Blog

Alpine Skiing and the 56th Engadin Skimarathon

Friday: Early Drive and Empty Slopes

I took Friday off to make the long drive up into the mountains worth the effort. By 5:30 AM my car was packed and I was on the road heading to the Engadin. I arrived at the Corvatsch ski resort by 9:00 AM. The mountain was mostly empty. I shared a chairlift only a handful of times all morning.

Corvatsch offers a lot of altitude and usually excellent snow conditions. The region itself has a long history with winter sports. St. Moritz is widely considered the birthplace of Alpine winter tourism. Back in 1864 a local hotelier named Johannes Badrutt made a bet with some English summer guests that they would enjoy the winter sunshine just as much as the summer weather. He was right, and the area has been drawing winter athletes ever since.

By 3:00 PM I realized I had skied enough for the day. This was a surprise because I usually stay on the slopes until the lifts stop running. I went to a local supermarket to stock up on food for the weekend and then drove down to Pontresina to pick up my starting number for the marathon. I arrived at my hostel around 6:00 PM and got a solid eight and a half hours of sleep.

Saturday: Corviglia

On Saturday I took the bus and the train to reach the Corviglia ski area. I was on the slopes by 9:00 AM. This side of the valley was noticeably busier than Corvatsch. Corviglia is the home mountain of St. Moritz and has a rich sporting history, having hosted events for two Winter Olympics in 1928 and 1948.

I skied until 4:00 PM and took the valley run down. At the bottom the apres ski area was completely packed. You can really see the distinct crowd St. Moritz attracts. The town is known for luxury, and the base of the mountain was filled with people in heavy fur coats enjoying a very different atmosphere than your typical ski resort.

A Coincidence at the Hostel

I headed back to the hostel. I shared a room with a 70 year old man who wore hearing aids. He actually had the newest model from my company. It was nice to see his setup since I had helped develop that specific model, even though he noted the user interface of the companion app still needed work. My roommates were surprised that I spent two full days alpine skiing right before a marathon and that I had not waxed my cross country skis. They had spent their days resting and preparing their gear. I went to sleep early and got another eight and a half hours of rest.

Sunday: The 56th Engadin Skimarathon

Sunday morning was race day for the 56th Engadin Skimarathon. This was my second time participating in the event. It is one of the largest cross country skiing races in the world. It started in 1969 and now draws over ten thousand participants every year. The route covers marathon distance, starting in Maloja, crossing frozen lakes, and ending in S-chanf.

Race Strategy and the Stazerwald

The weather in early March was incredibly good. I started at 9:30 AM. I pushed hard at the beginning to avoid getting stuck at the first major climb. This strategy worked, and I only waited about 10 minutes compared to over 30 minutes the previous year. After that came the Stazerwald forest section. This part is notorious for traffic jams. I took it easy through the woods and reached Pontresina feeling very good. This is where I stopped to drink something for the first time.

As the race went on I really felt the drag of my unwaxed skis. People I had passed earlier began overtaking me. The final stretch of the route goes slightly uphill over the Golanhöhen towards S-chanf. By this point I was completely drained. I had been using my arms too much instead of my legs.

Crossing the Finish Line

I crossed the finish line with a time of 3 hours and 19 minutes. I felt nauseous but managed to get my gear from the transport truck and board the train. I was lucky to get a ticket immediately. After about 15 minutes of sitting down I started feeling better. The train ride took almost an hour. Looking out the window I could see many participants still out on the track fighting their way to the finish line.

I took the bus directly to the hostel, loaded my car, and drove home. Traffic added an extra hour to the trip, but everything went fine, and I walked through my front door exactly at 6:00 PM in time for dinner.