Olympic Gold Medalist Laura Dahlmeier Was Also an Accomplished Alpinist

Every January, we share a tribute to members of our community who we lost last year. Some were legends, others were pillars of their community, all were climbers. Read the full tribute to Climbers We Lost in 2025 here (publishing January 12, 2026). 

Laura Dahlmeier, 31, July 28

Olympic gold medalist Laura Dahlmeier was one of the best biathletes of all time—but she gave the fame and fortune up, at the height of her career, to pursue a life as an alpinist.

Dahlmeier was born in 1993, in the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and was racing with a rifle and skis from the age of seven. In 2011, she won gold in all three biathlon events at the European Youth Olympic Winter Festival, and two years later, at the Junior World Championships, took gold in three out of the four total events (individual, sprint, and relay), single-handedly catapulting her country into a second place finish.

Dahlmeier went on to enjoy an outrageously successful career on the World Cup circuit. She nabbed a shocking five golds at a single World Championships, in 2017—the first woman in the history of her sport to do so—and was subsequently named Germany’s “Sportswoman of the Year.” She also competed in two Winter Olympics: Sochi (2014) and Pyeongchang (2018). In Pyeongchang, she earned two Olympic gold medals, in the pursuit and sprint events. Never before had a woman won both events at the same Games.

In her short career, Dahlmeier racked up 15 World Championship medals (seven of them golds) and 35 World Cup golds. Perhaps most impressive is that she ended up on the podium in nearly half (71) of all the World Cup races she entered (152). She also received a number of awards, including the prestigious Silbernes Lorbeerblatt (Silver Laurel Leaf), Germany’s highest athletic honor.

Despite her phenomenal success, however, Dahlmeier felt that climbing was her real calling. She retired from the biathlon in 2019, at age 25, to dedicate her life to mountaineering. Commenting on her early retirement, Biathlon World called her, “the female star of her generation, a gritty competitor who, at her best, was brilliant on the shooting range and devastatingly fast on the tracks.”

Longtime agent and friend Sophie Schröder said she wasn’t surprised when Dahlmeier decided to step back from the spotlight. “Even during her active career as a biathlete, the mountains were Laura’s place of retreat, and her source of strength,” Schröder said in a statement shared with Climbing. For Dahlmeier, the mountains were a place where “she could ground herself in turbulent times, find vision and focus, and feel freedom.” Schröder also noted that, although Dahlmeier could almost certainly have continued as a biathlete with great success (individuals often compete in the sport well into their 40s, and Biathlon Analytics notes that competitors typically “perform at their strongest between the early and mid-30s”), Dahlmeier wasn’t afraid to give it up and chase her dreams in the alpine.

If anything made Dahlmeier stand out, it was her humility. Alex Huber, who, along with his brother Thomas, made a 2021 ascent of Mont Blanc (4,806m/15,766ft) via the Bonington Route (TD+) on the Brouillard Pillar with Dahlmeier, said that he remembered her as a “very down to earth person, even though she had been so successful in her sport.”

After retiring, Dahlmeier wrote a book about her life philosophy, co-authored a children’s book about climate change, worked briefly as a biathlon commentator, and competed, also very successfully, as a mountain runner. She later became a nationally certified mountain and ski guide, and beginning in 2023, served on the alpine rescue team in her hometown, which is led by her father.

Schröder shared what her late friend had said regarding her ambitions in the mountains shortly after retirement. “Of course, I have goals and want to improve,” Dahlmeier told her. “But having a good time and enjoying myself are more important to me than ambition. Naturally, I do enjoy a certain challenge; for example, I’m often drawn to big walls. With every route I complete, new doors open up with exciting projects. But you’re not likely to find me planning projects in sport climbing…”

In addition to Bonington Route with the Huber Brothers, Dahlmeier also was proud of an expedition to Tajikistan’s Pamir Mountains, where she and her brother, Pirmin, climbed Peak Korshnevskaya (7,105m/23,310ft) in 2023. Alex Huber told Climbing that, “as a climber and alpinist, she had an seemingly endless drive and spirit,” and that she possessed an “extraordinary endurance coming from her biathlon career.”

In 2024, Dahlmeier also set a Fastest Known Time on Ama Dablam (6,812m/22,349ft), running from base camp to summit and back in just 12 hours. Shortly before her death, she achieved one of her “biggest dreams” according to Schröder, an ascent of the Heckmair Route (ED2 M5 WI4; 1,800m) on the North Face of the Eiger (3,967m/13,015ft). Schröder said Dahlmeier was a tenacious and ambitious climber, but that “the main focus of her time on the rock was the adventure of traveling, getting to know new cultures, and the joy of sharing experiences with her rope partners.”

Dahlmeier died on July 28, at the age of 31, while on an expedition in Pakistan. She and her partner, Marina Eva Krauss, had made a successful ascent of Great Trango Tower (6,286m/20,623ft), just a few weeks earlier. They bailed on their second objective, Serac Peak (6,273m/20,581ft), due to abnormally warm temperatures. A few days later, conditions improved, and they attempted to salvage their trip with an ascent of nearby Laila Peak (6,096m/20,000ft). The two women made it to within roughly a thousand feet of the summit, when temperatures warmed significantly, and they decided to retreat to avoid risk of avalanche and rockfall. While rappelling, Dahlmeier was struck in the head by rockfall and killed. The exhaustive account of the incident was published by German magazine Der Spiegel.

Her body remains on the mountain in accordance with her will, which stated explicitly that if she was severely injured or killed in the mountains, no attempts should be made to recover her. Dahlmeier is survived by her father, Andreas, mother, Susanne, and brother, Primin.

Read the full tribute to Climbers We Lost in 2025 here.

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