Bernadette Rauter

Bernadette " Berni" Rauter ( born August 8, 1949 in Breitenwang ) is a former Austrian alpine skier. She won three World Cup races in her career and participated twice in the Olympic Winter Games.

Career

Rauter began early with the skiing. After successes in school and youth race it was included in the squad of the Austrian Ski 1965. In the winter of 1966/67, she won five FIS race and also came in the then new World Cup Skiing already in two slaloms among the top ten. The following year Rauter took part in the 1968 Olympic Winter Games in Grenoble part and finished as best Austrian slalom in eighth place. A month later they reached fourth in the downhill last season in Aspen her best World Cup result in this discipline.

Towards the end of the 1968/69 season Rauter 's breakthrough at the top. In the slalom of Squaw Valley, she won on February 28, her first World Cup race, the day after she finished third in the giant slalom. Another victory celebrated in the giant slalom at Waterville Valley on March 20. Thus they finished fifth in the giant slalom World Cup, finishing sixth in the slalom standings and tenth in the overall World Cup. The next winter Rauter won the slalom in Oberstaufen and finished each ranked third in the Lienz slalom in Maribor and with which they with the Canadian Betsy Clifford and French Britt Lafforgue was equal on points in the fourth slalom World Cup. However, in the 1970 World Cup in Val Gardena, they did not reach top rankings and was only ninth in the slalom and 15th in giant slalom.

In the 1970/71 season Rauter was the best result of second place in the slalom in Maribor. With numerous other placings in the top ten she came to the end of season in eighth place in the slalom World Cup and in eleventh place in the giant slalom standings. The following winter, however, she reached in these disciplines, not a single top- ten finish, but they came in the downhill four times in the top ten, which she qualified in this discipline for the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, and there finished ninth. During the 1972/73 season Rauter was again without top score, and took only two runs in World Cup points. At winter's end, she announced her retirement from ski racing.