THE
LEGEND MADE OF ICE
At the Top: the narrow sun terrace of St Moritz, with the Kulm Hotel, Golf Course and the Olympic Stadium. At the bottom: Celerina and the wide valley floor of the Engadine. In between: a pine forest where strange things happen. When it gets cold, people rush through this forest towards Celerina – on a track hardly visible in summer, but which in winter forms the largest ice sculpture in the world.
The Olympic Bob Run is a legend that is cast in ice every winter – 15,000 cubic metres of snow and 7,000 cubic metres of water are needed to build the 1,772 metre long track with its 19 bends. Since 1904, bobsleighs, and later also skeletons, luge and other racers, have raced along the glistening white ice track which although it is constructed anew every year, hardly changes from year to year.
FACTS & FIGURES
Start Altitude — 1 852 m a.s.l.
Finish Altitude — 1 738 m a.s.l.
Lowest Point — 1 722 m a.s.l.
Height Difference — 130 metres
Track length — 1 722 metres
Average Gradient — 8,1 %
Highest Speed — 150 km/h
THE BOB RUN
THE BOB RUN IN 3D
SUPERLATIVE
— oldest natural ice track in the world still in use (built in 1904)
— the only natural ice rink in the world (without artificial refrigeration)
— the venue of the 1928 and 1948 Winter Olympics
— Used for more than twenty bobsleigh world championships
TRACK CONSTRUCTION
CONSTRUCTION BEGINS
The Engadiner Post reported in February 1903: “The question of the creation of a special bobsleigh run seems close to being resolved.” The company “Mr Badrutt & Co” has offered to advance more than half of the 12,000 Franc construction cost; the Bobsleigh Club is to raise 5,000 Francs itself, and then gradually pay off the loan. The “Mr Badrutt & Co” referred to is in essence, the Badrutt family from the Kulm Hotel. A good part of the planned bobsleigh track runs over their land.
The “Bobbers“ already know how to build curves and ice them – a good three years earlier they had built, watered and iced three curves on the cantonal road. The Community of St. Moritz was “not amused”. Now, in 1903, they are building the world’s first non-road bob run. And even today, hands and shovels are still used every year.
- The construction work begins here at Sunny Corner at the end of November. The workers, experienced track builders from South Tyrol, work their way forward in the direction of travel.. After a good 350 metres, they create the shell of the legendary Horse Shoe, after a kilometre they build the extensive Martineau Corner, (the lowest point of the track), and then work their way up from there to the Portago Corner, the Finish at 1738 metres, and the outlet up to the ramp, the end point of the track (1785metres).
- Once the Finish has been reached, it’s off to the Start. Now the ice canal is built to Sunny Corner.
- Then the construction team splits up, with each employee responsible for the finishing touches on a specific section of the track.
- Once the Bob Run has been completed and opened, the track builders maintain their section of the track each afternoon. This maintenance work can easily last four hours daily.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BOBSLEIGH
HIGH-TECH SLEDS
HALL OF FAME
Timeline
Bob run St. Moritz
How did the sport of Bobsledding and the Olympic Bob Run develop in St. Moritz? The timeline shows important events.
1889
Christian Mathis, a St. Moritz blacksmith, constructs the first multi-seat bobsleigh from two low sleds, so-called “Americas”. Until 1903, bobsleighs are primarily used on the snow-covered cantonal road from St. Moritz to Celerina.
1895
Christian Mathis, a St. Moritz blacksmith, constructs the first multi-seat bobsleigh from two low sleds, so-called “Americas”. Until 1903, bobsleighs are primarily used on the snow-covered cantonal road from St. Moritz to Celerina.
1897
The “Saint Moritz Bobsleigh Club” is founded; today it is considered the oldest bobsleigh club in the world. The first regulations state that at least two of the five board members must be ladies.
1898
January
“Alligator” wins, “Australia” and “Atlanta” both crash: this is the brief summary of the first bobsleigh race on the Cresta road, today’s cantonal road between St. Moritz and Celerina.
“Mildred” wins what is probably the first women’s bobsleigh race on the Cresta road. “Mildred” is piloted by a Madame Little.
March
The clock is ticking – and it’s at the Start. When a bobsleigh crosses the Finish line, the Start is informed by telephone. There is a telephone at the Start and one at the Finish – both in the cabins.
The first successful season of the Saint Moritz Bobsleigh Club ends on March 12.
1900/01
This winter, 13 bobsleigh races are held on the cantonal road from St. Moritz to Celerina. In view of this development – and against the background of collisions of bobsleighs with passers-by and horse carrages – the newspaper “Alpine Post” asks: “When will we finally have a track exclusively for bobsleighs?”
1903/04
Bobsleighs are further developed: Adolphe Louis Roessinger invents a bobsleigh constructed of ash wood and equipped with a steering wheel. Independently of each other, August Hartkopf and Carl Feierabend built bobsleighs made of iron and with rope steering.
1904
The Bob Run in St. Moritz is opened. The track no longer runs on the cantonal road. Today, the Bob Run is considered the oldest natural ice track still in use in the world.
1912
The track is ridden “ventre à terre”, i.e. lying down. The advantage: less air resistance. The disadvantage: braking is almost impossible. The driving style is banned in 1931 following lengthy discussions about its dangers.
1915-18
Due to the First World War, the bobsleigh track is not built.
1920
How can the heavy bobsleighs be brought back from the Finish to the Start? First attempts with trucks fail; as the engines are too weak, transport by horses is less time-consuming.
1923
Hubert Martineau becomes president of the “Saint Moritz Bobsleigh Club”.
1927
Saint Moritz Boblseigh Club organizes the first European Championship (5-man bobsleigh, the driving style is “ventre à terre”).
1928
21 teams participate in the bobsleigh races of the Winter Olympic Games in St. Moritz, 20 teams ride in the style “ventre à terre”.
1929
The “Sunny Haus” is built. It becomes a popular meeting place with a bar, although later it serves mainly as a lounge and catering room for the track crew.
1930
The Start is now graced by a new Start House. A quarry stone wall is built at Sunny Corner.
1931
The “Saint Moritz Bobsleigh Club” organizes the second World Championships in 4-man bobsleigh. Women are not eligible. The town of St. Moritz submits a request to change this.
The compulsory wearing of helmets is introduced internationally in the sport of Bobsleigh. The “Saint Moritz Bobsleigh Club” buys 100 helmets for 20 Francs each. The daily rent for a helmet is two Francs.
1931
At the 1931 Four-man Bobsleigh World Championships in St. Moritz, Germany I, with Werner Zahn, Robert Schmidt, Franz Bock and Emil Hinterfeld, wins Gold.
1932/33
Trucks are now used to transport bobsleighs from the Finish to the Start. This almost halves the cost of transport.
1932
Carl Feierabend debuts his new bobsleigh design. He wins most of the 2-man bobsleigh races.
1934
The first night race takes place on the Bob Run. Floodlights are installed at the Start as well as at Sunny Corner, the Horse Shoe and the Finish. Torches are set up in the intermediate sections.
1935
With a great ride, Switzerland I (Reto Capadrutt, Fritz Feierabend, A. Lardi and H. Tami) takes third place on the podium at the 1935 Bobsleigh World Championships in St. Moritz.
1937/38
An electric loudspeaker is installed at the Finish for the first time. Loudspeakers are now present at the Start, Sunny Corner, Horse Shoe and the Finish.
1937
The four-man Bobsleigh World Champions from St. Moritz 1937 are Frederic J. McEvoy, D. S. Looker, Charles Green and C. Mackintosh.
1938
On the way to the Bronze medal: Fritz Feierabend and Josef Beerli from Engelberg at the two-man Bobsleigh World Championship in St. Moritz 1938.
1938
St. Moritz hosts the first official World Championship in 2-man Bobsleigh.
1939-45
Due to the Second World War, the bobsleigh track is not built.
1947
Switzerland wins Gold in the two-man and four-man event at the 1947 Bobsleigh World Championships.
1947
See how the Wall Corner was mastered in 1947.
1948
How did one experience a bobsleigh run in the Olympic Bob Run in 1948? This is shown in a historical video.
1948
At the Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland wins Gold in the two-man bobsleigh with Felix Endrich and Fritz Waller. Swiss bobsleigh designer Fritz Feierabend wins Silver in the two-man bobsleigh with Paul Eberhard. The bobsleigh is a new design with aerodynamic bodywork and individually suspended runners on the rear axle.
1948
St. Moritz is the venue of the V. Olympic Winter Games. Because of the Second World War, there were no Winter Games for twelve years.
1954
Hollywood in St. Moritz: This is how they filmed the Bob Run in 1954.
1955
At the 1955 World Championships, Franz Kapus and Heinrich Angst narrowly miss out on the Silver medal in the two-man bobsleigh.
1955
Fritz Feierabend, Abi Gartmann, Harry Warburton and Rolf Gerber (from right) win Silver at the 1955 World Championships in St. Moritz.
1956
The Horse Shoe is reinforced with a quarry stone wall.
1957
On February 10, 1957, Hans Zoller, Hans Theler, Robert Küderli and Heinz Leu become World Champions in four-man bobsleigh (Switzerland 1). It is the last Swiss World Championship title until 1971 (René Stadler, four-man bobsleigh), and then until 1977 (Erich Schärer, two-man bobsleigh).
1957
At the 1957 World Bobsleigh Championships, the American four-man team finishes third on the podium – and in the straw.
1958
Hans Zoller and his team trained. Is it enough for the victory at the Swiss Championships in St. Moritz?
1959
Once again, St. Moritz is in the sporting spotlight as the venue for the 1959 Bobsleigh World Championships.
1959
See how a new track record is set at the 1959 World Championships.
1963
Zoller and Zimmermann from Basel deservedly become Swiss champions in the two-man bobsleigh. At the Swiss Championships, the four-man bobsleigh races are abandoned because the track is too fast. Around 1963, the track is adapted several times, especially in the area of the Finish.
1965
Canada wins: Olympic champion Victor Emery’s four-man bobsleigh with Gerald Presley, Michael Young and Peter Kirby takes Gold at the 10th World Championships in St. Moritz in 1965. The British duo Anthony Nash and Robin Dixon win the two-man bobsleigh.
1966
Anthony Nash and Robin Dixon set a new track record in 1966.
1969
After more than 40 years as President of the Saint Moritz Bobsleigh Club, Hubert Martineau is replaced by Gunter Sachs.
1970
In the early 1970s, the first advertisements appear on bobsleighs. Pictured: Hans Candrian and Gion Caviezel, the Bronze medalists at the 1970 Bobsleigh World Championships in St. Moritz.
1970
The defending champions Germany were caught up by the well-rehearsed Italian team in the fourth run. World championship title for Italy, second place for Germany and bronze for Switzerland.
1972
A surprise: Hansruedi Müller’s four-man bobsleigh “Switzerland III” unexpectedly wins the 1972 European Championships.
1974
World Champions in two-man bobsleigh: The two Germans Wolfgang Zimmerer and Peter Utzschneider at the 1974 World Championships in St. Moritz.
1977
The Award ceremony of the 1977 Four-man Bobsleigh World Championships in St. Moritz: on the left the team BRD II with Jakob Resch (top right), Herbert Berg, Fritz Ohlwärter and Walter Barfuss; in the middle the winning team DDR I with Meinhard Nehmer (top right), Hans-Jürgen Gerhard, Bernhard Germeshausen and Raimund Bethge; on the right the Swiss Erich Schärer, Ruedi Marti, Sepp Benz and Ueli Bächli (clockwise).
1980
The St. Moritz Tourism Associations assume responsibility from Saint Moritz Bobsleigh Club for the construction and maintenance of the Olympic Bob Run. This is followed by the establishment of an operating committee.
1982
Erich Schärer and Max Rüegg race to the gold medal at the 1982 Bobsleigh World Championships in St. Moritz.
1987
The start of Hans Hiltebrand, Urs Fehlmann, Erwin Fassbind and Andre Kiser (Switzerland II) on their way to World Championship victory in St. Moritz in 1987.
1987
As the dressing room capacity at the start is insufficient (more than 20 teams per race), the management decides to acquire the curling chalet from Samedan and to place it at the Start as an additional dressing room. The transport of the chalet in one piece becomes a spectacle.
1990
The three-time shot put World Champion Werner Günthör tried his hand at bobsledding as a pusher. However, the athlete suffered from back problems, and a second sporting career – including at the 1990 World Championships in St. Moritz – does not come to fruition.
1991
The dressing room is moved from the Start to the Finish, and the first Finish House of the Olympic Bob Run is built. The reason for the relocation is the long waiting times of the athletes (in new, lightweight race suits) for the transport of team members and bobsleighs back to the Start.
1991
Inspired by the shooting of the Willy Bogner movie “Fire & Ice”, the first Bob Run skating race was held in 1991. Almost 150 ice hockey players in full ice hockey gear hurtled down the Olympic Bob Run St. Moritz – Celerina at speeds of up to 80 km/h, and provided a thrilling spectacle for racers and spectators alike.
1993
The Sunny Haus, where the track workers have been eating for decades, is expanded … And the Sunny Club was founded.
1997
At the 17th Bobsleigh World Championships held in St. Moritz, Switzerland 1 with Reto Götschi, Guido Acklin, Daniel Giger and Beat Seitz achieves the fastest times. However, all three Swiss teams which reached the podium were disqualified because their axles do not conform to the rules.
1998
There are also Horn sled races on the Olympic Bob Run St. Moritz.
1998
A new film featuring skiing down the Bob Run is shot by Willy Bogner.
2001
Setting a record on the start section of the run but finishing only in 5th Place Switzerland 1 of Reto Götschi at the World Championship 2001 in St. Moritz.
2001
Management of the Olympic Bob Run St. Moritz-Celerina is entrusted to the St. Moritz Tourist Association through a “simple partnership” between the municipalities and the tourist organizations of St. Moritz and Celerina.
2004
Swiss television broadcasts skating down the Olympic Bob Run in 2004.
2011
The long-standing club president Gunter Sachs passes away. He is succeeded by his son, Rolf Sachs.
2014
Sliding from Bridge Corner to the Finish instead of driving? That’s what happened to an American four-man bobsleigh team in 2014 after a crash.
2017
Ice canal instead of rally track: Stuntman Mark Higgins ventures out on the bobsleigh run in a car in 2017.
2019
Rolf Sachs is honorably discharged as President of the Saint Moritz Bobsleigh Club. He is succeeded by Fritz Burkard.
2020
St. Moritz welcomes the athletes of the Youth Olympic Winter Games 2020. The competitions in speed skating on the frozen lake and bobsleigh, luge and skeleton on the Olympic Bob Run are held here in St. Moritz.
2021
This is how filming in the Bob Run works today. Experience the Bob Run virtually.
2022
The Saint Moritz Bobsleigh Club celebrates its 125th anniversary. On December 21, 1897, the world’s first bobsleigh club was founded in St. Moritz at the Kulm Hotel. The celebrations include a gala dinner at the founding venue, the Kulm Hotel.
2023
St. Moritz is the venue of the IBSF Bob and Skeleton World Championships and the IBSF Para Sport World Championships. The Championships will take place on the Olympic Bob Run. You can see impressions of the event in the film.
2023
A milestone in bobsleigh history: In St. Moritz, the birthplace of Bobsleigh and Skeleton, the Para-Bob, a bobsleigh for physically impaired athletes, was developed in 2012. In St. Moritz in 2023, Para-Bobsleigh is for the first time included in the program of the conventional Bobsleigh World Championships. The Gold medal in the mixed-gender discipline was won by Hermann Ellmauer from Austria.
GUEST RIDES
Experience the Olympic Bob Run on a guest ride: Sitting between an experienced pilot and brakeman, you whiz along the 1722 metre long ice canal in a four-man bobsleigh in 75 seconds. 19 curves and centrifugal forces of 4G are included.