FLORIAN SCHIEDER from Kastelruth is no stranger in South Tyrol—or in the international ski circuit. In 2023 and 2024, he caused a sensation by finishing second twice in the downhill race in Kitzbühel. Outside of ski season, he helps his father Karl on the family-run Prosslinerhof, which has been delivering its milk to the Brixen dairy cooperative for several years. Florian is also involved in the Spatzenfest, plays the trombone, and serves on the board of the local brass band—down-to-earth and deeply rooted in his homeland.

The ski world was left astonished on January 20, 2023. The downhill on the legendary Streif in Kitzbühel seemed already decided—until Florian Schieder, starting with bib number 43, entered the race and, with sensational split times, climbed to second place. In a post-race interview, the fair sportsman modestly noted that he had taken full advantage of the excellent light and visibility. But he proved a year later that this result was no fluke. Once again in Kitzbühel, Schieder overtook the then-leading Marco Odermatt and sat in the leader’s chair—until French skier Cyprien Sarrazin narrowly beat him by just five hundredths of a second.

His result is even more impressive considering that Florian competed with a knee injury sustained shortly before during the downhill in Wengen, an injury that ultimately forced him to end his season early a month later. By now, he has fully recovered and is already preparing for the upcoming season.

A Farm in the Family for Four Generations
The Brimi Kurier paid a visit to Florian Schieder and his parents Karl and Gertrud at the Prosslinerhof in Kastelruth. Karl shares some family history: his grandfather (Florian’s great-grandfather) bought the farm in 1930. When he passed away at just 45, a guardian was appointed to manage the assets for his ten children. In 1954, Karl’s father took over the farm. He initially worked as a cattle dealer and only started milk production in the early 1970s. Since the mid-70s, the Prosslinerhof has also offered farm holidays. Karl took over in 1994 and has since renovated and expanded the property roughly every ten years. He was a founding member of the Kastelruther Spatzen, but stepped back from the music group after taking over the farm. His wife Gertrud also runs a café in the village.

The farm covers 17 hectares, about 10 of which are mowed four times a year. An additional 15 hectares of meadows are located on the alpine pasture—“all easily workable with machines,” says Karl. The barn houses about 20 dairy cows and 20 young cattle. Usually, the animals are taken to the alpine pasture in summer, but “this year we kept them at the farm—it was just too much work going back and forth for milking,” Karl explains. If someone helps out next summer, he’d like to bring the animals back up to the pasture again.

The Early Bird...

Florian has been a passionate and talented skier since childhood. He trained regularly and took part in various racing series. The early mornings never bothered him:
“We never had to wake him up—he usually woke us up,” Karl laughs. Since Karl took care of the barn work, Gertrud usually accompanied Florian to youth ski races.

After middle school, Florian tried the sports academy in Val Gardena, but after a year chose a different path—a sheet metal apprenticeship with a local business owner who was always active in the village sports club and supported Florian from the start by giving him the flexibility to train. After passing his journeyman’s exam, Florian took the opportunity to join the Carabinieri sports group, allowing him to fully focus on ski racing. Hopefully, he can build on the success of the past two years in the upcoming season.