beds. At the chalet, on the other hand, I welcome guests and one day a week I take them skiing.“
Where does someone who lives in Val Gardena go on vacation?
”We look for warmth, we go to recharge our batteries in the sun.“
What is your favorite time of day?
”I’m a morning person. My clearest memory of my competitive life is the mornings on the glaciers. We would go very early, before 5 a.m., when there was no one else there, and we would watch the sunrise.“
Do your children help you?
”The second one helped us a lot when he was very young, but as a teenager he lost interest. David, the older one, wants to be a chef and is working in Selva in the kitchen of a Michelin-starred chef. The younger one wants to be Cristiano Ronaldo for now.“
This year, your first son turns 20: how does that make you feel?
”Incredible. Life goes by too fast. In 2024, I celebrated 30 years since my first Olympic medal, and I couldn’t get my head around it: how could thirty years have already passed?“
Are your children different from how you were at their age?
”Different, yes. I was very meticulous even at 11, a perfectionist, always doing more than what was asked of me. They’re not that determined. The little one plays the accordion but isn’t obsessed with it. For now, he’s into soccer, but we’ll see in two years.“
What kind of mother are you?
”Very similar to my parents. I’m not afraid. When they were little, I sent them down the most difficult slopes, I wrote my phone number on their helmets, but they always came home safely.“
As a wife? Are you jealous?
”No. If he finds someone he likes more than me, let him go. Maybe I say that because it hasn’t happened yet.”
Was it easy to stop competing?
“Yes, because in 2004 I took some time to decide, I had chosen to continue only until the Turin Games. I was prepared to stop. Then in December I found out I was pregnant, I just stopped earlier.”
You skipped the Olympics because you were expecting a baby: how did the federation take it?
“They probably didn’t take it very well, but that’s how it was.”
You won five times on the Olympia delle Tofane in Cortina.
“It was my track. I thought Lindsey Vonn was unbeatable, but now I’m not so sure.”
Are today’s Italian women stronger than you were?
“I wouldn’t say so. Just think of all our opponents.”
What did the Olympics mean to you?
“Lillehammer was a dream. I was 18, I had just won my first race, but I was calm, without any pressure. I told myself: I’ll go down there, give it my all, if I come in 30th, that’s fine, if I make the podium, even better.“
You always seemed calm.
”But I had stomach problems: I was convinced that was my weak point, but since I stopped, I’ve never had any problems. It was obviously the tension.“
Your first race?
”In first grade, at school, a mini race. I came second behind my dear friend Christine Gruber.“
Your best quality?
”I’d say balance. Even when I get angry, I never overreact.“
Do you have a dream that you have yet to fulfill?
”Unfortunately not, I no longer have big dreams like winning races. But I would like to get people aged 50 and over involved in sport. It’s very important, it’s healthy.”
Is there anything that scares you?
“Certain politicians give me pause.”
Are you happy?
“Yes. After turning 50, I found more peace within myself. I’ve always been very meticulous; I wanted everything to be perfect. I’ve learned to take a more philosophical approach.”
