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Nagano 長野
—  Core city  —
長野市 · Nagano City
From top of left, Zenkoji, Mount Togakushi, Kinasa village, Nagano Big Hat arena, Airial in Kawanakajima, Oku-Subana Valley, Marukome, which headquarter in Nagano, and famous for miso product company in Japan, Oyaki Japanese sweets, Togakushi ski place, and Matsushiro Castle
Flag
Location of Nagano in Nagano Prefecture
Nagano
Coordinates: 36°38′N 138°11′E / 36.633°N 138.183°E / 36.633; 138.183Coordinates: 36°38′N 138°11′E / 36.633°N 138.183°E / 36.633; 138.183
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu
Prefecture	Nagano Prefecture
Government
• Mayor	Shōichi Washizawa
Area
• Total	834.85 km2 (322.34 sq mi)
Population (April 1, 2011[1])
• Total	387,146
• Density	460/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
- Tree	Tilia japonica
- Flower	Apple
Phone number	26-226-4911
Address	1613 Midori-chō, Nagano-shi, Nagano-ken 380-8512
Website	City of Nagano

Nagano (長野市, Nagano-shi^?), the capital city of Nagano Prefecture, is located in the northern part of the prefecture near the confluence of the Chikuma and the Sai rivers, on the main Japanese island of Honshū.

As of April 1, 2011 the city has a population of 387,146. The total land area is 834.85 km².

Description[link]

Nagano is most famous for Zenkō-ji, a 7th century Buddhist temple which overlooks the city. A million tourists visit Nagano annually, the gateway to a variety of sightseeing spots. Nagano was originally a small town in Kamiminochi District built around the hilltop temple, the largest wooden building in eastern Japan, but the city now encompasses locations that were within Sarashina, Hanishina, and Kamitakai districts as well.

The prefecture of Nagano is in a hilly area.

Downtown Nagano

Geography[link]

Surrounding municipalities[link]

All but the city of Myōkō are within Nagano Prefecture.

• North: Towns of Shinano and Iizuna and city of Myōkō, Niigata Prefecture
• East: Cities of Nakano and Suzaka and town of Obuse
• South: Cities of Ueda and Chikuma
• Southwest: City of Ōmachi and villages of Omi, Chikuhoku and Ikusaka
• West: Village of Ogawa
• Northwest: Villages of Hakuba and Otari
• Northeast: Yamanouchi Area & Village of Yudanaka^[2]

Climate[link]

Like most of Honshū, Nagano has a humid subtropical climate, although bordering with a humid continental climate its location in a sheltered inland valley means it receives less precipitation than any part of Japan outside Hokkaidō. The city still receives heavy winter snow totaling 2.57 metres (101 in) over four months from December to March, but it is less gloomy during these cold months than the coast from Hagi to Wakkanai.

History[link]

This section requires expansion.

• The city is located within Minuchi (水内郡), Takai (高井), Sarashina (更級郡), and Hanishina (埴科郡) Districts in the ancient Shinano Province.
• Zenkō-ji relocated from the current city of Iida (642). Afterwards, the town of Monzen becomes one of the motel towns of Hokkoku Kaidō.
• The Battles of Kawanakajima were held, where Shigen Takeda (武田信玄) and Kenshin Uesugi (上杉謙信) fought.
• Inu-no-Mansui (戌の満水 or 千曲川大洪水) (1742), the water level reached at 6.4 m (21 ft) at Akanuma (near the border with the former town Toyono)
• Due to Zenko-ji Earthquake (May 8, 1847), nearly 10,000 people died (including the other disasters in Iiyama)
• Gained city status (1897)
• The Matsushiro Underground Imperial Headquarters (松代大本営) was built (Started in 1944, but cancelled in 1945 due to the end of war)
• Biggest mergers of the Showa Era I (1954)
• Due to the flooding of Chikuma River (1959), 71 people are dead or missing and 20,000 homes were flooded
• Biggest mergers of the Showa Era II (1966)
• Matsushiro Earthquake (松代群発地震)
• Due to Landslides (地附山地すべり災害)(1985), 27 people died and 60 homes were destroyed or near-destroyed
• Hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics and the 1998 Winter Paralympics (1998)
• Became a core city (1999)
• Due to the Biggest Mergers in Heisei Era, the city absorbed the municipalities of the town of Toyono, and the village of Togakushi, and Kinasa (from Kamiminochi District), and the village of Ōoka (from Sarashina District).
• Hosted the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games.

Municipal timeline[link]

This section requires expansion.

• April 1, 1897: The first city of Nagano was founded. (Nagano became the first city founded in Nagano Prefecture and the 43rd city in Japan).
• October 16, 1966: The current and the second city of Nagano was founded by merging with 8 municipalities, including the original city itself.
• January 1, 2005: The city absorbed the municipalities from Kamiminochi District (Toyono, Togakushi, and Kinasa) and Sarashina District (Ooka).
• January 1, 2010: The city absorbed the town of Shinshūshinmachi and the village of Nakajō from Kamiminochi District.^[5]

1998 Winter Olympics[link]

This section requires expansion.

Nagano hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, the second Winter Olympics to be held in Japan after the 1972 Winter Olympics were held in Sapporo, Hokkaidō (the first Winter Games ever held in Asia). As of 2010, Nagano is the southernmost host of the Winter Olympic Games. The Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon has been held every year since in remembrance of the event.

Nagano also hosted the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games, marking the first time the Special Olympics World Games had been held in Asia.

M-Wave arena

nagano Olympic Stadium, present day of Nagano Baseball Stadium

Sightseeing[link]

Zenkō-ji, ancient temple in Nagano

The historic site of the Battles of Kawanakajima has been retained as parkland, with a municipal museum of the history of the Zenkoji plain.

Matsushiro, the former castle town of the Sanada clan, is located in the southern part of the city. The town retains an historical atmosphere, preserving many old samurai residences, temples, and gardens of the feudal period, including the remains of the castle and mansion of feudal lord Sanada Jumangoku.

Sporting venues built for the Winter Olympics include the M-Wave speed-skating arena (with the world's largest wooden suspension roof), Big Hat arena, and the Aqua Wing Arena.

To north of the city is the village of Iizuna. A popular destination in both summer and winter, it includes an Olympic ski resort, campsite, onsen, 10 ponds, and a mountain slide ride.

Northeast of the city is Japan's largest ski resort, Shiga Kogen, with the nearby Jigokudani Monkey Park, famous for the wild (Japanese Macaque Japanese Snow Monkeys) often found bathing in its hot springs.

Just south of the downtown core, in Shinano, Mt. Chausu hosts the Nagano Chausuyama Zoo, an outdoor dinosaur park, botanical garden, and a museum of natural history.

Transportation[link]

The city's main railway hub, Nagano Station, and the smaller Shinonoi Station, were expanded for the 1998 Winter Olympics. The Hokuriku Shinkansen opened in 1997, connecting Nagano to Takasaki, Gunma. Nagano Station also serves the Shinano Railway Line, Shin'etsu Main Line, and Iiyama Line. The JR Chūō Main Line connects Nagano to the major city of Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture.

The Nagano Electric Railway also runs the Nagano Line to major sites around Nagano City and its suburbs.

The city is connected by rail south to Matsumoto via the Shinonoi Line, which terminates at Shinonoi Station.

Buses for Kawanaka-jima Bus and the Nagano Dentetsu Bus Co. service the city, and depart both Nagano Station and the Nagano Bus Terminal just west of the station.

The city's nearest domestic airport is Matsumoto Airport, connected via a 70-minute express bus from Nagano City.

Education[link]

Elementary schools[link]

• Aokijima Elementary School
• Nabeyata Elementary School
• Shiozaki Elementary School

Junior high schools[link]

• Imoi Junior High school
• Kotoku Junior High school
• Naniai Junior High School
• Sanyo Junior High School
• Seibu Junior High School
• Shinonoi-Nishi Junior High School

High schools[link]

• Satsuki High School
• Nagano Nihon University High School
• Nagano Ichiritsu High School
• Nagano Nishi(west) High School

College of Technology[link]

• Nagano National College of Technology (長野工業高等専門学校)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nagano

• Nagano official website (Japanese)
• Nagano Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Nagano 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games official website
• Shiga Kogen Ski Resort
• Nagano Electric Railway Co., Ltd. (Japanese)
• yudanaka-spa (Japanese)
• Zenkoji Official Site (Japanese)
• Shinto shrine in Nagano (Japanese)
• Nature, Culture & Technology Issues & Activities around Nagano

v t e Nagano Prefecture Cities Azumino Chikuma Chino Iida Iiyama Ina Komagane Komoro Matsumoto Nagano Nakano Okaya Ōmachi Saku Shiojiri Suwa Suzaka Tōmi Ueda Districts Chiisagata Hanishina Higashichikuma Kamiina Kamiminochi Kamitakai Kiso Kitaazumi Kitasaku Minamisaku Shimoina Shimominochi Shimotakai Suwa See also: Towns and villages by district

Kent Nagano

In Oper für Alle, Munich, 2010

Kent George Nagano (born November 22, 1951) is an American conductor and opera administrator. He is currently the music director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and the Bavarian State Opera.

Biography[link]

Nagano was born in Berkeley, California, while his parents were in graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley. He grew up in Morro Bay, a city located on the Central Coast of California. He is Japanese American. He studied sociology and music at the University of California, Santa Cruz^{[citation needed]}. After graduation he moved to San Francisco State University to study music. While there, he took composition courses from Grosvenor Cooper and Roger Nixon. He also studied at the École Normale de Musique in Paris.^[1]

His first conducting job was with the Opera Company of Boston, where he was assistant conductor to Sarah Caldwell. In 1978, he became the conductor of the Berkeley Symphony, his first music directorship. He stepped down from this position in 2009.^[2] During his tenure in Berkeley, Nagano became a champion of the music of Olivier Messiaen and initiated a correspondence with him.^[3]

In 1982, Nagano conducted the London Symphony Orchestra in several of Frank Zappa's completely orchestral compositions for the first time. Nagano recorded several of Zappa's pieces on the issue London Symphony Orchestra, Vol. 1, where Zappa had personally chosen Nagano to conduct the orchestra. Nagano described this as "my first chance, my first real break".^[4]

In 1985 he was awarded the Seaver/National Endowment for the Arts Conductors Award.

Nagano was music director of the Opéra de Lyon from 1988–1998, where he recorded, with the Lyon National Opera Orchestra and chorus, numerous works by Busoni (Doktor Faust, Arlecchino and Turandot), Stravinsky (The Rake's Progress), Offenbach (Les Contes d'Hoffmann), Debussy (world premiere of Rodrigue et Chimène), Canteloube (Chants d'Auvergne), Berlioz (La Damnation de Faust), Carlisle Floyd (Susannah), Richard Strauss (The French version of Salomé, the original version of Ariadne auf Naxos), Peter Eötvös (Trois Soeurs), Massenet (Werther), Delibes (Coppelia), Poulenc(Dialogues des Carmélites), Ravel (orchestral works), and Weill (Seven Deadly Sins).

He served as principal conductor of the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester from 1992-1999. During his tenure, Nagano received criticism for his expensive and ambitious programming, as well as his conducting fees.^[5] However, poor financial management at the orchestra separately contributed to the fiscal troubles of the orchestra.^[6] His contract was not renewed after 1999.

On August 4, 1996, Icelandic avant-pop artist Björk appeared at the Verbier Festival, and performed Schöenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, with Nagano conducing.

Nagano created the Arnold Schönberg Prize in 2001.

Nagano became principal conductor and artistic director of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin in 2000, and served in this position until 2006. He made a number of recordings with the orchestra, including music by Ludwig van Beethoven, Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Bruckner, Alexander von Zemlinsky, and Gustav Mahler.

Nagano became principal conductor at Los Angeles Opera (LA Opera) starting from the 2001-2002 season. In May 2003, Nagano was named the LA Opera's first music director, and he retained this position through 2006. He has been a regular guest at the Salzburg Festival, where he premiered Kaija Saariaho's L'amour de loin in 2000. He also conducted the world premiere of John Adams' The Death of Klinghoffer at la Monnaie in Brussels.

Nagano became the music director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal in 2006 and of the Bavarian State Opera in 2006; his current contracts with each organisation end in 2011^[7] and he has opted not to extend his contract in Munich beyond the summer of 2013.^[8] His contract with the Bavarian State Opera does not allow him to be the music director of another opera company.^[9] He is also one of the Russian National Orchestra's Conductor Collegium.^[10]

Nagano is married to the pianist Mari Kodama, and they have one daughter.

Honors[link]

• Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, 2008.
• Wilhelm Furtwängler Prize 2010, Beethovenfest Bonn

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Kent Nagano official website
• Kent Nagano at the Montreal Symphony Orchestra
• Kent Nagano at Allmusic
• Kent Nagano discography
• 2008 Autumn Conferment of Decorations on Foreign Nationals

Makoto Nagano (長野 誠, Nagano Makoto^?, born March 30, 1972 in Kitakata, Miyazaki) (sometimes known as "The World's Strongest Fisherman") is a commercial fisherman^[1] and the captain of his vessel, F/V Konpira Maru 28 (第28金比羅丸^?) and musician. He is regularly seen on the Japanese television show Sasuke (Ninja Warrior) where he is one of the "SASUKE All-Stars," a group of favored competitors who possess the greatest potential in completing the four grueling obstacle courses of Ninja Warrior, and gain the honor of becoming a renowned superior athlete, and also receive the coveted cash prize of two million yen.

Winning in the 17th competition (2006), he is the second of only three victors of the competition, the others being Kazuhiko Akiyama ^[2] in the 4th competition (1999) and Yuuji Urushihara^[3] in the 24th (2010) and 27th (2011) competitions.^[4]

Training[link]

Nagano spends 300 days a year training on his fishing ship for the Sasuke competitions.

Competitions[link]

1–15[link]

Nagano is known for his consistency in the competition. In his first 2 tournaments (7th and 8th competition), Nagano failed the Warped Wall. Then, in the 9th competition, he made an impact by reaching the Pipe Slider, further than any other competitor in that tournament had reached, only to fail the final jump off the pipe. He failed the Jump Hang on the first stage on the 10th tournament, but reached the Final Stage in the next three competitions (the 11th, 12th, and 13th competitions), but failed each time. Of the three, the closest he came to winning the competition was in the Fall 2003 competition (competition 12), missing the red button by 0.11 seconds. Since the 7th competition, he has failed the 1st Stage seven times, the most recent being the 26th Tournament. He has only failed the 2nd Stage twice (15th and 20th tournaments). He also holds the record for the most attempts in the Final Stage at five.

Nagano failed to make it four Final Stage attempts in a row, when he failed the new Jumping Bars in the 14th competition. Then, in the next competition, he suffered his Second Stage defeat when he failed the Metal Spin, an obstacle he easily cleared in the previous tournament.

16–20[link]

Perhaps the strangest failure that Nagano suffered was in the 16th competition in December 2005. Nagano once again had made his way towards the end of the 3rd Stage. Nagano took his time and rested on the green pipe directly before the Devil Swing obstacle that led to the Pipe Slider. Instead of trying to generate momentum from an idle position on the trapeze-like Devil's Swing, Nagano instead hung from the green bar, grasped the Devil Swing with one arm, and held onto the green pipe with the other. He then swung back and forth, eliminating most of the effort needed to get to the Pipe Slider. However, one of the chains on the Devil Swing got caught on the green pipe. Nagano eventually got himself free, and even grasped the Pipe Slider with one hand, but he couldn't hold on. When he let go, the orange pipe slid a short ways down the track. With no choice but to generate as much momentum as he could, Nagano fell short of the pipe on his jump and plunged into the water.

In the next competition, Nagano reached the Devil's Swing again. Avoiding the same mistake he made in the previous tournament, Nagano easily beat the obstacle and the Pipe Slider, and completed stage 3. He then became only the second person to attain total victory, completing the final stage with 2.5 seconds to spare.

His accomplishment paved the way for the completely redone Sasuke course, which was unveiled at the Spring 2007 competition. During the 18th meeting, Nagano made it all the way to the 3rd Stage, but was disqualified when he attempted the new Cliff Hanger. The fourth rendition of the Cliff Hanger has the second bar inclined upwards and shortened, making the gap between the second and third bars a jumping distance, rather than an arm's reach. While Nagano cleared the jump, his hand touched the frame of the Cliff Hanger and he was disqualified. He stopped after he got off the Cliff Hanger and announced his mistake himself.

The 19th competition was the scene of his most shocking defeat to date. He showed some impressive speed on the first few obstacles until he reached one of the newest obstacles, The Flying Chute (which he cleared easily in the 18th competition): an obstacle in which one must sit and go down a large slide and at the right time, jump off the slide to grab on to a distant rope. Nagano slipped and just grazed the rope with his hands, instead of grabbing the rope from under his arms, which is needed to successfully grab the rope. He then lost his grip and forcefully fell backwards into the water, shocking the entire audience and the announcers, as well as his fellow All-Stars. It was his first defeat by the first stage since 2002.

20–25[link]

In the 20th anniversary competition Nagano breezed through the first stage defeating the flying chute that took him out last time and cleared the first stage. However on the first obstacle of the Second Stage the Downhill Jump he was off balance from the start and couldn't hold onto the rope.

In the 21st tournament he cleared the first two stages with ease. He then managed to beat the Cliff Hanger that he was disqualified on in the 18th tournament. He then beat the new Hang Climbing and Spider Flip. However on the last obstacle the Gliding Ring, a design error prevented the ring from easily gliding down the track as it was supposed to. Nagano had to force it down the track, and fell into the water upon reaching the end of the track.

In the 22nd competition Nagano completed the first six obstacles with ease but when he tried the new obstacle, the Slider Jump he couldn't hold onto the net and fell into the water.

The 23rd competition was a controversial one for Nagano. He again cleared the first 6 obstacles with ease but when he got to the Slider Jump he let go too early and couldn't reach the net. However it was found out that one of ropes, that are used to reset the bar after each attempt, got caught in the frame of the obstacle. Nagano was then given a second attempt at the stage one. He cleared the first stage with ease. He would also go on to clear stage 2. In stage 3, he got his revenge against the Gliding Ring, completing it and making it to his fifth final stage. It was also the first time he reached the Final Stage since his victory in the 17th competition. In the final stage the time limit was reduced from 45 seconds to 40. Nagano made it near the top of the tower but timed out inches from the buzzer. If the time limit had stayed at 45 seconds he would have become the first two-time champion.

Due to his near miss in the previous tournament many people expected him to clear all four stages in the 24th tournament. He cleared the first 3 obstacles with ease. But on the jumping spider he made the jump but at the end of the spider walk section he was too low and slipped into the mud pit below. It was the earliest he had ever failed (along with the jump hang in SASUKE 10). In his interview after his run he said he wanted to clear the first half of the stage quickly so he could have a lot of time for the end of the stage which made strong competitors such as Shingo Yamamoto and Hitoshi Kanno time out.

In the 25th competition, Nagano was once again moving along quickly through the first stage, but then failed on the Circle Slider, which he had successfully cleared in the 17th competition, although it was much higher for him to reach this time.

26 and after[link]

The 26th competition was Nagano's third consecutive first stage failure, he moved through the new first three obstacles but failed the Jumping Spider again on the jump.

In Sasuke 27 Nagano competed under number 100 for the first time since Yuuji Urushihara's Kanzenseiha. During Stage 1 he showed incredible prowess by being the only All Star to clear the first stage. On the second stage Nagano is shown to have lost time on the Double Salmon Ladder but managed to clear the second stage with 1 second left. In Stage 3 Nagano passed the first few obstacles with ease before reaching the Ultimate Cliff-Hanger he showed he proved he was a true competitor by making it to 4th ledge with skill and grace however during his jump onto the 5th Small ledge he lost his balance and fell into the water.

Nagano currently holds the speed record on both the 1st and 2nd Stages of Sasuke. Even though he claims he wasn't as ready as he would've liked, he finished the 1st Stage in only 50 seconds. Along with his reputation in Sasuke, Nagano is the only man to have ever made it to the final stage (Final Viking) of Viking: The Ultimate Obstacle Course, coming within 5 feet of the finish before running out of time. He has also trained his older sister, Taeko Uchida and his wife Asami Nagano so they could compete in Kunoichi, the female-only spin off of Sasuke.

U.S. appearance[link]

In September 2008 Nagano made his first United States appearance at the Chibi-Pa Festival in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Album[link]

Nagano released his first album in 2011.^[5]

Sasuke[link]

This list shows all the competitions Nagano participated in, along with his contestant number, and the stage and obstacle where he was eliminated.

* In the 10th Competition, the contestant numbers ranged from 901 to 1000 to show that 1000 competitors have attempted Sasuke. Thus, rather than 99, Nagano's contestant number was 999. Similarly, in the 20th Competition, the numbers ran from 1901 to 2000 to indicate that 2000 competitors have attempted Sasuke's First Stage. Nagano's number was 2000 here rather than 100.
† When Nagano tried to cross the second gap in the redesigned Cliff Hanger, he accidentally grabbed the top frame with his left hand. Rather than continue on with the 3rd Stage, he announced his mistake, gracefully disqualifying himself from the competition.

See also[link]

• Sasuke
• Kinniku Banzuke

References[link]

External links[link]

• Makoto Nagano Official Page (Japanese)
• 11th Sasuke Homepage (Tokyo Broadcasting System)
• Ninja Warrior Homepage (G4)
• Press Release for Premiere of Ninja Warrior
• 新SASUKE 2007春 (Tokyo Broadcasting System)

Hermann Maier

Maier in December 2006
Disciplines	Downhill, Super G, Giant Slalom, Slalom, Combined
Club	USC Flachau - Salzburg
Born	(1972-12-07) December 7, 1972 (age 39) Altenmarkt im Pongau, Salzburg, Austria
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
World Cup debut	February 10, 1996 (age 23)
Retired	October 2009 (age 36)
Website	hm1.com
Olympics
Teams	2 - (1998, 2006)
Medals	4 (2 gold)
World Championships
Teams	6 - (1999-2009)
Medals	6 (3 gold)
World Cup
Seasons	12 - (1997-2009, no 2002)
Wins	54
Podiums	96
Overall titles	4 - (1998, 2000, '01, '04 )
Discipline titles	10 - (2 DH, 5 SG, 3 GS)

Medal record
Competitor for  Austria
Men's Alpine Skiing
Olympic Games
Gold	1998 Nagano	Super G
Gold	1998 Nagano	Giant slalom
Silver	2006 Turin	Super-G
Bronze	2006 Turin	Giant slalom
World Championships
Gold	1999 Vail	Downhill
Gold	1999 Vail	Super-G
Gold	2005 Bormio	Giant slalom
Silver	2001 St. Anton	Downhill
Silver	2003 St. Moritz	Super-G
Bronze	2001 St. Anton	Super-G

Hermann Maier (born December 7, 1972) is a former World Cup champion alpine ski racer and Olympic gold medalist from Austria. Born in Altenmarkt im Pongau in Salzburg, Maier ranks among the finest alpine ski racers in history, with four overall World Cup titles (1998, 2000, 2001, 2004), two Olympic gold medals (both in 1998), and three World Championship titles (1999: 2, and 2005). His 54 World Cup race victories (24 Super-G, 15 Downhills, 14 Giant Slaloms, 1 Combined) rank second on the men's all-time list behind Ingemar Stenmark's 86 victories. He is nicknamed the "Herminator".

Early years[link]

Hermann Maier did not initially enjoy much success in ski racing. As a 15-year old at the Schladming ski academy, he was sent home after being told he wouldn't succeed because of his slight build, caused by growth impairments. He returned home to his hometown of Flachau and his father's ski school, which remains Maier's home. He took up work as a bricklayer in the summer and a ski instructor in the winter.

Participating in local races, Maier became a multiple regional champion in Salzburg and Tyrol, but still was not able to gain a spot in the strong Austrian World Cup ski team. Putting that behind him, his outstanding talent was recognized for the first time by Austrian coaches on 6 January 1996, when he was timed with the 12th fastest time in a World Cup giant slalom in Flachau, although only starting as a forerunner, not participating in the actual competition.^{[citation needed]} This would become the starting point of his international career.

Ski Career[link]

Maier made his World Cup debut at age 23 on 10 February 1996, and finished 26th in the giant slalom at Hinterstoder, Austria. A year later in February 1997, he won his first World Cup event - a Super-G race in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. He quickly established himself as an explosive and dynamic racer, well known for his strength, willingness to take risks, and strong work ethic.

Maier soon dominated alpine ski racing, winning the gold medal in the giant slalom and Super-G at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, only a few days after a dramatic crash in the downhill race where he flew spectacularly off the sunlit course, landed partially on his head, tumbled head over heels several times, and crashed through two layers of B-netting. Despite the horrible look of the crash, Maier was able to walk out under his own power. That put him on the cover of Sports Illustrated and made him a well known sportsman around the globe. Maier won the overall World Cup title in 1998, as well as the Super-G and giant slalom season titles, and placed second in the downhill standings. In 2000 and 2001, he won the overall World Cup title, as well as the season titles in downhill, Super G, and giant slalom.

Maier at "Day of Sports" Festival Vienna 2006.

His racing career nearly ended following a near-fatal motorcycle accident in August 2001; he collided with a car on his way home from a summer training session in Austria. Doctors nearly amputated his lower leg, but instead Maier underwent massive reconstructive surgery. Most believed his racing career was over, and he had to sit out the 2002 season, missing the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. He returned to international competition in January 2003 in Adelboden, Switzerland. Just two weeks later, he shocked the skiing world with an amazing Super-G victory in the skiing-mecca of Kitzbühel, Austria.

In 2004, his first full season back, he reclaimed both the Super-G and overall titles, a feat widely seen as one of the greatest comebacks in sports history. In 2004, Hermann Maier received the Laureus World Sports Award for the "Comeback of the Year". His overall title was the fourth of his career.

Reflecting his apparently indestructible nature, he is sometimes jocularly known as "The Herminator." After his 1998 Olympic gold medals in Nagano he also appeared on Jay Leno's Tonight Show on NBC - together with Austrian-born actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is known worldwide as "The Terminator".^[1]

In 2004, Maier wrote an autobiography with his friend and former publicity agent, Knut Okresek. The book, Hermann Maier: Das Rennen Meines Lebens (in German), dealt mainly with his stunning recovery from the 2001 motorcycle accident. In 2005, VeloPress, a Boulder, Colorado-based publisher affiliated with Ski Racing magazine, acquired the worldwide English language rights to the book, which was published in time for the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy, as Hermann Maier: The Race of My Life.

In October 2005, he won the opening giant slalom in Sölden to amass 51 victories in the World Cup. This placed him fourth on the career victory list, behind Ingemar Stenmark, Annemarie Moser-Pröll and Vreni Schneider.

On 20 June 2007, Maier announced he was switching to Head as his equipment sponsor, ending his long affiliation with Atomic. Also switching from Atomic to Head at this time were champions Bode Miller of the U.S. and Didier Cuche of Switzerland.

On 18 January 2008, Maier finished second in the Kitzbühel's Super-G. His career results in the Super-G races at Kitzbühel are the best in history (7 races: 5 wins and 2 second places). The following day, Maier finished fifth in the downhill. These were his best results of the 2008 season.

On 30 November, 2008, Maier won the first Super-G of the 2009 season, held in Lake Louise, for his 24th Super-G win. It was his 54th World Cup victory, but the first in nearly three years, and came a week before his 36th birthday. It was Maier's fourth victory in the Super-G at Lake Louise, the last coming five years earlier.

On 13 October 2009, after 13 years competing in the World Cup circuit, 36 year old Hermann Maier announced his retirement.^[2]

World Cup victories[link]

Season titles[link]

14 total: 4 overall, 2 downhill, 5 Super G, 3 giant slalom

Individual victories[link]

54 victories

Downhill[link] 15 victories Season Date Location 1998 29 December 1997 Bormio, Italy 16 January 1998 Wengen, Switzerland 1999 29 December 1998 Bormio, Italy 2000 27 November 1999 Beaver Creek, USA 8 January 2000 Chamonix, France 29 January 2000 Garmisch, Germany 2001 2 December 2000 Beaver Creek, USA 9 December 2000 Val d'Isère, France 20 January 2001 Kitzbühel, Austria 2 March 2001 Kvitfjell, Norway 8 March 2001 Åre, Sweden 2004 6 December 2003 Beaver Creek, USA 14 February 2004 St. Anton, Austria 2005 5 March 2005 Kvitfjell, Norway 2006 28 January 2006 Garmisch, Germany Super-G[link] 24 victories Season Date Location 1997 23 February 1997 Garmisch, Germany 1998 6 December 1997 Beaver Creek, USA 10 January 1998 Schladming, Austria 11 January 1998 1 February 1998 Garmisch, Germany 1999 13 December 1998 Val d'Isère, France 21 December 1998 Innsbruck, Austria 9 January 1999 Schladming, Austria 7 March 1999 Kvitfjell, Norway 2000 28 November 1999 Vail, USA 5 December 1999 Lake Louise, Canada 21 January 2000 Kitzbühel, Austria 16 March 2000 Bormio, Italy 2001 26 November 2000 Lake Louise, Canada 19 January 2001 Kitzbühel, Austria 4 March 2001 Kvitfjell, Norway 2003 27 January 2003 Kitzbühel, Austria 2004 30 November 2003 Lake Louise 1 February 2004 Garmisch, Germany 11 March 2004 Sestriere, Italy 2005 24 January 2005 Kitzbühel, Austria 6 March 2005 Kvitfjell, Norway 2006 20 January 2006 Kitzbühel, Austria 2009 30 November 2008 Lake Louise, Canada Giant slalom[link] 14 victories Season Date Location 1998 25 November 1997 Park City, USA 6 January 1998 Saalbach, Austria 13 January 1998 Adelboden, Switzerland 1999 25 October 1998 Sölden, Austria 12 January 1999 Adelboden, Switzerland 2000 31 October 1999 Tignes, France 24 November 1999 Beaver Creek, USA 5 February 2000 Todtnau, Germany 2001 29 October 2000 Sölden, Austria 10 December 2000 Val d'Isère, France 9 January 2001 Adelboden, Switzerland 15 February 2001 Shiga Kōgen, Japan 10 March 2001 Åre, Sweden 2006 23 October 2005 Sölden, Austria Combined[link] 1 victory Season Date Location 1998 18 January 1998 Veysonnaz, Switzerland