Top 10 Richest Skiers

For athletes looking to make riches off of their sport, skiing is not the activity to choose. In most ski competitions, only the top three contenders receive prize money, making it particularly difficult to earn a living skiing. For most athletes skiing professionally, this means a salary of $30,000 on the low range and close to $125,000 on the high range. However, some of the best skiers in the world have managed to accumulate impressive net worths. Listed below are the richest skiers in the world.

Who Are the Richest Skiers in the World?

1. Vanessa Mae - $45 million
2. Lindsey Vonn- $12 million
3. Bode Miller - $8 million
4. Jon Olsson - $8 million
5. Jonny Moseley - $5 million
6. Mikaela Shiffrin - $3 million
7. Candide Thovex - $3 million
8. Glenn Plake - $2.5 million
9. Ted Ligety - $2 million
10. Hermann Maier - $1 million

1. Vanessa Mae

Vanessa Mae is by far the richest skier, having a net worth of $45 million net worth. Instead of skiing, Mae earned her riches through millions of album sales as a violinist. In fact, in 2006, she was the United Kingdom’s richest young entertainer. Despite living in England, Mae was born in Singapore to a father of Thai descent and a mother of Chinese descent. Her ancestry made her eligible to join the Thai ski team in the 2014 Winter Olympics. Mae placed on the team and competed, though she placed last among all 67 competitors. 

Mae was also caught up in a race-fixing scheme, a scandal that resulted in a four-year ban from participating in the Olympic Games. Vanessa Mae is far from the most talented skier, but her ability to make the Thai team is impressive, and her musical wealth blows every other professional skier out of the water.

2. Lindsey Vonn

Lindsey Vonn’s net worth is estimated to be $12 million, making her the richest skier whose wealth has been accumulated through means relating to her sport. Impressively, Vonn received a super ranking that placed her third on the list of alpine skiers, both male and female. Throughout her alpine career, she has received three Olympic medals, one of which was gold. 

Of course, most of Vonn’s wealth was collected through her decorated skiing career, but she also increased her earnings through ad work with UnderArmour, Beats, Hershey, and many other companies. Vonn is also known for her appearance in the 2016 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, adding to her earnings even more. Vonn is also a businesswoman, who has dealings in a tequila brand and her own makeup line supported by Chase Ink. 

3. Bode Miller

Bode Miller is widely considered the best alpine men’s skier of all time and has a net worth of approximately $8 million. Miller grew up in New Hampshire and, after discovering his passion and talent for skiing, attended a rigorous skiing school in Maine. 

Much of Miller’s wealth was collected from winnings throughout his career, as he brought in six Olympic medals and four World Championship titles. 

Miller became the richest male skier, however, with endorsements and sponsorships, partnering with companies like Barilla, Nike, Visa, and many more. He also published an autobiography through Random House titled “Bode: Go Fast, Be Good, Have Fun.” 

4. Jon Olsson

Jon Olsson is a free skier and alpine skier who also has a net worth near $8 million USD. Olsson began his career when he was a teenager, at only 16 years old, and he’s been busy ever since, giving him plenty of time to amass this wealth. Olsson has not only collected his wealth through competitions like the Winter X Games and the US Free Skiing Open but through becoming a social media and YouTube influencer. Olsson has even invented several flip and spin moves in his career thus far, including a trick called the kangaroo flip.

5. Jonny Moseley

Jonny Moseley is an American Olympic skier worth $5 million. He was the first Puerto Rican to ski in the Olympics for the United States. In 1998, Moseley won gold in the Winter Games men’s mogul event; he also has a bronze medal from 1995. Most of Moseley’s wealth, though, was accumulated outside of the skiing world. A television star, this former Olympian hosted shows like MTV’s “The Challenge” and NBC’s “American Ninja Warrior.” He even hosted Saturday Night Live in 2002. Moseley is in the US Ski Hall of Fame and won the 1998 Sportsman of the Year while competing in the Olympics.

6. Mikaela Shiffrin

Unlike some of the other richest skiers, Mikaela Shiffrin is still actively competing and has an estimated net worth of $3 million. As such, her net worth is quite likely to increase as her career continues. Although this current net worth is significantly below fellow Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn’s, Shiffrin is giving Lindsey Vonn an athletic run for her money. Shiffrin’s 83 World Cup victories surpass Vonn’s, and she has won 11 Olympic medals. Shiffrin’s annual salary sits at $515,000, and Oakley, Adidas, and Visa are just a few companies contributing to building her wealth.

7. Candide Thovex

Between the money collected from the sport, movies, and partnerships, including one with Audi, Candide Thovex has accumulated a net worth around $3 million. Born in the Alps of France, it only seems right that Thovex became an outstanding skier. He is well-known more for trick skiing than competitive racing, but he has played an important role in the sport. After a devastating injury in 2007, Thovex became a filmmaker as well. This freeskier, actor, and filmmaker’s career is far from over, and his net worth is likely to continue to grow.

8. Glenn Plake

Similarly to Thovex, Glenn Plake is known more for his style while skiing and has an approximate net worth of $2.5 million. He is also known as the most recognizable skier, as he often dyes his hair bright colors and fashions it into a mohawk. Plake grew up in the home of the 1960 Winter Olympics, Lake Tahoe, California. He is in the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and has gained a large sum of money through ski competitions and film appearances.

9. Ted Ligety

Ted Ligety is an Alpine ski racer whose net worth is nearly $2 million. Ligety was born in Salt Lake, Utah in 1984. He brought home Olympic skiing medals in 2006 and 2014 and the World Cup championship on five different occasions. Besides money Ligety collected skiing, he is also a business owner. In 2006, Ligety and his friend Carlo launched a company called Shred Optics that develops and sells skiing helmets, glasses, goggles, and more. Ligety’s company also designs wear for snowboarders and mountain bikers.

10. Hermann Maier

Although Hermann Maier is one of the most decorated skiers on this list, his net worth is only estimated at around $1 million. Maier has won an astonishing 54 competitions in the World Cup and has walked away Champion on four occasions. He has also collected three World Championships and two Olympic Gold Medals in alpine racing. Growing up in Austria, Maier attended the Schladming ski school and instructed ski from an early age. In the summers, he earned money as a bricklayer. Now, Maier makes his wealth through his many prize winnings and a sponsorship by Atomic.

Honorable Mentions

• Alberto Tomba
• Ingemar Stenmark
• Jean-Claude Killy
• Eddie Edwards
• Vreni Schnider
• Franz Klammer
• Shane McConkey
• Tanner Hall
• Sarah Burke

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