Erich Schönbächler was a Swiss biathlete who was affiliated with Skiclub Einsiedeln. Schönbächler competed in the 20 kilometres biathlon event at the 1964 Innsbruck Olympics where he finished in 46th place. Overall he put in a fast performance on the skis, but was hampered with 12 misses in the shooting range, with each miss incurring a two-minute time penalty. During the 1960s Schönbächler competed at five editions of the World Championships with a best individual performance of 33rd place in 1967.