FIS Newsflash articles 2012-2013

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Muerren celebrates 100th anniversary of wintersports

Sunday, 16th December celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Swiss ski resort of Muerren. The traditional mountain resort located in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland had its roots as a farming village and since 1911, it has grown in size and wealth especially owing to British winter tourists who introduced ski sports to the village. It was also in Muerren where the Kandahar Ski Club, the Swiss Academic Ski Club as well as the British Ladies Ski Club have been founded.

The resort plays a highly significant role in the history of the International Ski Federation and Alpine Skiing, as the venue where slalom was developed during the 1920’s by Sir Arnold Lunn from Britain and Swiss alpine ski pioneer Walter Amstutz. It was finally introduced as an official event at the XI FIS Congress in Oslo and carried out at the then inofficial first FIS Alpine World Ski Championships that fittingly took place in Muerren in 1931.

To celebrate its 100th anniversary, the charming car free village which features a view of the three famous mountains Eiger, Moench and Jungfrau hosted a mountain festival. Next to the presence of former Swiss Federal Presidents Adolf Ogi and Arnold Koller, alongside regional authorities and tourism, the unique history of Muerren in the development of skiing as a touristical activity and alpine ski racing was presented by Max Amstutz, the nephew of Walter and Beat Hodler, son of former FIS President Marc Hodler, who was brought up in the resort. The spectacular mountain range and the resorts of Muerren, Wengen and Grindelwald can almost be seen from the FIS Office in Oberhofen on the Lake of Thun and Sarah Lewis, Secretary General joined the festivities in Muerren.

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