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Step back in time as we celebrate the anniversaries of amateur ski racing, hearkening back to an era of wool sweatshirts and towering skis.
Released December 6, 2023
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This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK)
When the British took to skiing in the early 1900s, we did so with unwavering competitive spirit, organizing clubs and amateur races that still draw huge crowds today. The Inferno, held in the elegantly understated Swiss town of Murren, celebrates its 80th event in 2024, and remains the biggest public ski race in the world. It’s absolute madness, with 1,850 entrants racing over the nine-mile run, which drops from Schilthorn, at nearly 2,970 meters, down to 790 meters, taking the average skier 20 minutes (the winner substantially less).
This season’s event takes place on Saturday, January 27, with celebrations kicking off the Wednesday before with a cross-country race, followed by a slalom on Thursday and a parade on Friday night. Saturday sees resort-wide festivities centering around the grand race. The organizing body, Kandahar Ski Club, turns 100 on January 30th, and was established in Murren by British skiers, including mountaineer Arnold Lunn. The club now has 1,400 members, but events are open to all.
The Inferno’s closest rival is the Parsenn Derby, held in the swanky Swiss resort of Davos-Klosters, which will mark its centenary in 2024. Created by Swiss spa resort regular, Englishman Fred W Edlin. A member of the Ski Club of Great Britain, Edlin saw the potential for downhill skiing on the Parsenn, the mountainous area that unites Klosters and Davos. Since 1933, the race has started at 2,660 meter Weissfluhjoch, dropping 2,000 meters in 8 miles to Klosters. Until the Ski World Cup was introduced in 1967, it was a major event on the ski racing circuit. Today, it’s one for enthusiastic beginners—and fun-loving former professionals. davos.ch
A more modern take is City Ski Challenge, a wild holiday of food, drink, music, networking, and ski racing, with competitors drawn from London and Europe’s business community. The event was started in 2000 in Courmayeur, Italy (as City Ski Championships) by travel company Momentum Ski, and is now held in the Swiss town of Crans-Montana. Whether you want to compete or not, these amateur challenge events are a seriously colorful time to be in the Alps.
Published in the Winter Sports guide, distributed with the December 2023 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).
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