Erich Sailer, the legendary Buck Hill coach credited with turning a small Burnsville slope into a training ground for Olympians, has died at age 99.
Over his long career, Sailer trained more than 25,000 skiers, was inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame, and even helped guide the entire U.S. women’s Olympic slalom team in 2002. Known as both the “Yoda of Ski Racing” and the “Wizard of Buck,” he transformed Buck Hill’s modest 310-foot slope into a world-class slalom program.
His most famous student, Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn, paid tribute by saying she would not be the athlete or person she is today without him. “He single-handedly did more for skiing than any other coach in America, and perhaps the world,” she wrote. Vonn added that Sailer not only coached her but also her father, Alan Kildow, who knew him for more than six decades.
Born in Telfs, Austria, Sailer immigrated to Canada in the 1950s before moving to Oregon, where he started the nation’s first summer ski training camp. He later ran the country’s largest camp in Montana before settling in Minnesota in 1969, where his innovative methods inspired generations of Midwestern skiers.
Sailer coached tirelessly well into his 90s, still watching his granddaughters’ ski videos just before his passing. Friends and former students remembered him as a brilliant motivator who combined psychological insight with relentless energy. “He pushed everyone to find their drive,” said Tony Olin, a longtime colleague.
Even after formally retiring at 96, Sailer remained a fixture at Buck Hill, stopwatch in hand, encouraging young racers. Dave Solner, Buck Hill’s CEO, called him “an icon in the industry” who maximized small-hill training to prepare athletes for global success.
Alongside Vonn, other Olympians such as Kristina (Koznick) Landa thrived under his mentorship. Landa called him both coach and mentor, saying she felt “blessed to know and love him.”
Sailer is survived by his wife of 55 years, Ursula, his daughter Martina, his son-in-law Jesse Cook, and two granddaughters, Lulu and Greta.
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