World Cup ski racing star Sam Maes and Antje Heissel only bear a passing resemblance to Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet (if you squint your eyes and use your imagination)…and may have been seen and heard gleefully embracing and loudly proclaiming themselves “king and queen of the world” on the bow of an open air podium last Sunday (anyone remember DiCaprio and Winslet in Titanic, the Hollywood blockbuster and winner of the 1998 Academy Award for Best Picture?)…but it should be noted that any such sightings (real or imaginary…likely imaginary) were strictly related to their victories at this year’s Ski&Golf World Championship, held in beautiful Zell am See-Kaprun, Austria.
This incredibly cool annual event pits some of the world’s best skiers and golfers against each other in a three-day tournament that kicks off with a giant slalom run 10,000 feet above the clouds at the famed Kitzsteinhorn glacier ski area, and finishes off with two rounds (36 holes) of golf at the stunningly scenic Golf Club Zell am See-Kaprun down in the valley – oh, and it’s open to the general public! More than 125 athletes from twelve nations participated in this year’s championship, so if you think you’ve got game on snow, and on fairways and greens, you can enter next year’s tournament – but more on that later after a quick recap of this year’s event.
Victory for Maes, who had a two second lead after the GS portion of the championship going into the golf portion, was extra sweet as he was born and raised in Zell am See to Belgian parents. After the event, the 26-year-old local hero, who is an up and coming giant slalom and slalom discipline superstar on the World Cup tour (Maes is on the Belgian National Team) told me he had more than a few butterflies in his stomach going into the event.
“I haven’t been that nervous in a long time, even when I’m ski racing. But in the end I was able to put together a couple of good rounds of golf. It was super fun to have such a competitive final round, and I hope to have the same again next year,” Maes said after complimenting his two closest competitors Michael Vonbank (AUT) and another local hero from Zell am See, Alexander Heitzmann (AUT) who finished in second and third respectively.
On the women’s side, Germany’s Antje Heissel proved for a second straight year that she is a truly formidable skier and golfer, by successfully defending her crown (Heissel also won the 2024 Ski&Golf World Championship) ahead of Tina Sophia Honnef (SUI) and Sophie Dekker (NED) who finished in second and third place.
Next year’s Ski&Golf World Championship will take place from May 13-16, 2026 and as mentioned earlier, this event is open to the general public, and there are a host of different categories you can compete in outside of the “All Over” titles captured by Maes and Heissel.
This event is a wonderful opportunity to put your ski and golf talents to the test, but there’s more to it than bashing gates and draining putts according to Zell am See-Kaprun CEO Manuel Resch. “We are very proud to be organizing the Ski&Golf World Championship in Zell am See-Kaprun for the second year in such high quality. With the Kitzsteinhorn glacier and the Leading Golf Course GC Zell am See-Kaprun, our region offers the ideal infrastructure and a unique setting.
The World Championships are not only a top event that attracts athletes and guests from around the world, but also an exclusive meeting place for the international sports and business community,” Resch said after the champions were crowned.
Registration for the 2026 Ski&Golf World Championship opens at the end of May online at www.skigolfworldcup.com.
To read more about golfing in Zell am See-Kaprun in SNOW Magazine, click on this link.
To read more about skiing in Zell am See-Kaprun in SNOW Magazine, click on this link.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF: Zell am See-Kaprun, JOE
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