Manuel Feller and Marco Schwarz.
MERIBEL,FRANCE,20.MAR.22. FIS World Cup Final.
Photo: GEPA pictures

“Manu” Feller was born in 1992; he turned thirty on October 13th. Marco Schwarz is three years younger; his birthday was August 16, 1995.

Manu comes from Sankt Johan in Tirol, in the middle of the country. Marco lives in Villach, Kärnten region, 150 miles East. Austria is a small country, but the differences between regions and even towns are more significant than the distances separating them.

Manu is a rockstar on skis and an extrovert. When he broke into the World Cup, he was always on edge. He took, and still takes, enormous risks. Meanwhile, Marco is a good kid, always upbeat and discreet. His skiing technique is clean, stylish and consistent.

These athletes are on the same team and in the same working group and are both top slalom skiers. Feller has also often been in contention in GS, while Schwarz considers himself an overall skier.

Feller and Schwarz’s careers and lives have run on parallel tracks. They’re different but similar to each other—two sides of the same coin. With the World Cup beginning, SRM decided to catch up with the two Austrian ski stars in a dual interview.

SRM: First of all, how are you?

Manu: Good, my summer was pretty good. I went on holiday with my family to Croatia, away from the crowds, spending time together (wife, two little daughters) relaxing and fishing. The physical training was positive. I’m feeling confident with my body right now. We skied in Chile and despite some minor health issues, I was delighted. Conditions were great, tough. After a busy period of appearances and interviews, I look forward to racing and traveling all over Austria.

Marco: I’m fine. I was in Jamaica for twelve days before getting back to training. I stayed in Chile a week longer than Manu and the rest of the tech team. I’ve been there for four weeks, the last one dedicated to Super-G and Downhill. Going to Chile was the best decision because of the situation on the European glaciers.

SRM: What do you remember about meeting each other for the first time?

Manu: Oh… we must have been at training camp at Mallorca. We had crossed each other’s paths a few times before, but that was the first time we spent time together.

Marco: I joined the World Cup team in 2013, and the first camp we did together was in Mallorca; yes, I remember it as well. We got along quite well from the beginning.

SRM: Who trains harder between you two?

Manu: On skis, it’s him.

Marco: Yes, I have to do more runs. Manuel has long suffered from back problems.

Manu: I have to take care of my body. Marco’s unbreakable, or I think he is. He constantly pushes the coaches for more ski runs. I’m the one asking for extra physical training to get my body better prepared for skiing.

SRM: Who’s better at a party?

Manu: (Laughs) I’ve done a lot of good parties with this guy, but if I’m counting altogether, I will probably win.

SRM: Who makes more money?

Manu: We don’t talk about money! Well, we don’t know the other’s sponsoring contracts. Probably he’s in some business I’m unaware of behind my back (laughs).

SRM: Who has more supporters?

Marco: Manu, for sure. On Instagram, he has more followers!

Manu: I think in real life, he has more fans. People say that I buy my Instagram followers! Well, that’s not true.

SRM: What is a good thing you can take from him?

Manu: He has so many good things. I have to think about the best one. He’s friendly. He’s just a really good guy. That’s no joke. He’s always there to help you in tough situations.

Marco: It’s difficult for me to name just a thing. Manu’s fun. It’s incredible to be around him, in our team, the atmosphere he creates. And he’s a pretty good sportsman.

SRM: One piece of advice you want to give him?

Marco: Manu, it’s better to calm down in some situations!

Manu: I knew he would say that, and he’s perfectly right. I can act on my emotions. He’s better than me in reactions. My advice to him is Marco, it’s ok sometimes to take a break, to relax from working.

SRM: You both ski on Atomic. Do you have secrets, or do you join forces on equipment development?

Marco: We sometimes work together, but we perform better with different kinds of skis. We’re not using the same ones.

Manu: I would say we have no secrets. Or, at least, I have no secrets (laugh). When it comes to equipment, we cooperate a lot. But as Marco says, we’re entirely different skiers. I’m more dynamic; I always need to feel my outside ski. Marco could switch skis and be consistent, like two-tenths of a second difference between runs. I had one second or eight-tenth difference from best skis to worst skis. No matter the equipment, he can compensate a lot with his technique.

SRM: A game now. Do you know who has more World Cup podiums?

Marco: Uhm…I think we have pretty much the same.

Manu: I might have more podiums, but he has more medals. And more wins.

(They have 15 podiums each, Marco has four victories and four medals, and Manu has two wins and one medal)

SRM: Expectations for the season?

Marco: I want to be back on the podium. Last year was very difficult for me (Marco suffered from an ankle injury in November and struggled to recover completely). This season I’m looking to the World Championships in February; that’s the big thing. 

Manu: Normally, my answer was: I want to do better than the previous season. But this time would be difficult because last year was great. I’m annoyed that I couldn’t win a race, which is my goal this season. If I must pick one, I’d say Kitzbühel. I haven’t competed there for two years, and it’s my home race. There’s always a huge crowd. Altogether, I want to improve my skiing and my skills and make some progress.