There's nothing like the pounding heart, the tension in the pit of your stomach, and the tingling in your fingers that you feel before the starting gun goes off for a race. It doesn't matter where you stand on the starting line or what your final ranking is - just being there is what it's all about at our races in the Engadin. And early registration is the best motivation for training. So how about registering for one of the events today?
Are you crazy about cross-country skiing? Do you have anything planned for the second Sunday in March? If so, no doubt we’ll be seeing you at the Engadin Skimarathon! Every year, more than 14,000 enthusiasts spend months gearing up to compete in the most iconic open cross-country ski race in Europe – which is also the second-biggest cross-country ski event in the world. First held in 1969, the races (the main race from Maloja to S-chanf, the Engadin Half Marathon, the Engadin Women’s Race and the Engadin Night Race) are now a key fixture on the international winter sports circuit, attracting thousands of spectators to cheer competitors along the whole spectacular route.
The name of this exacting 55-kilometre cross-country ski race is Romansh for “The Diagonal”: a reference not only to the diagonal stride used in the classic style of cross-country skiing, but also to the course, which leads diagonally across the map of the Engadin. Open to classic-style skiers, the race forms part of the Ski Classics circuit and is considered a test of endurance, even among top Scandinavian athletes. Those who do not dare to do the entire route from Pontresina to Samedan, through the Stazerwald, across Lake St. Moritz, through the Val Roseg, via Pontresina, along the Inn River to S-chanf and back to Zuoz, sign up for the shorter but nevertheless highly attractive "La Pachifica" (27 km) or "La Cuorta" (11 km) section - an excellent opportunity to "get a taste" of the classic technique.
This cross-country event launched in 2018 bears a name that means "The Challenge" in Romansh: a fitting description. Modelled on no less a contest than the legendary Tour de Ski, this multi-stage race in the Upper Engadin sends participants on a different course on each of three consecutive days (4 km, 13 km and 14 km). With interval start stages, mass start stages and bonus seconds up for grabs, amateurs have the chance to compete under professional conditions. Skiers use the skating technique.
