Cross-country skiing works pretty much all your muscles from head to toe and gets your cardiovascular system going. There's hardly a better whole-body workout, and in the Engadin, you'll be doing some altitude training on the side.
If you are looking for a challenge, if you want to fall into bed tired and happy in the evening, and if you want to promote your mental health as well as your physical health, we recommend a session in one of our beautiful side valleys. There is the Val Fex with 9.2 kilometers, the Val Morteratsch with 7.2 kilometers, the Val Roseg with7.5 up to 10 kilometers, and the Val Bever with 4.9 kilometers. The trails lead you through snow-covered forests, past small hamlets, and to the foot of a glacier. Relax, unwind, and enjoy!
Cross-country skiing is a sport for all ages since its movements, which are easy on the joints, activate all muscles and are the best preparation for a moderate endurance training. For those who would also like to do something for their heart health, there are seven specially designated "heart trails" available in the Engadin.
These short circuits are prepared for both classic cross-country skiing and skating and have no incline, making them ideal for heart patients and beginners.
… doing a good warm-up before you start. Especially in colder temperatures, your heart needs time to build up speed.
… beginning gently. Start at a leisurely pace and increase your speed only gradually.
… that you aim to avoid overexerting yourself. Your breathing and pulse rates should increase only moderately. If you ski with a companion, you should be able to speak together comfortably as you go, without getting out of breath.
… listening carefully to what your body is telling you. Do you feel fit and healthy? If so, we wish you enjoyable skiing on our trails! Or do you feel pain or a sensation of pressure in your chest, with persisting feelings of shortness of breath, giddiness, nausea or faintness? Then please call for emergency medical help by dialling 144.
Comprehensive information on heart disease – from prevention to research and the latest findings – is available from the Swiss Heart Foundation:
Swiss Heart Foundation
Dufourstrasse 30
Postfach 368
3000 Bern 14
www.swissheart.ch
info@swissheart.ch
