Benjamin Martin Karl (born 16 October 1985) is an Austrian professional snowboarder and one of the most accomplished parallel snowboarders in history. Over the course of his career, he has made over 215 World Cup starts, collecting 58 podium finishes including 27 victories, and won the overall World Cup title three times.[1][2] He is a two-time Olympic gold medallist, five-time World Champion, and has been a salaried athlete of the Austrian Armed Forces since 2004.[3]
Karl grew up near the Ötscher mountain in Lower Austria. He began snowboarding in 1995, but a serious accident the same year in which he fractured three thoracic vertebrae nearly ended his career before it started. After a month of bed rest, he resumed training and won the regional cup later that year. He attended the Skihandelsschule Schladming, where he found suitable training facilities.[4]
In the 2004–05 season, Karl won the Junior World Championship in parallel giant slalom, the overall European Cup title, and the Austrian national title in both parallel slalom and parallel giant slalom.[4]
Career
2007–2011: World Cup and World Championship success
At the 2011 World Championships in La Molina, Spain, Karl won gold in both the parallel giant slalom and the parallel slalom, becoming double World Champion. He successfully defended his parallel slalom title from 2009.[4]
2013–2018: Further titles and Olympic bronze
At the 2013 World Championships in Stoneham, Canada, Karl won his fourth World Championship gold in the parallel giant slalom on 25 January 2013, becoming the first snowboarder to successfully defend a World Championship title in that discipline.[4]
In November 2025, Karl announced that the 2025–26 season would be his last, stating: "This will definitely be my last season." He expressed his intention to end his career at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics after more than two decades at the top of the sport.[2]
Personal life
Karl married Nina Grissmann, daughter of former Austrian alpine skier Werner Grissmann, in August 2011. The couple have two daughters and live in Lienz, East Tyrol.[4]
An avid mountain biker, Karl regularly competes in cycling events as part of his off-season training. He participated in the ultra-endurance Race Around Austria three times (2011, 2012, 2014), and in 2014 finished fourth in the relay alongside Axel Naglich, Andreas Goldberger, and Christoph Sumann.[4] In the summer of 2025, he completed a 1,581-kilometre ultra-cycling race.[2]
Traffic accident conviction
On 30 June 2021, Karl was involved in a fatal road accident on the Felbertauern road near Mittersill, Salzburg. Driving his sponsor car at an estimated 100–110 km/h in an 80 km/h zone during rainy conditions, he lost control after the road became unexpectedly covered in hail following an avalanche gallery. His car skidded into oncoming traffic and struck the vehicle of an elderly couple. The 70-year-old male driver was killed and his 69-year-old wife was seriously injured.[6]
On 29 April 2022, Karl was convicted of negligent homicide (German: fahrlässige Tötung) at the Zell am See District Court. A court expert testified that the accident would have been avoidable had Karl obeyed the speed limit, and that following the principle of driving on sight would have required a speed of only 65 km/h. Karl expressed remorse, saying "I am incredibly sorry", and accepted full responsibility. He was sentenced to three months' imprisonment, suspended on probation. The verdict was not yet legally binding at the time of sentencing, as the prosecutor reserved the right to appeal for a harsher penalty.[6][7]
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