Maria Riesch and Viktoria Rebensburg have given a huge boost to next year's Alpine Ski World Championships in Germany - By Frank Bachner

German athletes won 10 gold, 13 silver and seven bronze medals at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The three medals won by alpine skiers were hailed as a turning point for particular sports that had fallen out of favor but are now making a comeback.  

She was not wearing a traditional dirndl dress, even though it would have blended effortlessly with the scenery at the Winter Olympic Stadium in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. For one night only, the epicenter of German winter sport had been decked out in fir trees and candles, and an Oom pah pah band brought in for a televised Saturday night traditional German Volksmusik extravaganza. But no, Maria Riesch didn't come in traditional dress. And why would she? She is only 25, has three tattoos, drives a sports car, and is extremely fast with a pair of skis strapped to her feet. Instead, she wore her two gold medals as she stepped onto the set of the TV show, "Musikantenstadl."

The main thing was that she appeared on the show. Millions of Germans tune in to Musikantenstadl. Only A-list celebrities are requested. As a double Olympic gold medallist, Riesch is now one of them. Just weeks before in Whistler, Canada, she won the slalom and the super combined events. Her teammate, Viktoria Rebensburg was not a guest on the show. But her surprise gold medal in the giant slalom is of equal significance.

Thanks to their Olympic exploits, Riesch and Rebensburg have hauled alpine skiing back into the spotlight in Germany. Riesch is the new face of the sport. Rebensburg, 20, is seen as its future. "Whistler was a breakthrough," said Riesch. At the Olympics, the biggest of all sporting stages, Germany's women alpine skiers put in a vintage performance. They conquered the hearts of the fans, were watched by an audience of millions, and gained the all-important attention of the sponsors.

It was long overdue. Until Vancouver, the biathletes had hogged the limelight, bagging gold after gold at successive Games. Riesch went to the Olympics the reigning slalom world champion. Her teammate Kathrin Hölzl from the Bavarian town of Bischofswiesen was world champion in giant slalom. But it still wasn't enough. The biggest prize of all was missing. "We had to survive a couple of difficult years," Riesch admitted.

Biathlon remains important for the German Ski Association (DSV). But the alpine skiers are crucial for its public image, as well as its heart and soul. It is a point emphasized by DSV president Alfons Hörmann. He says this is due partly to tradition formed by the all-time greats like Markus Wasmeier, Katja Seizinger and Rosi Mittermaier, who won two golds and one silver at the 1976 Winter Olympics. But for many years, Germany has been bereft of alpine ski stars - the sort who strike a chord with the public at large and not just fans of winter sports.

Alfons Hörmann knew that Vancouver would be a make-or-break opportunity. The Winter Olympics always get strong viewing figures in Germany. About 8.5 million people were glued to the TV as Riesch weaved her way down the slopes to slalom glory. That was a market share of 33 percent, the fourth-best rating broadcaster ARD registered during the entire Games. The top three places went to the biathletes. And yet, the biathlon has a lower strategic importance to the DSV.

One of the main reasons is the 2011 Alpine World Ski Championships, being hosted by Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the Bavarian Alps. Riesch and Rebensburg's timing could hardly have been better. "There couldn't possibly have been a better foundation for the World Championships," said Hörmann. A spectacular World Championships would provide a glowing endorsement for Munich's bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics. In 2011, Riesch will be going for the world championship title in her hometown. Suddenly, everything is coming together. Hopes are high that she can even repeat the feat she accomplished at the Vancouver Games. At the final World Cup race of the season - also in Garmisch-Partenkirchen - Riesch edged out Olympic gold medallist Lindsey Vonn of the US in the downhill - even if she couldn't prevent her best friend on the skiing circuit from taking the overall World Cup title.

If only the same could be said of Germany's men. They are currently way off the pace. All hopes rest on the women. Aside from Riesch, there is also Kathrin Hölzl, the 2010 giant slalom World Cup winner. And there is plenty of up-and-coming talent, including Rebensburg and Riesch's sister Susanne. In the tussle for television coverage, the women's alpine skiing team are staking a strong claim.

As the new face of the sport, Riesch now has a professional marketing operation behind her. "She is fully booked," says her manager Marcus Höfl, whose clients include Franz Beckenbauer and Boris Becker. Her annual income was previously estimated at ?750,000. Now, Höfl says, "Her market value will double." In recent months, Höfl had been getting Riesch more exposure. She turned up at gala events in evening dresses, was spotted at Boris Becker's wedding last year, did a racy pin-up photo shoot, and revealed to daily paper Bild that she has a pierced belly button and three tattoos. It was textbook PR but Riesch still lacked the popularity to make her the finished product. Her golden exploits in Canada have changed all that.

Fellow golden girl Rebensburg cannot keep up. She doesn't need to either. The down-to-earth 20-year-old customs officer had not even won a World Cup race before her Olympic gold medal. Within the wider strategy of the DSV, she is considered the big hope for the future.

And, in case Riesch was wondering what it is like to be an idol many years after a sporting career, she could have asked another of the guests on Musikantenstadl: Mittermaier also put in an appearance.