Engadin Skimarathon
Address: Quadratscha 18 Postfach, CH-7503 Samedan, Switzerland
Tel: +41 81 8516060
challenge factor: easy
HISTORY
First race: 16th March 1969, 42 km, 945 entries, 805 ranked
Highest number of participants in main race: 14.200 entries in 2018
Worldloppet membership: founding member from 1978
The initiator and “spiritual father” of the Engadin Skimarathon was sporting goods dealer and former skier Albert Scheuing of St. Moritz. On the Sunday after the Vasaloppet 1968 a few cross country skiing enthusiasts from St. Moritz and Pontresina met by chance on the track in the Staz forest. Two of them were excited about the Vasaloppet in which they had participated. Everyone was convinced that there was a great potential in this relatively new sport and that a similar race, of course smaller, should be possible in the Engadin. The idea of the Engadin Skimarathon was born and the nine Upper Engadin ski clubs joined to organise – of course after having overcome a few obstacles – the first race came one year later.
Some 945 men and women registered for the first Engadin Skimarathon in March 1969, a high and unexpected number. After the success of the first race, it became clear that the event was set to become a tradition and that the organisers could expect a steady increase in the number of competitors. However, even the greatest optimist could not foresee that one day over 13,000 skiers would be lining up for the Engadin Skimarathon every year.
14 have completed all races, 9 have only missed one race of the total 47 Engadin Skimarathon, which is testimony to the continuing popularity of this sporting event. The Engadin Skimarathon also attracts many newcomers, however, amounting to more than 3,500 yearly. Many simply want to experience the thrill of taking part in such an event at least once in their lives. Until 2016 more than 520’000 people have been registered for the Engadin Skimarathon in total.
EVENT LOCATION
42/21 km start in Maloja: elevation 1820 m, coordinates: 46°24’22.1″N 9°42’09.8″E
Race centre and 21 km finish in Pontresina: elevation 1770 m, coordinates: 46°29’34.8″N 9°53’43.7″E
42 km finish in S-chanf: elevation 1670 m, coordinates:46°36’41.139’’N 9°58’58.632’’E
Engadin Skimarathon COURSE
The specific characteristics of our race are its size (second biggest in the world), the highest above sea level (1800 m), the landscape in a wide valley topped by high snow mountains, 35 % of the race course leading over frozen lakes etc. Find pictures here.
Course map and profile – total elevation gain 380 m, total descent 520 m
HOW TO GET TO ENGADIN Skimarathon
Upper Engadin lays in the South side of the Alps at 1,800 meters above sea-level. Thanks to the Romanish language, the close proximity to Italy and the majority of German-speaking population, three regional cultures join together to grant Engadin St. Moritz its unique charm. The highest mountains in the East Alps are located in Upper Engadin, in which the only one over 4,000 m, Piz Bernina (4,049 m above sea-level) peaks. Detailed travel info you can find HERE
WHERE TO SLEEP
INTERESTING FACTS
The Engadin Skimarathon is Switzerland’s largest mass sporting event and the second largest cross-country skiing event in the world. Since 1969, thousands of participants from over 60 nations have been skiing the 42-kilometer marathon route from Maloja to S-chanf or the half-marathon distance from Maloja to Pontresina on the second Sunday in March. The marathon week program also includes the Engadin Women’s Race the Engadin Night Race.
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