How much do skiers make?

I’ve always wondered how much, top Alpine skiers were making compared to other professional sports athletes.

Recently, Ski Racing, the American ski competition magazine took a stab at the subject, but failed to go beyond what’s already public knowledge, namely the prize money earnings. The article revolved around Mikaela Shifrin and her breaking the million dollars mark this season (Marcel Hirscher only won half that amount).

Of course, this doesn’t take into consideration her contracts with Barilla, Longines and Adidas. Endorsements, of course are key to a champion’s income. Tennis star Naomi Osaka has earned a total of $25 million so far, including $8.3 million in prize money while Serena Williams has made almost $30 millions with only $4.2 in prize money.

As Lindsey Vonn puts it, in that article: “If you’re not in the top 5 or 10 in the world, you’re struggling to not have to get a second job”. In fact only Alpine skiers get good prize money income. The best cross-country skier earned less than $180,000 last season and freestylers could only count on what they made at the X-Games or on the Dew Tour.

So this still doesn’t tell us how much Shifrin and Hirscher make in total. I’d guess it might now be $6 million for the American, including her latest deal with Adidas, and $12 for the Austrian who is purported to be worth $200 million, but this is merely a guess.

What’s yours?