The Austrian Ski Federation officially announced their national alpine ski team for 2017-18 today. With 48 women and 60 men on the squad, there are more than just a handful of strong skiers in the World Cup-obsessed country. Who should fans be on the lookout for heading into next season?

Behind Marcel Hirscher, Hannes Reichelt was the top Austrian man in the World Cup overall rankings this past season. He finished second in the super-G standings and sixth in the downhill rankings. Reichelt has been plagued by back injuries during his career and underwent disc surgery in September 2016.

With 253 World Cup starts, 41 podiums and 13 wins, Reichelt is no rookie. But considering his ability to return from back surgery to a World Cup podium in three months, this speed specialist is one to keep an eye on to potentially usurp the super-G globe from the Norwegians (who have claimed it the past six years in row) and maybe even pocket some Olympic medals along the way.

An impressive naming to the A-Team, Nadine Fest is an up-and-coming junior athlete born in 1998. She has been dominant in international junior ski racing for several years. In 2014, she won the Whistler Cup slalom and then in 2017, she took it up a notch, winning the Junior World Championship super-G and alpine combined titles.

Fest was also a regular on European Cup podiums this season, including three trips to the very top step. She earned the 2017 European Cup super-G and alpine combined titles and was third in the overall standings. The Austrian has yet to make her World Cup debut, but likely will do so in the 2017-18 season thanks to her Continental Cup titles.

The younger brother of the legendary Mario Matt had a breakout season in 2016-17, finishing fifth in the World Cup slalom standings. Michael Matt won his first World Cup race at Kranjska Gora in early March 2017.

“It’s amazing, it’s unbelievable when you stand out there in the finish area,” Matt said after that race. “When you’re second after the first run and then the green light is in the second run when you’re in the finish, it’s amazing.”

As the youngest member of the A-squad, Matt will chase that elated feeling next season as he challenges the likes of Henrik Kristoffersen and Marcel Hirscher for more victories.

Max Franz snagged his first World Cup win this season in the Val Gardena downhill after a podium dry spell that lingered for more than a year. The Austrian has suffered head, knee and ankle injuries throughout his career, taking him on and off the circuit for the past several seasons. Franz has a great offseason training mate in lifelong friend Marcel Hirscher, and Werner Franz, his cousin, is a coach on the Austrian national team.

Elisabeth Goergl is the oldest member of the Austrian national team – man or woman. Born in 1981, the speed specialist made her World Cup debut in 2000. She has competed in seven World Championships, starting with St. Moritz in 2003. Her best result in 2016-17 was a fifth-place finish at Aspen, Colo., in the super-G, and her last podium was achieved in March 2015 at the Meribel downhill.

The substantial group of top Austrians who were sidelined last winter due to injury, including Eva-Maria Brem, Cornelia Huetter, Carmen Thalmann, Mirjam Puchner and Anna Veith, are expected to return in the Olympic year. Brem recently returned to snow, beginning her journey back to the circuit after breaking her leg in GS training in November 2016. 

Huetter, a standout in speed, tore her ACL and meniscus in January. Thalmann suffered a similar injury during training at Copper Mountain in November 2016. Puchner suffered a tibia and fibula break in her right leg after falling off a jump early in a downhill training run at 2017 World Championships. Meanwhile, fans have been waiting anxiously for Veith to return to the World Cup in top form.

The Olympic gold medalist had a slow but steady return to the circuit last season and built her confidence up to a third-place finish in the Cortina d’Ampezzo super-G. But in late February she opted to undergo another knee surgery after chronic inflammation of the patellar tendon in her left knee prevented her from skiing her best.

“This surgery is the only way to be able to ski again without pain, so I decided to do this surgery. I am facing this challenge because I want to continue my career,” said Veith about the decision.

Time will tell how these ladies’ fare in their comebacks, but they all have a chance to make a splash this Olympic season.

Complete men’s team can be found here.
Complete women’s team can be found here.