In the Shadow of St. Moritz? Pontresina in the Winter of 1925/26

It is true that Pontresina has a famous neighbour: St. Moritz. This is the town that hosted the Winter Olympics in 1928 and 1948, where electric lighting was first introduced in Switzerland—in the Kulm Hotel, long before it reached Pontresina—and where winter sports such as bobsleigh, skeleton, and the closely related Cresta Run were practised from an early stage.

However, Pontresina is by no means inferior to St. Moritz. The town developed into a mountaineering village early on—thanks, of course, to its proximity to Piz Bernina, among other factors. And, as documented by the 1925/26 Winter Sports Programme, which is preserved in the Museum Alpin, Pontresina also had plenty of other sporting activities to offer.

As early as December 1925, five ice skating rinks, the bobsleigh track, and the skeleton and toboggan run were open. In addition, curling and field hockey can also be practised in Pontresina—or one can try one’s hand at skijoring, a sport in which skiers are pulled along by a horse. And while doing so, one might just catch a glimpse of the Alpine mountain scenery…