Skikjöring – Winter Horse Racing | Davos

Exceedingly rare Original Vintage Poster announcing the first skijoring race in Davos (skiers are pulled by riderless horses), which the local spa and tourism association commissioned Walther Koch to design in 1907, a German who had been living in the area for years – undoubtedly to ensure that Davos did not fall behind St. Moritz in the competition between the world’s two first winter resorts: The Engadin competitor had already held the first skijoring race in 1906, which covered around ten kilometers on the road to Champfèr and back.

Norwegian cross-country skiers had imported it a few years earlier when they provided a kind of development aid in St. Moritz: in northern Scandinavia, residents still use snörekjöring – Norwegian for rope skiing – to be pulled by reindeer across the endless snow-covered plains.

Koch’s Poster, with the horse’s head boldly protruding from the frame and the front legs barely correctly reproduced, suggests that the race was not held in a pack, but that the participants started one after the other. Was that the reason why it remained a one-off event? Were the organizers simply two years too late? Or did they lack the know-how? Was it due to an unsuitable track because the ice on Lake Davos was not stable enough? More precise information is very welcome.

In St. Moritz, on the other hand, the first race marked the beginning of a tradition: since 1907, the races – now part of White Turf – have been held in a pack on the frozen Lake St. Moritz.

more on Koch:

Winterkurort Davos