Anton "Toni" Palzer

As the son of the 2003 German ski mountaineering champion, Toni clicked into skis for the first time at the age of three and completed his first ski tour when he was just seven years old. By 16, he had already claimed the German senior championship title. Multiple junior and U21 World and European championship victories soon established him as one of the sport’s most promising young talents.

In 2015, Toni captured his first ISMF World Cup victory in the men’s category. A silver medal in the Vertical World Championship and third place overall in the 2015/16 World Cup season firmly secured his place among the world’s elite. During the 2016/17 winter season, he proved himself one of the sport’s strongest all-around athletes with a silver medal in the Sprint World Championship and bronze in the Individual race. Toni finished the 2017/18 season as the overall Vertical World Cup winner, earning the first crystal globe of his career. In 2019, he closed out the winter season as runner-up in both the overall 2018/19 World Cup standings and the Vertical discipline rankings.

The 2019/20 competition season ended early due to the coronavirus pandemic. One emotional highlight of that shortened winter was undoubtedly the Jennerstier in Berchtesgaden — the first German ISMF Ski Mountaineering World Cup event on home snow. Racing in front of his hometown crowd, Toni secured two strong top-five finishes and was the media face of the World Cup, which took place as part of the legendary Jennerstier event. In what was, for the time being, his final ski mountaineering season in 2020/21, Toni crowned his twelve-year career with another Vertical World Championship silver medal in Andorra.

Five intense years in WorldTour cycling followed. Beginning in April 2021, Toni embraced a completely new challenge as a professional road cyclist, first with BORA–hansgrohe and later with Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe. His transition from ski mountaineering to road racing once again showcased his extraordinary versatility — and proved he could compete successfully at the highest international level on two wheels as well.

In 2026, Toni celebrated an impressive return to ski mountaineering with a double victory at the legendary Jennerstier race in Berchtesgaden and the German championship title in the Individual discipline.

Mountain running became another arena where Toni pushed his limits. He consistently finished among the leaders at selected international races, including two runner-up finishes at the Großglockner Mountain Run in 2018 and the Hochfelln Mountain Run in 2017 as part of the WMRA Mountain Running World Cup. At the iconic Red Bull Dolomitenmann, he spent years as a regular podium contender in the mountain running category, and in 2019 he claimed victory at the highly competitive adidas Infinite Trails 15K race.

Toni is an exceptionally focused professional athlete who, despite competing at the highest level, has always stayed grounded, approachable, and true to his roots.