The beginnings
of ski racing
Walter Amstutz:
The ski pioneer from Mürren
The young Walter Amstutz in action.
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At the beginning of the 1920s, Walter Amstutz from Mürren in the Bernese Oberland decided to establish a new form of skiing together with his friend Arnold Lunn. It was to be downhill, on a predetermined route, and as challenging as possible. The idea of alpine ski races was born.
By: Lukas Siegfried, 13.01.2024
According to historian Daniel Anker, the decisive year was 1924, when the two pioneers each founded a ski club with the aim of promoting Alpine ski racing. Lunn created the British Kandahar Ski Club, and Amstutz founded the Swiss Academic Ski Club. From then on, these clubs were to become the key to organising races and getting more and more people interested in this form of competition. The first World Ski Championships were held in Mürren in 1931.
Guest in this flashback:
- Daniel Anker, alpine historian
- Gisela Vollmer, President of the Mürren Mini Museum
- Yvonne Gozon, daughter of Walter Amstutz
- Andreas Feuz, long-standing president of the Mürren Ski Club