Engadin Skimarathon

For the first time in its history, the Engadin Skimarathon will not start in Maloja but instead in Sils. The heavy snowfall in the last week has made it impossible to prepare the cross-country skiing tracks across Lake Sils in the expected quality. As more snow is expected before 10 March, the organisers have decided to move the start to Sils.

Maloja and Lake Sils saw 145c m of fresh snow last weekend, and yet more snow is expected over the coming days. The vast amounts of snow cause difficulties on the first leg of the race as the snow load pushes down the iced surface of Lake Sils into the waters below. Water seeps onto the surface through cracks in the ice layer – turning the freshly fallen snow into slush.

As a safety precaution, no large grooming machines are allowed onto the frozen Lake Sils. These machines, however, are needed to groom the mix of fresh snow and slush so that it can freeze into a compact cross-country skiing trail. With more snow and milder temperatures forecast over the next days, the situation is not expected to improve significantly.

Preparing the cross-country skiing trails across Lake Sils in the quality required for the race will not be possible. That is why the start of the biggest cross-country skiing event in the Alps will have to be moved by just shy of 7 kilometres to Sils.

Racers will see the same infrastructure at the start

Not much will change for the up to 14,000 participants: The marathon’s usual infrastructure for the start will be set up in Sils, and the starting times will remain the same. Organizers have yet to decide on the final distance of the marathon on 10 March. They are evaluating the options to add extra loops to the course to compensate for at least part of the lost distance.

Apart from the leg across Lake Sils, the course of the Engadin Skimarathon is in excellent condition. The tracks across Lake Silvaplana and on land are continuously groomed with heavy grooming machines. The Engadin Women’s Race (Sunday, 3 March) and the Engadin Night Race (Thursday, 7 March) will be held on their normal courses.

By Monday, 12,500 racers had signed up for the Engadin Skimarathon, making it the second-largest cross-country skiing event in the world. Online registration closes on 7th March by the end of the day. Late registration is possible in person in Pontresina on Saturday, 9 March, until 5 pm.