Skaters get their money's worth in the Engadin. You can cover around 200 of the over 240 kilometers of trails using the skating technique. The lake trails from Maloja to Champfèr are a highlight, where the feeling of gliding over the frozen Upper Engadin lakes gives you wings. A friendly tip: watch out for the Maloja wind. Whether you want to run with or against the wind is up to you - but at 13 kilometers, the direction can make a decisive difference. More cross-country skiing tips for skaters.
Fans of the skating style of cross-country skiing have about 200 glorious kilometres of trail to choose from in the Engadin. The generous width of the prepared trails allows devotees to unleash all their energy in this dynamic and exhilarating form of the sport. The range of trails is vast, with many variants: where do you start? We asked cross-country ski experts for their tips; here we present the finest skating-style trails of the Engadin.
Or rather: the Marathon Trails, because the 42 km of the world’s second-largest cross-country ski event consist of 11 magnificent stages. Taken together, these contrasting sections offer the “Best of the Engadin” from Maloja to S-chanf. Prepared daily throughout the season, they serve for a wide range of training goals thanks to a great diversity of terrain: from wild and rough through the Staz forest to smooth and open on the vast expanses of the Engadin lake plateau. Just like the Engadin Skimarathon itself – also known as the “Engadin open race”, open to all – the Marathon Trail has something for everyone because of its varied topography. Pros, expert amateurs, newcomers to the sport: everyone has their favourite sections.
The official Marathon Trail ends in S-chanf, but you should not miss the connecting cross-country ski trail to Zernez! The 15 km lead through a wild and pristine natural landscape, along the river Inn and mostly through a winter forest of fairy-tale charm. The start of the trail lies just 900 m from S-chanf station towards Bügls; the finish point is the sports and cross-country ski centre in the heart of Zernez, where skiers traditionally relax after this magnificent run over a hot coffee and a delicious slice of home-made cake.
A must for all skating enthusiasts! As soon as the ice on the frozen lakes is thick enough and the snow layer deep enough, we prepare a splendid network of cross-country ski trails for you across our lake-strewn valley floor. The big smiles on the faces of skating enthusiasts express the pure pleasure of speeding across the sparkling wintry expanses, framed by towering mountains. Ski here and your joy feels boundless: especially as this section of the Marathon Trail extends for around 13 exhilarating km in all, straight across Lake Sils, Lake Silvaplana and Lake Champfèr.
For all who wish to make the very most of the Engadin cross-country ski season, we recommend an additional highlight – the secret of which lies in the “high”. This comes into its own at each end of the season: when there is not yet enough snow down in the valley (when autumn is reluctant to give way to winter, in other words), and in spring, when other trails have already closed. At these times, our teams prepare the Alp Bondo high trail up at the Bernina Pass (2,330 m). This easy loop of 4.2 km starts at the base station of the Diavolezza cable car and winds along the railway line used by the Bernina Express. Where else can you race “the world’s slowest express train” as you perfect your skating technique?
