Newsroom

It is difficult to express in words the attraction that the Engadin has on people from all countries of origin. Hardly any other part of the world has been described as euphorically by as many writers and thinkers as the Upper Engadine.

The Lagalb, Diavolezza and Piz Nair cable cars are changing hands. Engadin St. Moritz Mountains AG and Piz Nair AG have agreed on an overall solution for the three railways. Engadin St. Moritz Mountains acquires the current facilities of Piz Nair AG, in return Piz Nair AG acquires Diavolezza and Lagalb and is renamed Diavolezza Lagalb AG. The continued operation of Lagalb is thus ensured, and Pro Lagalb is included in the considerations of the new Diavolezza Lagalb AG.

The Engadin Ski Marathon Association has a new leadership: At an extraordinary association meeting, the members enacted revised statutes and elected a new board of directors. The new president of the Engadin Ski Marathon is Urs Pfister, managing director is Menduri Kasper. They replace Ivo Damaso, who had managed the two functions in a personal union.

At the end of the Lagalb season, a good 250 regular guests came to the mountain on Sunday despite bad weather. Engadin St. Moritz Mountains AG had invited locals and guests to say farewell to long-standing employees and to welcome the initiators of the new Lagalb AG. Some of the employees had worked on the mountain for over 40 winters.

The intended closure of Lagalb was discussed at the Annual General Meeting of Engadin St. Moritz Mountains AG. Two entrepreneurs want to take over Lagalb with a new company and are looking for five million francs in share capital. On July 1, they want to announce whether Lagalb will continue to operate from next winter.

Roman Furger from Uri has won the 48th Engadin Ski Marathon. After a thrilling race, he narrowly beat the two people from Davos, Toni Livers and Joeri Kindschi. Last year's French winner Anouk Faivre Picon achieved her third women's victory. She won ahead of Seraina Boner from Davos and Czech Klara Moravcova. Furger and Faivre Picon had already been together at the top of the podium of the Engadin Ski Marathon in 2012.

The designated board of directors and the designated managing director of the Engadin Ski Marathon have appointed their management team. In numerous discussions, people were selected who can lead the successful major event into a continued successful future with expertise and experience.

Following the launch of numerous new features in the previous year, the Engadin Ski Marathon 2016 OC is focusing on optimising these changes. Nevertheless, the Engadin Ski Marathon presents a major innovation: The race will be shown live on the Internet.

Following the successful first “Health & Tourism” conference last year, Christian Gartmann AG is now announcing the second edition.

“If you're not healthy, you don't belong on the trail,” says Dr. Andi Grünenfelder, racing doctor at the Engadin Ski Marathon. Together with physiotherapist Marzell Parpan, he talks about how to properly prepare for the Engadin ski marathon.

With a 4-5 final victory over Team Cartier, Italian Rommy Gianni's team Maserati secured the Cartier Trophy of the Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz for the first time. 13,000 enthusiastic spectators and well over 100 media professionals watched polo sports on a level that had hardly ever been seen on snow.

The infrastructure for the St. Moritz Snow Polo World Cup has been set up since Monday. By January 28, 3,500 square meters of tents and stands for 1,100 spectators will be built on the frozen lake. The VIP arrangements are once again in high demand and media interest from all parts of the world is even greater than in the previous year.

World-class players from six countries will be playing the St. Moritz 2016 Snow Polo World Cup on the last weekend in January. The teams in the world's only high-goal tournament on snow are even more balanced than last year; defending the title won't be easy for Team Cartier. Natural ice formation has begun on the lake.

Since the beginning of December, Klinik Gut has been providing consultations and surgical treatments at the Oberengadin Hospital in Samedan. The cooperation between the two Upper Engadin hospitals is an important step for healthcare in the Upper Engadin.

100 days before the Cartier Trophy final, the Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz announced the teams in 2016. Teams from England, Italy, Ireland and Switzerland will compete in the only high goal tournament on snow. Chris Hyde, currently the best snow polo player in the world, is there again. The St. Moritz Snow Polo World Cup will take place from January 29-31, 2016.

The voters of St. Moritz have very clearly accepted the project for a health hotel and a new Gut Clinic. This should give St. Moritz the opportunity to quickly establish itself in health tourism and create new year-round businesses. Project initiator Chris Silber St. Moritz AG offers project opponents negotiations on the design of the project.

High society and top-class sport meet in St. Moritz at the world's most important polo tournament on snow. At over 1,800 meters above sea level, holidaymakers, locals and polo enthusiasts from all over the world celebrate the “Spirit of Allegra”: the unique combination of joie de vivre, luxury and the authentic lifestyle of the Alps.

Alpine skiing was once almost the sole magnet for visitors and business drivers for St. Moritz. Today, his role is being put into perspective: (too) many of the St. Moritz guests barely ski or don't ski at all. Against the backdrop of climate discussion, “unsportsmanlike youth” and cheap offers from maritime destinations, there is now an open question of the future prospects of skiing and its role for St. Moritz.

The St. Moritz Hotel La Margna can be comprehensively renovated and expanded. The voters in St. Moritz have accepted the rezoning of the historic hotel into a new hotel zone with a yes share of over 88 percent. Construction is due to start next spring — the hotel is due to reopen at the end of 2017 as part of the Grace Hotels Group.

Tourism and healthcare in Grisons and other cantons should seriously address engagement in health tourism. Experts came to this conclusion at the first-ever “Health & Tourism” conference in Pontresina on Monday. There is now a need for specific projects for hotels, clinics, communities or entire valleys — and a suitable marketing strategy.

The Grisons water ambassador and ultra-swimmer Ernst Bromeis has completed his “Expedition Milano 2015”. In three days, he traveled 122 kilometers from Tenero (TI) through Lake Maggiore, the Ticino River and the canals northeast of Milan to Gaggiano, 12 kilometers from the city center. With this campaign, he supported the “solidarit'eau suisse” initiative, which provides money and know-how for drinking water projects in developing countries.

Ernst Bromeis, the Graubünden ultraswimmer and water ambassador, set off on his “Expedition Milano 2015” on Thursday at 06:04 in Tenero (TI). In the presence of numerous media people, he swam towards Ascona before dawn. Water temperatures of around 22 degrees and good weather offer the best conditions.

Graubünden ultraswimmer and water ambassador Ernst Bromeis starts his “Expedition Milano 2015” on Thursday. He wants to cover the 135 kilometer long swim distance from Tenero (TI) to the city center of Milan without long breaks. With his expedition, Bromeis is promoting the “Solidarit'eau suisse” initiative, which supports drinking water projects worldwide.

Global sales in health tourism are estimated at up to 50 billion dollars; the trend is rising sharply. More and more patients are traveling to another country for treatment. Switzerland is ideally placed to participate in this new business for the medical and tourism sector.