Engelberg: Arriving in another world
So how is it that Odermatt from Buoch, who always professes his love for the canton of Nidwalden, is promoting Engelberg? "I made my first skiing attempts on the Klostermatte, spent a lot of time on Engelberg's slopes. And at the sports secondary school I became a racer," says the five-time junior world champion. He always enjoys coming to Engelberg, whether it's for skiingbiking or now golf. "I like the fact that after a short drive through the Engelberg valley you arrive in a completely different world."

View of the Titlis proves: Now you're home
Downhill skier Marc Gisin sees it similarly: "When I see the panorama, my body automatically shuts down." This is how he describes the feeling of coming home when you drive up the last bends of the mountain road and the Titlis emerges from behind the trees. All Engelbergers probably have this typical homecoming moment. And when Titlis & Co. are even covered with lots of powder snow, the skiing hearts of the five winter sports enthusiasts beat a little faster and look forward to carefree days in deep snow.

Engelbergers learn to ski with nappies
No matter what sport they do today: Lena Häcki (biathlon), Fabian Bösch (freestyle), Marco Odermatt, Michelle and Marc Gisin (all alpine skiing) learned to ski with nappies, around 2 years old when they made their first attempts. "When you grow up here, you just learn to ski," says Lena Häcki. Michelle Gisin remembers a challenge with her father. "We skied from the Rotegg entry all the way down to Trübsee without stopping. And that with my little legs," she laughs. Lena Häcki was such an enthusiastic skier that she even ran away from home as a little girl to ski alone on the Klostermatte! Odermatt only knows the stories about her first attempts at skiing from hearsay. "But later," he remembers, "I skied up and down and jumped over every "Högerli".


Lena Häcki wants to start a family here
Each of the five winter athletes sings a hymn of praise to Engelberg. "For me it's THE village, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else," says Fabian Bösch. "The mountains, the view, you have countless opportunities to do sports - it's paradise." Michelle Gisin especially appreciates the mountain scenery. "It is so beautiful, the most beautiful of all. I love doing sport in the middle of this panorama." The athletes don't rattle off these sentences for an advertising brochure, but because they really and honestly feel it that way in their hearts. Lena Häcki even goes so far as to think about her time after her top sports career: "I can well imagine settling down here and starting a family."


The place to switch off
Engelberg is a place with the best prerequisites for becoming a professional athlete (see Engelberg Magazine Nr. 23). But for the athletes featured here, it is also simply the place where they feel at home and comfortable. The place where they can switch off.

Persönliche Tipps
Möchtest du olympisch oder weltmeisterlich unterwegs sein? Dann schau dir doch die persönlichen Tipps der fünf Skistars für Engelberg an: Tipps der Ski-Stars.

Author

Andrea Hurschler
Andrea Hurschler may not ski or cross-country ski as fast as the five winter sports enthusiasts. But she shares with them a love of their home in Engelberg and the element of snow.

Photo: Engelberg-Titlis Tourism