Our Engadin plan 2006
Come and join us for the Engadin Ski Marathon in 2006. We've got a DIY plan - just follow the steps below and join us in the Engadin valley. Book everything separately and save money. The race takes place on Sunday 12 March 2006.

Instead of doing a package trip to the Engadin, this one is DIY.  You can use us as instructors and general gurus in the days leading up to the race.  Otherwise, you can just do your own thing!

All you have to do is follow these instructions:

  1. Book flights
  2. Book accommodation
  3. Book transport to Engadin
  4. Book entry for the race
  5. Book instruction (if you want)
  6. Get skis & wax
  1. Flights – we will be taking the following flights:
    1. LHR-ZRH – Tue 7.3.6 – BA0716 – Dep 13.50, Arr 16.40
    2. ZRH-LHR – Mon 13.3.6 – BA0713 – Dep 13.15, Arr 14.10

Best prices on www.ba.com (about £120 at time of writing - likely to be cheaper in the January sales).

2. Accommodation – book hotel or B&B in SAMEDAN.  You can book accommodation with the Samedan tourist office on 0041 81 851 0060 or visit www.engadin.ch. It costs from £25pp per night B&B to stay at a friendly place like Pension Weisses Kreuz. Most places are just a short walk from the train station and ski tracks where we'll meet in the mornings. 

3. Transport to Engadin – either book a hire car from Zurich airport (find the best deal on http://www.kelkoo.co.uk) or take the train. Train times on www.sbb.ch.  From Zurich there’s a train at 17.13 or 18.13 – travel time is 3.5 hours.  From Samedan there’s a train on Monday morning at 08.17 which gets into Zurich airport at 11.46.  Swiss trains are good! Book a 'transfer ticket' on https://www.swisstravelsystem.com/uk/order.php?item=stt.

4. Entry to the race – you can do all this on www.engadin-skimarathon.ch.  This will pass you through to https://register.datasport.com/?esm06 where you can book.  For a better start group, select the option ‘World Loppet Pass’ and pay an extra CHF.  Make sure you enter the right race.

5. Book instruction or instruction & ski hire

Instruction only - £100

Instruction & ski hire - £150 (ski hire includes skis, boots and poles)

Shoe size (UK)

Instruction, ski hire & waxing - £200 (as above, but we will wax your skis for your daily, with a special preparation before the race)

Shoe size (UK)

 

6. Buy or hire skis – you can hire skis from us - Madshus Suprasonic racing skating skis (book above) and we will also wax them for you daily if required (we'd recommend this if you want to ski fast!). You can also buy skis from www.biathlonsport.com which may well be cheaper than buying them out in Switzerland.  We’d recommend either the Madshus Hypersonic wet (£172) or Suprasonic (£129) skating skis, and can advise with waxing.  You can take them to a local shop to get a good race wax before the race (there’s a shop about 5 minutes from the Pensiun Giardin).  Waxing is nothing to be afraid of, and we will advise you on this (although you do need to buy some specialised equipment)!

For any more information, please contact us.

Our input

We will instruct 09.00 to 12.00 on Wednesday to Friday and will do a shorter session on Saturday morning.  We’ll also collect your race pack from the registration area for you and will help you with waxing in the evenings. On the day of the race we will make sure you get to the start line on time (transport is laid on from the village to the start line on the morning of the race).

Your afternoons are free for your own skiing, sightseeing or whatever else you want to do. The area has a lot to discover - see http://www.engadin.ch.

We will also be available to help you prepare on rollerskis in London beforehand and will give you some advice if needed before the race.

 

Total estimated costs (excl skis, meals other than breakfast):

Flights - £120
B&B – Tue-Sun - £150 (based on 2 sharing double room)
Race entry - £40
Train fare to Samedan - £57
Instruction - £100

Total incl instruction - £467, excl instruction £367

This is going to be a more flexible way of doing it than going through a holiday company, and if you save any money, buy yourself a decent pair of skis, and get in a bit of rollerski practice before you go!  You can buy meals during the day in local cafes or snacks at the supermarket.

Sponsorship

Why not do the race to support a good cause? We would encourage all to ski for the childrens charity WellChild, which funds all sorts of help for children with illnesses.

You can raise as little or as much money as you can, but everything you get will go straight to the charity, which we believe is a great cause. Please contact Karl Gilliam, events manager at WellChild, on 01242 530007 or email karlgwilliam@wellchild.org.uk to get a fundraising pack.

 

We hope this plan helps you even if you don't join us! Our philosophy is to make cross-country ski racing more accessible, and if this helps you with your trip, we're very pleased. Contact us if you have any questions on the trip, or feedback on the page.