The first SaasFeestival opened on 16 July 2022 with a Family Day on Kreuzboden above Saas-Grund with children’s entertainment and music by z’Hansrüedi. The highlights of the first edition of the festival were the three evenings in the village square in Saas-Fee with Baschi, Anna Rossinelli Trio, Baba Shrimps, Pat Burgener, Freitagsauto and Die Nachbarn. The finale took place in the village square in Saas-Almagell with the local heroes from Wintershome.

The idea of the festival was and is not only to unite and focus on music and mountains, but also to promote sustainability and environmental protection. Therefore, the festival works closely with local businesses to support the local economy, offers environmentally friendly and local products and focuses on minimising waste. Saastal Tourismus AG, as the organiser, aims to establish a music festival with a local character and national appeal. The curatorial focus is on Swiss artists from the pop/rock genre, complemented by up-and-coming local bands.

In summer 2023, the SaasFeestival will enter its second round. The kick-off will once again be on Kreuzboden above Saas-Grund with a Family Day, including activities for children and music and stories by the Bruno Hächler Band. The highlight of the festival are the three evenings in the village square in Saas-Fee with Florian Ast, Dada Ante Portas, Black Sea Dahu, Andrea Bignasca, Üsserorts and Kalpetrane. The finale will once again take place on the village square in Saas-Almagell with Nickless and Frost & Fog.
This year, there will also be an Electro Session on the Mittelallalin. The HANZ UP #4 SaasFeestival Electro Session 2023, organised in collaboration with HANZ SOUNDZ, will take place on the terrace of the world’s highest revolving restaurant at 3,500 m above sea level on the Mittelallalin. The headliner on the highest dance floor in Switzerland is Miss Monique.

The SaasFeestival is a unique music festival. It combines the breathtaking landscape of Switzerland with top-class music and the idea of sustainability. By working with local businesses and using environmentally friendly products, the SaasFeestival helps to support the local economy and protect the environment.
We are looking forward to the SaasFeestival 2023 and are excited about the great musical artists.

‘There’s no doubt that many of the athletes training in Saas-Fee again this summer and autumn will come back with medals from Beijing. It’s just a question of how many. We’ll have to wait and see. Blog entry from September

Shortly after the Olympics, we can proudly report that this year 64 medals were won with the help of the training opportunities on our glacier in Saas-Fee.
That’s an impressive 71.1% of all medals that were awarded for disciplines that can be trained for in Saas-Fee!

Since the blog entry in September 2021, it’s no longer a secret why the athletes train in Saas-Fee during this season in particular. Early in the morning on the Saas-Fee glacier from 17th July onwards, athletes can use the ideal snow conditions to prepare themselves for the upcoming winter season. After all, the summer ski region provides 20 kilometres of perfectly maintained slopes for athletes at World Cup level. The fact that slopes and pistes like this are available nowhere else in the world means that Saas-Fee has become the first choice as the training venue for the best athletes. The Saastal Bergbahnen team pays particular attention to the special needs of the many teams, owing to the high demand from all over the world.

Which athletes started their preparation for the Olympics in the summer of 2021 in Saas-Fee, and what are their stories?

Shaun White, the most well-known and successful name in the snowboard scene. The path to his fourth Olympic Games included Saas-Fee where he was able to prepare himself perfectly in the halfpipe discipline. Unfortunately, he didn’t manage another medal this year, but he can look back on an outstanding career. His fellow American, Mikaela Shiffrin, could not display the benefits of her regular training last summer in Saas-Fee as much as she had expected in Beijing. She had to drop out, first in the slalom and then also the giant slalom. But at the age of 26, she still has plenty of time to win all the medals in future Olympics.

Things went significantly better for Max Parrot who has been a welcome guest in Saas-Fee for years. After winning his first medal in the Winter Olympics, he conquered cancer in 2018 and this year he won the gold medal in the snowboard slopestyle final. This was immediately followed by a bronze medal in the halfpipe. Giving up was never an option for Max Parrot. Things turned out in a similar way for the young Swiss athlete Mathilde Gremaud. Mathilde is a welcome guest in Saas-Fee and even has some insider tips for those who are planning a trip to this car-free village. In summer 2020, she was the first woman to achieve a Switch Double Cork 1440 in the snowpark at Saas-Fee. It was exactly this trick that won her a bronze medal in the big air competition. But her time at the Winter Olympics was not over yet. A week after winning the third place, she won the gold medal in the slopestyle.

The snowboarders who prepared for the Olympic Games in Saas-Fee showed huge dominance. Is it purely coincidence that all nine medals were divided among members of the Stomping Grounds Project? Charles Beckinsale and his team construct and maintain the freestyle park and the halfpipe on the glacier in Saas-Fee during the summer. This park offers perfect training conditions for the athletes.

Lindsey Jacobellis won two gold medals in snowboard cross. She had already stood highest on the podium countless times, but this winter she achieved Olympic gold for the first time. Thanks to the training on the crosspiste in Saas-Fee, she not only picked up the gold medal in the women’s competition, but she was also the fastest in the mixed team competition, together with Nick Baumgartner.
There were spirals, flips, grabs and millisecond time differences. The alpine skiers were also in the Saas-Fee glacier ski region during the summer months. Every day they were able to prepare for this Olympic season on 20 kilometres of perfectly prepared slopes. Sometimes the athletes also set off for Mittelallalin when it was still dark, to profit from the icy slopes. Early in the morning, these conditions are very similar to those on the many World Cup slopes of this world.

Saas-Fee also achieved huge media coverage, owing to the presence of numerous top athletes. Major agencies, companies and news services followed the events on the glacier above Saas-Fee. Some used the opportunity to photograph their brand ambassadors for new advertising films. Numerous new advertising spots or photos were shot this summer at 3,500 metres above sea level. Even the New York Times paid a visit in the autumn. The newspaper accompanied the athletes and asked them how they dealt with the topic of fear in their sport. You can find more about this topic here.

Now, shortly after the Winter Olympics in Beijing, all that remains is for us to congratulate all participants. Some of them were able to fulfil their lifelong dream of winning a medal, while others were able to gain valuable experience and impressions.

The countdown to the next preparation time in the forthcoming summer has already begun. This means that the newly minted winners will hopefully soon be with us again in the training camps. Who knows, perhaps one or other of them will even have an Olympic medal in their luggage?

If we have learnt anything from 2020, then it is how important sport and challenges are. It was already noticeable in the summer just how much we missed the competition, energy, team spirit of the athletes as well as the Olympic spirit. You can feel the tingling before the Winter Olympic Games in Saas-Fee even now.

But why Saas-Fee of all places? The US World Cup skier and multiple Olympic gold medal-winner Mikaela Shiffrin has the perfect response. She was asked by David Taugwalder from the Walliser Bote newspaper: “Mikaela Shiffrin, do you feel at home in Saas-Fee?”

The multi-talented skier responds as follows:

“Yes, very much so! I like the mix of the winter feeling you get on the glacier and the late-summer conditions you get down in the village. You know, when we are out and about in the winter, we often have cold, dark days. I then look at pictures from Saas-Fee and enjoy reminiscing about the days spent there.”

In the Saas-Fee/Saas Valley region, athletes have the ideal infrastructures, on the glacier of course, but also at the sports facilities in the valley and in the accommodation. That’s why this year we have 41 Olympic medal winners training in Saas-Fee, added to which are 134 World Championship medals and 20 overall World Cups.

Early in the morning on the Fee glacier, athletes can use the ideal snow conditions to prepare themselves for the upcoming winter season in summer and autumn. Ultimately, the summer ski area provides 20 kilometres of perfectly maintained slopes for athletes at world cup level. Nowhere else are there so many slopes available for slalom and giant slalom in the summer. The Saas Valley Bergbahnen team pays particular attention to the needs of the many teams. The cableways are just as well prepared for the rush of athletes waiting every morning at the Alpin Express Bahn. There, in line with coronavirus rules, every team gets their time slot for making their way up to the glacier, so they can fully focus on training with their coaches.

When training on the mountain finishes at lunchtime, it then carries on down in the village. The facilities at Kalbermatten sports ground give the athletes the opportunity to optimally prepare for the upcoming winter season after training on the glacier. They work hard on their fitness on the artificial turf pitch or on the running track, surrounded by magnificent mountain scenery. The range of sports on offer is diverse, so the challenge keeps going with a game of tennis, a round of golf or a volleyball match. Fitness is an important part of the preparation for the long Olympic winter. The teams therefore make the most of the opportunities provided by the hotels or the Aqua Allalin complex of swimming pools and saunas to do strength training, with long, hard training sessions.

In addition to the good piste conditions and the support provided by the cableways on the glacier, the Kalbermatten sports ground together with the general infrastructure in the village is the main reason why top athletes from all over the world come to train in Saas-Fee and in the Saas Valley in the summer and autumn. A big plus for Saas-Fee is also its elevation of 1,800 metres altitude. Anyone who has already trained in a high-alpine location will be able to appreciate just how much this can support the athlete’s performance.

Mikaela Shiffrin again brings this to a perfect close:

“When I train, I’m always so busy with the next slalom gate, the next turn, the next run. But Saas-Fee is definitely one of those places where it is worth looking up from the skis and slopes and appreciating the environment we get to practice our profession in.”

There’s no doubt that many of the athletes training in Saas-Fee again this summer and autumn will come back with medals from Beijing. It’s just a question of how many. We’ll have to wait and see.

Pasta is a popular choice for carb-loading sportspeople. I met three Swiss para-athletes, Luzia Joller, Gaël Suhner and Andreas Schroth, one lunchtime for a plate of the good stuff at Saas-Fee’s Arvu-Stuba. All three are avid snowboarders, and they are in the Saas Valley for the para-snowboard weekend, which is run three times a year by PluSport. PluSport is the umbrella organization of Swiss Disabled Sports which has around 12,000 members. Joining the trio at the event are four PluSport coaches.

Luzia, Gaël, and Andreas take every opportunity they can to get on the slopes. They participated in the first Mentelity Games, which ran from 10th to 12th April 2019. The games are the brainchild of three-time Winter Paralympic gold medalist and five-time world champion in para-snowboarding, Bibian Mentel. They’re all excited to take part in the games again, with the Mentelity Games returning to Saas-Grund for the second time in March 2020. The three-day ski and snowboard event brings people with disabilities from all over the world together for training and workshops.

The first Mentelity Games
Para-snowboarding is a fairly new discipline in Switzerland. Silvan Hofer is the project manager for para-snowboard at PluSport, as well as a snowsports instructor and trainer for students and snowsports teachers alike. He has been building its profile for about three years now. It was Silvan who encouraged Luzia, Andreas and Gaël to attend last year‘s Mentelity Games. The event offered skiers and snowboarders with disabilities a comprehensive choice of activities and training. At the “Wissensstrasse” (Knowledge Street), newcomers were given the chance to figure out which sports they wanted to try out, and then a program was selected tailored to the individual disability. During the three-day event, participants were given lessons, either in ability-matched groups or with private trainers. They were also informed about further courses run by ski and snowboard professionals and learned more about the different disciplines within the sport, like slalom, freestyle and touring.

Andreas, who has been snowboarding in Saas-Fee for years, whole-heartedly recommends getting involved. “It was quite a challenge to ride with guides I didn’t know to start with, especially as they used different snowboarding techniques from those that I was familiar with. But I benefited greatly and learned a lot.” For Gaël the highlight was meeting other attendees and he looks forward to the next Mentelity Games “to see everyone again, it was so much fun!“ Luzia also had a great time during those first days in the Saas Valley. All three were assigned to top-level athletes and Paralympic medalists at the workshops because of their high level. But, as Luzia humbly puts it, “it’s the coming together that’s important, not your athletic level. It’s the fun of trying new things and sharing your tips and tricks. You see on their faces just how grateful the attendees are for being able to be a part of an event like this one. I was amazed at what people can do, and motivated by everyone’s incredible spirit. I think it would be cool if there were more participants next time.”

Luzia: one bad accident changes everything
Luiza Joller started skiing at the age of two. When her brothers made the switch to snowboarding, the then six-year-old followed suit. At twelve, she raced for the first time. Snowboarding became her life and at fifteen she joined a sports-college in Engadin, to realize her prodigious talent.

But after an accident in 2010, the graceful woman with the wild dark curls from Grisons was forced to take a long break. The former student fell so badly that ultimately, her left shoulder joint had to be amputated, leaving her disabled. Back and phantom limb pain have dogged her life ever since. Whilst she lives a relatively independent life, she needs a little help around the household. In addition to the consequences of her accident, her ADHD (an attention deficit disorder) causes problems. I start to notice it when the salad is brought over. The 34-year-old falters while telling her story, obviously distracted by the interruption.

In 2017, she got back on a snowboard once more. For a long time, she’d only ride in her garden. “I was afraid I’d fall over again,“ she recalls. But that very same year, doctors gave her the all-clear to resume snowboard training. Now she dreams of making it to the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing.

Gäel: Born with a disability
At just 12 years old, Gaël Suhner is the baby of this group. He’s sponsored by PluSport as a junior para-snowboarder. Gaël was born in Bavaria with a deformity of his hand and arm. But I don’t notice his impediment as he spears Penne Rigate alla Bolognese with his fork. The A-grade student comes across as very grown-up for his age. There are only a few situations in which he feels disadvantaged as a result of his disability. “If, for example, I can’t do something with my little brother, then I notice it,“ he explains.

His family moved to Switzerland eight years ago. At six years of age, he started snowboarding – but it’s not his only hobby. He also sings with the Zurich Boys‘ Choir. Although, a career on stage isn’t on the cards according to his plans; he wants to be a maths teacher. “So you can set the homework?” I ask. “Exactly,“ Gaël shoots back, playfully. His grin sets the group off laughing, before he goes on to explain that “no, really it’s because I like teaching others and I like mathematics best.“ Time and again he makes everyone around him laugh. When asked how he balances his hobbies and training, he replies, “when I’m injured, then I’ll sing for a bit instead. When I’m not, I go snowboarding… so I actually end up spending about as much time in the choir as I do on the piste.”

Andreas: “The biggest hurdle is a lack of understanding”
Andreas Schroth was born with serious visual impairment. The 30-year-old marketing manager for the Swiss Blind and Visually Impaired Association (SBV) can only snowboard when led by a trained adaptive snowboard guide. Away from the piste, Andreas, a budding home cook, is candid about his limitations: “For example, I can’t just spontaneously decide to go snowboarding because I need a guide. There are some hurdles that I can handle better than others. But when I‘m feeling down, I‘m certainly more sensitive to obstacles, especially those that I can’t control for myself. One of the things I’ve found to be the hardest is the job market. When you apply for a job with a visual impairment, the employer usually can’t fathom that it might be possible for you to do the job as well as someone without a disability. Sure, there are restrictions in graphical work, of course,” explains the Schaffhausen local. “but with the appropriate aids, things like screen readers and magnification software, I can do just about anything.”

Three different stories, one shared message
As different as these three para-athletes are, they all share something in addition to their passion for snowboarding: their zest for life. Their conviction that nothing is impossible. None of the three has let their limitations get in their way. Their incredible skills will be on show again at the second edition of the Mentelity Games this March – where they will reunite as friends, but also as competitors on the slopes.

“Before the starting pistol fires, a deathly quiet reigns. Nobody moves. The only sound is the icy wind swirling around us and the thumping of my own heart. The atmosphere is electric as we wait for the moment. The Mischabel chain looms overhead, the course we are about to descend veering round to the right beneath her. A mixture of fear, excitement and anticipation hangs in the air.

Then the gunshot rings out and everything changes in an instant. The charge to our bikes begins, every one of us howling and shouting like warriors entering the fray. But the chaos around me fades into the background. I’m in race-mode, it’s just me and the bike. Within seconds of the start, one rider is catapulted over his handlebars right in front of me. In my periphery, I can see dozens of crashes and I’m thinking: “If so many riders are crashing at this point, what about further down? What about when we’re charging down the red run at upwards of a hundred kilometres an hour on ice and snow?”

My first Glacier Bike Downhill experience
Kyle Harris, 27, took part in the race for the first time two years ago. He’s been riding mountain bikes since he was just eight years old and has been racing for the past six. But a downhill race on snow and ice was a totally different prospect. In the Glacier Bike Downhill, participants race over glaciers and snow from Mittelallalin at 3,500 metres down to Saas-Fee, reaching speeds up to 140 kilometres per hour. The record time for completing the 8.4-kilometre-long downhill is an impressive 7.1 minutes.

All the riders start the race simultaneously but in three waves, with a safe distance between them to minimize the risk of crashes. “I was nervous, for sure. I love to ride fast and have a lot of experience on bikes. But I had no idea how to control one at up to 140 kilometres per hour – and on snow,” says Kyle, remembering his first experience. Although the racers can do a practice run the day before the race, the real thing is never quite the same. “I had certainly never ridden my bike straight down the fall line on a ski run before – practice day was my very first time. But it went ok. I‘m a pretty good mountain biker, I can pretty much ride anything, on normal dirt at least. I figured that with my experience I’d be able to handle the snow fine,” he explains.

For three years now, Kyle has been a mountain bike guide in Saas-Fee. That means that in the summer, at least, he’s on his bike practically daily. “With a few turns of the test run, I picked up ‘the basics‘ pretty quickly, learning what you need to do to ride on snow. Turning is pretty different from normal, you have to position your body weight properly for it to work. And you can’t use the front brake as much as you normally would either, else you lose control. You have to tilt your bike slightly and use your feet to drift around corners. It‘s not easy. And I didn’t have it totally dialled down after practice either, I crashed pretty hard in the last race,” laughs Kyle.

“It’s a feeling unlike any other, a real adrenaline rush.”

Riding down red runs
In spite of everything, he was raring to go again last year but unfortunately, the race had to be cancelled at the last minute because of heavy snowfall on race day. The Glacier Bike Downhill is dangerous, but not always, says Kyle. “If you ride fast like me, you can crash hard – it’s true. I did, three times, and the last one was a big one. I was turning hard and slid out. I took out a crash barrier… with my head. Luckily I had a helmet on. After that, I was pretty slow to the finish, it was too much for me, “he confesses. But in spite of the big crash and last year’s cancellation, he’s looking forward to the next race in March. “It‘s just unbelievably fun, and even for experienced bikers like me it‘s a challenge – that‘s the attraction. Where else could you bike on red runs, snow, and ice? It’s a feeling like none other, a real adrenaline rush.”

Tires and tire pressure
For those who want to race, but have little experience or have never ridden on snow, Kyle advises you practise on a beginner‘s slope or a small hill. Above all, it’s crucial to learn how to brake and how to turn, because both are pretty different from normal riding. “It’s also important that riders know what kind of tires they need and what tire pressure works best. And of course, to make sure you have protective gear like pads and a helmet. The key is to stick to speed you’re comfortable with, and don’t try to exceed your own riding skills. If you do that, you can’t go wrong,” says Kyle.

Photos: Puzzle Media

For the athletes participating in the UIAA (Union Internationale des Associations d‘Alpinisme) World Cup (run by the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation), the Saas-Fee stop is the highlight of the annual event calendar. Nowhere else can the spectators get so close to the action. The atmosphere is legendary, and so is the afterparty. This winter, on the 24th and 25th January 2020, the multistorey car park in Saas-Fee will once again become a cathedral to climbing. Hundreds of spectators will hang on every moment as the athletes take on the 32-metre-tall ice wall found in the belly of the multistorey car park. The cheering crowd can be almost deafening at times. During the 2019 edition, they nearly raised the roof when Swiss competitor Yannick Glatthard took to the wall, eventually winning the event in the face of stiff competition from Eastern Europe and Asia. “The atmosphere here is sensational. I‘ve never experienced anything like it,” the 21-year-old said in his winner‘s interview.

Beginners welcome
Having seen the pros in action, you’re bound to want to try ice climbing for yourself. And there are more than 20 ice walls in the Saas Valley with varying difficulty levels and plenty to challenge even the most experienced climbers. But for beginners, the walls in and around the Saas-Fee multistorey car park are extremely popular. These sheltered walls also provide an ideal place to practise at night and when the weather is bad. The best way to start is with lessons. Local mountain guides provide support and show you how it’s done, sharing the most important tips and tricks. Fun comes first but there’s no denying that climbing is a challenge, especially for beginners. But that makes it all the more satisfying when you do finally master the ice.Ice climbing equipment and techniques differ significantly from rock climbing, though a climbing harness and rope are still essential. An ice axe in each hand and crampons on your feet provide purchase on the ice.

Chalchofen: an icy paradise
Directly behind the cable car station in Saas-Grund, you will find the Chalchofen ice climbing garden. This is another great place with plenty of options for beginners to take their first steps. Although, the secured top rope routes offer plenty for intermediates and advanced climbers too. Thanks to floodlights, the routes here are good to be climbed well into the evening. And under the lights, the icy walls shine in all their glimmering glory.

The market, which takes place on the third weekend of advent each year, is a very special event. Exhibitors at this crafts market offer lovingly handcrafted products. Sisters Erika Zurbriggen and Bernadette Bolli can be found at their neighbouring stands. Erika sells her mother‘s colourful hand-knitted SUN caps, hand-carved models of animals like the local black-headed sheep and goats, wooden angels, and ornate wooden nativity scenes carved by her husband. From mid-November to the end of the year, she also exhibits her original nativity scenes in Sun Flower, her shop in Saas-Grund. Meanwhile, her sister Bernadette offers natural, organic products such as ointments, tinctures, herbal salts and herbal tea, the ingredients for which she forages with her mother.

Foraged natural products featuring local alpine plants can also be found at several other stands, including that of Trudy Senn. Visitors will also find hand-knitted scarves and crocheted headbands which can be individually personalised. At the Wollnadelfee (knitting fairy) stand, an assortment of products awaits eager shoppers, including woollen and textile accessories as well as greeting cards.

Of course, there are all sorts of delicacies to tempt visitors’ tastebuds too. Pierre-André Schwab, for one, offers home-made food, including fine terrines. Beyond that, the market has plenty of freshly baked goods like pear strudels and even home-brewed liqueurs.

This winter, wander from stand to stand, browsing for presents and other goodies. For the little ones, there will be a children‘s cinema, storytelling, and face painting available on both days. They also have the chance to paint their own shopping bags or create glittery paper stars, which is sure to get them in the Christmas spirit. The market is open from 4 pm on 13th and 14th December.

Saas-Fee is a quiet place. Unhurried – idyllic, even. In summer and early autumn, it’s mostly seniors, families and 35 plus-ers strolling through the streets, hiking through the surrounding woods and filling up sun terraces. Then all of a sudden, come early October, the village transforms. Hundreds of young skiers and snowboarders arrive, bringing trendy clothes and a lively atmosphere. Overnight, the cosy mountain village turns into a mecca for the world‘s coolest snowsports athletes.

Beckinsale’s path to the glacier camp
Behind all of this is an Australian called Charles Beckinsale. The 34-year-old is the director and founder of Stomping Grounds, a high-performance training camp for competitive slopestyle, big air, and halfpipe ski and snowboarders. It’s held on the Fee glacier every autumn and offers training opportunities for 10 Olympic disciplines. Last year, 27 out of the 30 Olympic champions from the Pyeongchang Games had been in training at the Stomping Grounds park in Saas-Fee.

Beckinsale has been building parks and slopestyle courses for major events and national team training camps around the world for nearly 20 years now. Wherever he builds snow parks, the global freestyle elite flocks. His portfolio includes premium projects with Nike, Red Bull, and Snowboarder Mag. When it comes to park-building, he is one of the best.

A few years ago, Charles had been finding travelling the world building courses too much, he explains over a cappuccino. So, he started looking at how much it was costing the teams to have him build their own private setups and wondered if it wouldn’t make more sense to get everyone together to train. And – he figured – if pooled together, the cumulated budget would allow us to build something even more spectacular, and reduce costs at the same time. After much research, he decided that Saas-Fee offered the best conditions for hosting this kind of event during the autumn. “The biggest reason for selecting Saas-Fee was certainly the sheer size and depth of the glacier and snowpack we have to work with up there. Another reason was how laid back the village is,” Charles says. “Being able to catch a train and a bus from an international airport to a car-free village where everything is within walking distance really takes away the stress of getting to the mountain each day.” He pauses for a moment, then adds: “Saas-Fee can be a challenging place because of the altitude, the gnarly glacier, and the sometimes unpredictable weather… Nature is truly in control up there! But everyone loves coming here and we couldn’t think of a better location.”

“My mission is to offer the best park and pipe in the world.”

The team behind the scenes
Charles started The Stomping Grounds along with Americans Brandon Dodds and Jeremy Carpenter. Together, they built the inaugural Stomping Grounds park in Saas-Fee in 2016, and the event has grown every year since. “In our first year, we started out just hosting slopestyle and big air athletes, about 60 in total over one session,” he explains. “After a successful first year we had a lot more interest, so we expanded into two sessions and added a halfpipe session. We have also been designing and funding new rails for our sessions each year,” Charles continues. “This year, we have been working on an exciting new layout for the summer park and for our sessions in autumn with the local team including Stefan Plattner and Marcel Brünisholz. Marcel and Stefan had some great ideas, including a big change in the blueprint of the park. Plus, we will have new rails again and were completely rebuilding the pro-line as well as the halfpipe. We’re working hard to get the park ready for the world’s best to train, and to keep it interesting for all the riders, many of whom have returned each year since our very first session,” he explains.

The best park for the biggest stars
When asked what The Stomping Grounds means to him personally, he answers: “My mission remains the same as when I first started: to keep offering the best possible parks and pipes in the world. To keep hosting the very best athletes while they train. As someone who has worked for others year-round in the resort industry between Australia, Canada, and the US from the age of 16, it means the world to me to actually have creative control over projects like this one, and to work with my friends. Being able to earn a living while chasing your passion isn’t all that common these days, so I certainly feel blessed,” he beams. Who are you expecting this year? “A lot of the same teams and athletes as we saw over the last few years. Some of the bigger names already confirmed include the likes of Anna Gasser, Mark Mcmorris, Red Gerard, Chloe Kim, Oystein Braaten, and Stale Sandbech… to name a few,” he says with a wink.

The first Stomping Grounds session starts on 5th October, the second on 17th October. Besides training sessions on the glacier, movie nights and a few parties are in the works, Charles says. “But really, the athletes just kick back and enjoy seeing each other.” What does his clientele enjoy most about being here? “It’s a combination of the pristine park and pipe offering at a time of year when not much else is open. The vibe up there is electric on those sunny days, when the world’s best come together and push each other to new heights. And of course, they love the relaxed downtime in the village, where the athletes soak up the local hospitality and the incredible beauty of the Swiss alps that surround the village,” he sums up.

“The world’s best are pushing each other to new heights.”