Filip Flisar, the Slovenian 2015 world ski cross champion, has often described his strong legs as his biggest asset, lovingly calling them Pohorje hams. Now that his sporting career is over, he has ventured into business to sell real ham from the Pohorje hills.

Flisar launched his new brand, called Pohorska Šunka or Pohorje Ham, at a wine shop in Maribor on 26 March.

The ham is made by KZ Rače, a cooperative, from meat sourced in the vicinity of Šentjur in the Celje area.

"I picked the Rače cooperative because they are known locally for the quality of their products and I aspire to absolutely the best quality possible," the 35-year former freestyle skier told the newspaper Večer.

"My ham is seasoned with Pohorje spices such as mountain ash and juniper berries, which give it the character of fruity freshness and Pohorje temperament. We cure it by hand and smoke it naturally using only Pohorje beech as firewood."

Apart from his home city Maribor, Flisar's ham will initially be available in Rače, Koper and Ajdovščina, and shortly in Ljubljana as well. It can also be bought on the website Gajbica.si.

Flisar won the title of world champion in ski cross in Austria's Kreischberg in 2015. Asked how he managed to overtake rivals in the final meters of the course to advance from third to top position, he answered: "Pohorje hams did their job at the bumps, and that's it."

He won silver in the same discipline at the Winter X Games in Aspen, US in 2012, and rung up seven wins and 16 podium finishes in the Freestyle Skiing World Cup, topping the overall ski cross rankings in 2012.

It has been three years since Flisar stopped competing. During this time he appeared as a host in a TV show called Kitchen on Wheels. He was invited because he would often make something delicious for himself and other skiers when on tour during his time as professional athlete and publish pictures on social networks. Apart from his talent as a cook he is also known as very talkative.