“People who make up today's Engadin.”

Portraits of personalities who make up Engadin today are at the center of the newly published magazine “Active Alpine Lifestyle”. Olympic champion Nicola Spirig, sports manager Gian Gilli, gallerist Gian Tumasch Appenzeller and butcher Ludwig Hatecke are four of the people portrayed. Everyone agrees that the Engadin is their place of inspiration, and the pandemic has not only changed their lives in a negative way. The magazine is published by Skiservice and is published for the 14th time.

Engadin is the perfect place to spend time during the pandemic. In the newly published magazine “Active Alpine Lifestyle”, nine personalities talk about why they feel most at home in Engadin right now and how their time in Engadin influences their lives.

“Our magazine features people who, through their actions and thoughts, make up the Engadin of today,” says editor Conradin Conrad. “The Engadin is a valley of endless possibilities. The people in our portraits show some of them.”

Olympic triathlon champion Nicola Spirig is already preparing for her fifth Olympic Games and is spending a lot of time in Engadin. “There is no better place to run,” says the professional athlete. The pandemic also had positive sides for her and her family. As a result of the elimination of competitions and training camps, she was more at home. “We were able to do a lot with the children.” The important things in life have not changed.

Philipp Bosshard is also a triathlete. After an accident with severe burn injuries, he fought his way back to life through endurance sports. To do this, he trains 18 hours a week and works with physiotherapy several times a week. Bosshard's personal maxim seems like a recipe for dealing with every crisis: “I had to fight for everything I can do again today. If I rest, I lose it again.”

“Sometimes you have to spell back and acknowledge that the trees don't grow in the sky,” says sports manager Gian Gilli. “We've lost sight of humility too much.” In Skiservice Magazine, he remembers the cancellation of the Ice Hockey World Championships in spring. “That was a low blow for my team. But we also had to put things into perspective. It was about saving lives.”

The example of Galerie Stalla Madulain shows that successful projects can also be created from scarce resources. The two initiators Gian Tumasch Appenzeller and Chasper Schmidlin barely had any money when they tackled the project. The renovation had to remain minimalistic and gave their gallery a unique appearance. Today, it is a fixed point for contemporary art in Engadin.

Ludwig Hatecke from Zernez can also see positive things about the crisis. “People have discovered cooking,” says the butcher, who now also runs a successful branch in Zurich together with his son David. Father and son are constantly in one of their stores and not only sell meat, they provide intensive advice to their customers. “The success of our company doesn't happen in the shop, but at home, in the kitchen and at the family dining table.”

Finally, giant slalom specialist Daniele Sette from St. Moritz can look forward to a successful start to the new season. In his portrait, he looks forward to the two giant slaloms in Adelboden at the beginning of January. “Adelboden showed last winter that I could reach the top. Like everyone else, I'm not in it to ride, but to win.”

The magazine “Active Alpine Lifestyle” is published in German and English and is now for the fourteenth time. Previous editions included world-famous fashion entrepreneurs such as Ermenegildo Zegna and Franco Loro Piana, sports stars such as Bode Miller, Patrick Küng or Marco Odermatt, and local personalities such as Sils photographer Daniel Meuli.

The new edition is 154 pages long and is published in an edition of 10,000 copies. It is available free of charge in many hundreds of hotel rooms, 14 ski service branches and numerous restaurants and shops and can also be read as a digital version.