October 25, 2012 – Exactly 100 days before the World Ski Championship begins in Schladming Austria, the Austrian Mint will issue a 5 euro silver coin in celebration of the “Ski Championship with Heart”. This world-renowned ski resort once again becomes the center of attention as the best Alpine skiers from around the world come together in this lovely Alpine village.
The reverse of the coin, designed by Mint engraver Herbert Waehner, depicts a slalom skier in a precise tuck position as he/she schusses down the slope of Schladming, with snow flying off the base of his/her skis. In the background is a depiction of some of the challenging slopes located in the Schladming ski area, as well as the futurist Skygate. The date 2013, the year when the Ski Championships will be held, peaks to reflect the winners’ podium. Also located on this side of the coin is the year of issue 2012. Stylised snowflakes complete the design background.
The obverse of the nine-sided coin is the standard 5-euro design, with the denomination encircled by the shields of the nine federal provinces of Austria. In the center is the face value of 5 euros. Mint engraver Helmut Andexlinger designed the obverse.
The best skiers from 70 countries from around the world will come together in Schladming from February 4 to 17, 2013 to compete in 11 different ski disciplines. This is the second time that Schladming has hosted the World Ski Championships, the first time in 1982, some 30 years ago. Schladming has long been a favorite ski destination. 450 athletes and close to half a million visitors, and 3,000 journalists from around the world are expected to come to Schladming during this time.
Schladming has accepted this honor most seriously and is pulling out all the stops to host and have the best world ski championship ever. Investments to upgrade the facilities have been significant such as the spectacular Skygate through which all competitors will ski as they come to the finish line in the Planai Stadium. This stadium area is located just outside of the center of the village of Schladming.
The futuristic Skygate was designed by Mr. Gernot Ritter of Graz. The idea was to finally have a truly stunning finish area for the world’s finest skiers. The sky-high arch located near the base of the ski runs swoops over the entrance area of the stadium, and all competitors will ski under this arch. The highest point the archway peaks at 35 meters, just shy of 115 feet, mirroring the height of the Alps in the region. In order to insure that the Skygate was properly anchored a similar construction to what is seen above ground is also underground, as its foundation.
The official blister.
The 5 euro silver coin has a diameter of 28.5 mm, contains 8 grams of fine silver, a total weight of 10 grams and has a fineness of 800. The coin is available only in special uncirculated quality and will have a maximum mintage of 50,000. Each of these coins is vacuum-packed in a colorful, informative and winter-themed blister pack, with bilingual text in English and German. The blister pack comes with a sleeve that may be personalized with a greeting when presenting this coin as a gift.
The 300,000 copper coins struck by the Austrian Mint for circulation in Austria will only be available through the Austrian banking network.
To keep up-to-date with this spectacular sport event, you should check regularly the official website of Schladming 2013.
For further information on this coin and others, please visit the website of The Austrian Mint.