This season's Masters World Championships - Klosters, Switzerland
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Why?
The World Masters makes a welcome return to Klosters, at the eastern end of the Engadin Valley in the south-eastern corner of Switzerland, very well-known as a haunt of the rich and famous, including Prince Charles before he took up kinging. We were there in 2017, a big team of British skiers, with the outstanding memories being great tracks but somewhat warm conditions, and an excellent relay race against the Australians in which GB was victorious. For this season, the Organising Committee have planned for the weather and radically changed the race tracks so that, with any luck, by being mainly on the shaded side of the valley, the event will not be as affected if the warm conditions are repeated.
Great Britain was reasonably well represented earlier this year in Vuokatti and, as a venue which is very easy to get to, I am looking forward to there being a large British contingent in Switzerland; we already have four people signed up to go. The additional bonus is that anyone racing at the Masters is guaranteed a start in the 42 km Engadin Ski Marathon immediately before the MWC.
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Klosters! The courses are mainly in the shaded area in the centre of this picture
Travel
There are many ways to get to Klosters (see the map below) and all of them are very easy, although flying is most probably the best way.
By plane: Fly, in preference, to Zurich (many flight options), take one of the many trains (or buses) to Klosters (150 km), via Landquart, and the train arrives right in the centre of Klosters. The rail fare itself is not cheap, and is best bought in advance from the Swiss Travel internet website but, if you want a really scenic trip, take the train indirectly up into the Engadin Valley; the climb up into the valley is amazing! Other airports include Innsbruck (170 km), Milan (270 km) and Munich (320 km), but Zurich is clearly the best. On the event website, www.mwc2025.com, there are maps, details and contacts for how to make the trip from the airport.
By car: This will be my method of travel, on the ferry to France, and aiming to get from London to Klosters in two days. No need to worry about weight limits on flights, no need to get early to the airport; a civilised and easy way to travel. Not expensive, either, if advanced plans are made and fuel is bought in Luxembourg, where it is about half the price of anywhere else! I have one or two spare seats in my car, should you fancy this option.
By rail: There are possibilities to get all the way from the UK to Klosters by train. This is not an option that I have ever tried but I know people who do use such trains. Again, no dramatic weight limit and a stress-free way to travel!
Where?
As the map below shows, Klosters is on the east side of Switzerland in an area very well known for its skiing.
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Accommodation
There have been a few difficulties booking hotels, because they require a 30 % non-refundable deposit paid by the end of October, a risk I am unwilling to take without knowing how many rooms will ultimately be required. So there appear to be three main options:
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AirBNB or equivalent in Klosters, with the possibility of having 4-6 people in a self-catering apartment. Currently the options seem very limited, although at the time of writing there are two places, one very near the race start and the other in the town. I would need four confirmed participants, though, before making a booking.
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Use MWC hotels but booking them on an ad-hoc basis as people confirm their participation. Most hotels offer twin, rather than single, rooms and, although we might get a group all in the same hotel, I cannot guarantee this. If you would like this option, and costs appear to be about €90 per person per night half-board, please let me know with your dates and whether you are willing to share. In 2017 we stayed in the Sport Hotel, about 1.7 km from the start of the ski tracks, with its own restaurant, indoor swimming pool, gym, ski store and free parking and WiFi, and its own bus stop, and we were happy there.
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Accommodation in Davos, where there are more options and from where there should be a free train quite regularly to Klosters. I am happy to put people into contact with other people, but it might be best for each person/group to make their own bookings.
I looked briefly at the apartments being offered by the Organising Committee, but their prices made me realise that a brief look was more than enough!
When
The event takes place formally from Saturday 8th March, leaving Sunday 16th March if you want to race the relay and attend the banquet, both of which take place on Saturday 15th March. There are two practice days on the 8th and 9th, so arriving on Friday 7th is perhaps the best to maximise snow time.
If you are mad enough and … I … errr, sorry, what I meant to say was if you have done all the training and you’d like to race the Engadin Ski Marathon, this takes place on Sunday 9th March. You will get a more than 10 % discount on race entry, and transport will be provided from Klosters to the race start and then back again (see details on the www.mwc2025.com/en/engadinskimarathon). If you really fancy doing the distance, though, you can now do so on any day during the previous week, which might be a wiser option, combined with a longer stay in the general area.
Because of the Ski Marathon, the MWC programme is somewhat changed and comprises:
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If you have not been keeping fully up-to-date, total distances have changed, too, so skiers M01-M06 have the choice of 10 km, 20 km and 30 km, those from M07-M09 10 km, 15 km and 30 km, and M10-M13 5 km, 10 km and 15 km. For ladies it is slightly different, so F01-F06 it is 10 km, 15 km and 30 km, F07-F09 10 km, 15 km and 20 km, and F10-F13 5 km, 10 km and 15 km. There is no obligation to do short, medium and long races, either, you can do three races of any combination of distance and style. Note that all National Directors voted to move the relay from Saturday to Thursday, which would shift the two longer races back by one day, but I am not yet sure whether this idea has been rejected.
The tracks will officially be open for training on Saturday but it is also possible to train on the race tracks before that. Klosters is at 1 200 metres and (famous last words), very snow-sure, providing excellent skiing conditions well into March. Average temperatures for March are between -4 and +4 oC, with average snow depth in the valley of 0.68 metres, and these averages seem to have held up well over the last two or three difficult years. The season continues until mid-April.
The tracks
The tracks have been radically changed and, by way of example, below is the 10 km one. If you were there in 2017, you will see that the start has been moved about 1 km further up the valley (but it should be possible to ski from the town, if not taking the bus) and the direction is now anti-clockwise. Importantly, the lower sections, down near the Sportzentrum (shown as a lake and which almost was in 2017) and the long climb up past Bündelti, which were in full sun, have gone. We also spent quite a long time at the MWA meeting last autumn discussing how to make the drop down and over the road in Aeuja safe. I believe that we will find excellent tracks, as MWCs have had for several years now.
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The 10 km tracks for MWC 2025
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An example of the tracks from 2017, although I do not think that this will be included in 2025
Further information, entry and deadlines
Listen very carefully, I will say zis only vunce. The entry form is, as always, on the general website, www.mwc2025.com, entry is already open and you have to complete the entry form for yourselves.
If you wish to enter the Engadin Marathon, you have to enter the Masters before the 15th November, when you will be sent a special registration link.
Finally, do not forget that, up until the early-bird deadline (31st December), entry to the MWC is €220, after the deadline it goes up to €250!
And finally finally, do not forget, either, that GBR is currently the holder of the Ski Ashes, a trophy we won from Australia in Vuokatti and which we need to retain!
