Newsroom

Swiss helicopter aviation needs a reduction in legal regulations. The constantly growing density of regulations in European aviation is threatening the existence of Swiss helicopter companies. EASA Director Patrick Ky is open to simplifications — but he did not make any concrete promises.

With VIVAL, the festival for health and pleasure, the Upper Engadin is launching a new type of gentle health tourism. Guests and locals can experience a healthy lifestyle without sacrificing enjoyment. Health tourism is an attractive market segment for Engadin.

VIVAL, the first festival for health and pleasure, starts on September 2nd. Numerous businesses in the Upper Engadin are taking part and offering their guests special offers. All of them can now be booked on the website www.vival.ch.

In the immediate vicinity of the sounding tunnel under Brienz slide, both the water pressure in the rock and the sliding speed have decreased. This gives hope that deep drainage and thus remediation of the landslide can work. However, further research is still needed.

If the sounding tunnel is successful under Brienz slide, it should be extended and expanded into a drainage tunnel. Experts from cantonal offices, engineering and geology have studied three possible variants. Two of them are being followed up.

A new grand hotel and hospital building are to be built on the “Serletta Süd” site in St. Moritz. The owner Chris Silber St. Moritz AG has submitted a building application. The project complies with the structure plan for the area approved by the Federal Court.

Christian Jott Jenny remains mayor of St. Moritz. The incumbent was significantly re-elected with 54 percent of the vote. In order to continue the successes of the last three years, St. Moritz now needs a policy that defines new goals in teamwork and takes them into account. The prevention policy of recent years must stop.

The Engadin community of La Punt Chamues-ch is strengthening its position as an attractive place to live, work and holiday. Parallel to several major projects in the village, the municipality has begun a process to develop a future-oriented local and tourism strategy. The first parts of them were presented on Thursday and discussed with the public.

The “digital customer journey” is increasingly becoming a central element in marketing holidays and guest experiences. Developing and maintaining them is one of the important future tasks of every destination. Engadin digital expert Werner Pircher is advising the canton and Engadin St. Moritz Tourismus AG on this.

The new CEO of Klinik Gut AG is Marco Salzgeber. The business economist has been head of corporate development at the Graubünden Cantonal Hospital for five years. Salzgeber succeeds Hanspeter Frank and takes over his role on September 1, 2022.

The Engadin Corona Task Force has ended its activities for the time being. With two surveys, she completed her work for tourism and communities in Südbünden. Municipalities and companies in the region consistently rate the importance and activity of the task force very highly.

Klinik Gut has begun construction of its new head office in St. Moritz-Bad. A modern clinic for the musculoskeletal system is being built in the spa area at the Kurpark. The search for a location, planning and procedures for the new hospital building took around 20 years; it should go into operation in late autumn 2023.

Engadin is getting a new festival: VIVAL, the alpine health festival, brings health and pleasure together in September. Providers from the hotel, catering, healthcare and sports industries are offering numerous offers, and the festival itself contributes a number of events. VIVAL was presented on Thursday as part of the cantonal roadshow on health tourism.

Dario Cologna is the most successful cross-country skier that Switzerland has produced. After 20 years as a professional, he ran his last international race on March 13 with the 52nd Engadin Ski Marathon. The night before, he spoke to Christian Gartmann in a detailed interview about his career, his life as a family man, his retirement and the future of cross-country skiing.

Roman Furger from Uri won the Engadin Ski Marathon for the fourth time. Dario Cologna finished second in his last international race, Frenchman Tom Mancini third. Nadja Kälin shone among women. St. Moritzerin won ahead of Frenchwomen Céline Chopard and Enora Latuillière. The race in the best conditions was very animated, but the expected record times did not materialize.

Curdin Raez from Silser and Maria Adele Zampa from Ticino win the 4th Engadin night run. With temperatures around freezing point, both set new track records. The perfect conditions also make for a fast Engadin ski marathon.

A prominent Swiss team and many strong Frenchmen will try to challenge Dario Cologna for his fifth victory at the Engadin Ski Marathon on Sunday. For women, top female athletes from several countries provide an exciting starting position. More than 11,200 participants have already registered, the track is in excellent condition and the weather forecasts give hope for a very fast race.

Davos Desirée Steiner won the 21st Engadin Women's Race from Samedan to S-chanf. Junior Maria Adele Zampa from Ticino was second, Giuliana Werro from Zernez third. One week before the Engadin Ski Marathon, the track was in excellent condition; Desirée Steiner set a new record time.

After a two-year break, Saturday marks the start of the biggest cross-country skiing festival in the Alps again. Around 14,000 cross-country skiers are expected to attend the Engadin Marathon Week 2022. The trails in Upper Engadin are in excellent condition and starting points are still available. The Engadin Marathon Week 2022 offers some new features.

The PolyClinic vaccination center in St. Moritz will close on Friday, March 11. Corona vaccinations will then be offered on a reduced basis, and the test offer will continue as before. Some normality is returning to PolyClinic's general practitioner and specialist practices in the spa.

The Omicron variant has turned the Bündner test strategy on its head. The chains of infection can no longer be effectively interrupted and the very high infection figures have completely overwhelmed laboratory capacities. However, because the development of the situation in hospitals is encouraging, the government has stopped school testing and operational tests outside the health and care sector as of this Friday evening.

The Hotel Restorant Lej da Staz in St. Moritz/Celerina has successfully started the winter season under new management. Locals and guests enjoy a wide range of culinary delights in a very relaxed atmosphere. The two floors with their terraces are now open to all guests again and an oversized igloo made of snow in the garden attracts attention.

Fanny Smith is one of Switzerland's big medal hopes at the Olympic Games in Beijing. The best ski crosser of the moment talks about victories, injuries, her escape from school and her great passion for sport.

Guido Mittner, Roman Oswald and Patrick Wegmann resign from the municipal council of Val Müstair. For personal reasons, the three entrepreneurs do not want to hold office for the entire term of office and are therefore making room for new board members at an early stage. The replacement election for the three vacant seats will take place in March 2022.