St. Moritz, Switzerland – Swiss World Cup ski racer Lara Gut was named the 2013 Lange Icon during a presentation held last night in St. Moritz.

During the 1980s, the boot maker used “Lange Girl” posters of Playboy models and other women posing in the brand’s ski boots to capture the attention of boys and men the world over. For the eighth year in a row, however, Lange has chosen to put the spotlight on the women skiers on the World Cup circuit as way to honor Lange’s female athletes by giving them an opportunity to fully express their femininity and personality.

After Julia Mancuso in 2007, Resi Stiegler in 2008, Maria Hoefl-Riesch in 2009, Manuela Moelgg in 2010, Dominique Gisin in 2011 and Federica Brignone in 2012, Lange has presented the Lange Icon 2013: Lara Gut. The location of last night’s ceremony, St. Moritz, has been the site of some of Gut’s most memorable races: her first World Cup podium in February 2008, (third place in the downhill), and her first competition win a season later, in December 2008, in super G.

“Lange was the first ski boot I used as I a child. It’s funny, because over the years the color blue has always been a feature and I really like that. In addition, it’s an advantage to be able to ski with a brand that focuses exclusively on ski boots, because this allows you to develop a lot of things, to work on the subject in depth and even become the Lange Icon.”

Having claimed fourth place in giant slalom in Aspen and sixth place in super G in Lake Louise at the start of this season, Gut has already made her RS 140 ski boots a major asset in conquering the highest peaks.