Hi everyone
I know it has only just started to get cold, but ever forward looking I am thinking of doing the Engadin XC skiing half marathon in March (I won't go mad in my first year!).
Has anyone done it before?

I am wondering about how the event is organised, I'm planning to go by train and I am concerned about how I'll navigate all of the stops (picking up numbers, getting to accommodation, getting back to village......). It seems quite spread out.

I'm assuming it's very Swiss and then don't want millions of cars clogging the resort, but I'd like some heads up!

Looking forward to any insights, hints, tips...

Did you read this thread yet? Engadine Ski Marathon

Your profile says skiing (beginner)... Are you sure you are not being a little over ambitious? I saw them competing last year and it looked seriously tough in places

Oops! I did a search for 'cross country' and it didn't come up!

Thanks for that ChrisW, but I still need more info re transport around the place as I will be staying over.
Anyone???

Also any info on the dorms would be great and other 'if I had a chance to do it all over this is what I would do' nuggets

That was last year so I'll have had two seasons under my belt before the off!
Thanks for your concern
Must update that profile, I can't even remember what I wrote.

The website has accomodation details for all types of accomodation.
http://www.engadin-skimarathon.ch/

Have you done any other ski races? Classic or skating. It would pay to do a few smaller races before something so large and crowded. You need to learn and practice some tactics on overtaking and being overtaken, and how to control your poles and avoid a ski tip in the eye. Otherwise it can be a little frustrating if you crash badly or have your pole broken in the first 1km. The first 5km are normally a nightmare to ski - even for the experienced skiers.
Some nice smaller races in the region are the Mara at Les Rasses and the Kandersteg 21km.

Good luck

Thanks Zimmo
I was planning on the dorms, but I'm looking for some info on how you get to and from the dorms, storage for equipment.....

Yep that was in the plan, I am starting to scout races in the area. Do you think after doing a few small races a big one like that is doable, or should I do a smaller big one first, if you know what I mean!

For those interested in training (or just reading about training) for serious endurance events an excellent read is Bill McKibben's Long Distance: A Year of Living Strenuously. From the UK Amazon site: I am not an athlete of any kind, just enjoy hiking to the limit of my abilities, and enjoyed this book immensely. He is an excellent writer!

Transport to the start of the race was very good last year - extra trains coming in from all over Graubunden very early in the morning for it. There should be details of the schedules on their website. We weren't sure about the tiny station that we needed to use, so we called the RhB (local train company) a couple of weeks beforehand, they got the info for us, and it all worked out fine - train to St Moritz, then shuttle bus to the start.

They have a fleet of army trucks to transport your gear from the start to the finish area, which also looked very efficient (although we didn't actually need to use it):



There is a train station right next to the finish area which is only used for the race, not during the rest of the year. In the finish area, they hand out colored tickets that correspond to which train you'll be able to board, and then make announcements when people with a certain ticket color should head towards the station, where everything was again very well managed.

Thanks so much everyone for all the responses, PMs etc. You've been great! I managed to get accommodation in Klosters! Everywhere else is completely booked, over 10k skiers plus others is a lot of people to put up. But at least now I know it's possible to get there race morning!

I'm getting a bit bored with running, nordic walking etc so I can't wait for a bit of snow!
Thanks again

Went up to the glacier at Diablerets on Sat for a classic. It was great with plenty of snow and a 5km loop that looked pretty nice for skating as well as classic. After the weather this week, there should be a fair bit more snow up there.
Happy skiing

Thanks for the heads up. Let it rain down here and snow up there!!

I'm toying with the idea of signing up for the Skimarathon but I don't know how to deal with the trip+accommodation problem. Trying to find some cheap accommodation in the Engadine valley on that week-end does not seem to be an option any more, unfortunately...

I heard that some people do the journey from Zurich on race day. Does anybody know how they manage that? The best offer I found on sbb.ch is a train that leaves at midnight from Zurich, which sounds a bit too early to make sense. But perhaps there is a special coach that leaves from Zurich at a more sensible time? That would be plan A.

Plan B is to camp in Majola (with a decent sleeping bag of course). Has anybody seen people doing that? Would I be hunted down by the organisers and fed to the huskies?

Plan C is to stay at home and book some accommodation for 2011.

I believe they organize buses leaving from Zurich very early in the morning, there was info on the main website about it last year. We managed to book accommodation just a couple of weeks before the race last year by going to a small village between Davos and Bergun called Wiesen. The hotel wasn't very close to the railway station, but the owner kindly offered to drive us down there at some crazy hour to get on one of the extra trains that were running towards St Moritz for the race.

Thanks for the tip Chris. That leaves me plenty of time to make up my mind then