Austrian snowboarder made waves when he celebrated shirtless after winning Olympic gold at age 40. | Credit: CNN
A legendary Austrian snowboarder is calling it quits — on his retirement.
Benjamin Karl, famous for becoming the oldest individual snow sport gold medalist and celebrating shirtless, is reversing his decision to retire after the 2026 Olympics. Rather than ending his career, the parallel giant slalom rider will make his return to the start gate for the upcoming 2026-27 season, aiming to compete at home-country World Championships in Montafon, Austria, in 2027.
“Stick to what you know best!” the snowboarder said in his announcement.
The Sankt Pölten native had originally decided to retire following the 2026 Olympics, which he competed in and won at an impressive 40 years old. In the lead-up to the 2025-26 season ahead of the Games, Karl has announced that it would “definitely be my last season” after more than two decades of success at the sport’s biggest races.
Despite his strong intentions to retire, a snowboard parallel giant slalom Olympic gold medal at 40 seemed to have given him second thoughts.
“It has been a long and difficult journey from competing in regional races all the way to the very top of the sport,” Karl said. “I have been snowboarding for 30 years, and over time, many things started to feel almost like a given. But my recent experiences have shown me that nothing should ever be taken for granted.”
Throughout his career, Karl has put together one of the sport’s most impressive resumes, including 2 Olympic gold medals, Olympic bronze, Olympic silver, and five World Championship medals. In just the 2025-26 season, he racked up an Olympic gold, two World Cup wins, four World Cup podiums, and an Austrian National Championship silver. If anything, 2025-26 proved that even at 40 years old, he is still one of the best in the world.
For Karl, cycling had long been a major part of his life. This past summer was spent on two wheels, competing at various bike races across the region. “I’m simply a snowboarder who loves riding his bike,” Karl said. Karl even had an Olympic dream of competing on his bike. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had been considering adding cyclocross to the 2030 Olympic program, but ultimately, the sport was left out.
Though Karl had lost his dream to compete in the Olympics on a bike, time away from the snow gave him a new perspective on his career. “I have learned to appreciate again just how much support I have received over all these years — support that is anything but a given. Now I am really looking forward to continuing my career,” he said.
Now, Karl has his sights set on a new goal: the 2027 World Championships in Montafon, Austria. There, the snowboarder will have a chance at a fifth World Championship gold, competing in front of a home crowd.
Karl’s return to snowboarding is an exciting announcement for Austrian snowboarding fans ahead of the 2026-27 season. Despite being older than most of his competition, Karl has proved that he is still one of the best — and if not, the very best.
However, not everyone in the Austrian camp has welcomed the news. Teammates Andreas Prommegger and Alexander Payer both publicly criticized Karl’s decision to return, with Payer going further to suggest the comeback could threaten team chemistry. According to both veterans, the concern isn’t about Karl’s ability to still compete at a high level, but about longer-running tensions and differing values within the team.
Karl said he wasn’t surprised by the criticism. “I knew beforehand that the two are not my biggest fans,” he said, framing the pushback as additional motivation rather than a deterrent: “Friction generates heat.” He noted that snowboarding is fundamentally an individual sport where athletes happen to train and travel together, and that some friction after years on the same team isn’t unusual.
As of now, Karl said he hasn’t had a direct conversation with either Prommegger or Payer since their comments went public. The Austrian Ski Federation (ÖSV) is aware of the situation — snowboard director Christian Galler said he doesn’t see it as a threat to the team’s structure, while sports director Mario Stecher has pushed for the parties to address things internally rather than through the media.
The 2026-27 International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) World Cup season begins for parallel giant slalom snowboarders on November 27, 2026, in Shenzhen, China.
Benjamin Karl will be back on the snow for the 2026-27 season. | Credit: Benjamin Karl Facebook