Gamperney Derby

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The Gamperney Derby was an alpine ski race that was held from 1931 to 1961 in Grabs in the Swiss canton of St. Gallen . In the first year only a downhill race of regional importance, it developed into a well-known international race for men and women with over 100 participants, in which a slalom was also held in addition to the downhill . In its history, the derby had to be canceled several times due to bad weather. A fatal accident in 1961 meant the end of the event.

history

In January 1931 the Grabs ski club organized the first downhill race from Chapf via Gamperneyalp to Grabs, in which 25 racers from Grabs and the surrounding area took part, 15 of whom reached the finish. The winner David Vetsch mastered the 10 kilometer descent over 1600 meters in altitude in 14 minutes and 3 seconds. At the finish he was expected by around 300 spectators. The second edition in 1932, in which 41 skiers took part, was won by David Zogg from Arosa in a time of 8 minutes and 38 seconds. He was one of the best Swiss ski racer this time and previously held the then still a year FIS discharged championship first world championship in slalom won.

From 1933 the event was officially called the Gamperney Derby. In addition to the downhill, a slalom was also held from this year, with which there was also a combination classification . Women also took part for the first time in 1933, starting their descent at the Gamperney hut several hundred meters below the men's start. The first women's races (downhill, slalom and combined) won Nini Zogg , in the men’s 1933 Hans Zogg won all three competitions. The Gamperney Derby became increasingly popular and was international for the first time in 1934 with the participation of Austrian runners, mainly from neighboring Vorarlberg . The Swiss Hans Zogg won the downhill again this year in a new record time of 7 minutes and 20 seconds. In 1935, 131 runners took part in the derby, including only two women. Nini Zogg won the women's races, and the men from Vorarlberg, Rudi Lins and Johann Maier, won the downhill and slalom.

In 1936 the derby had to be canceled for the first time due to lack of snow and in the following years it was held several times on a shortened route for the same reason or due to the risk of avalanches or bad weather. This also happened in 1939, when only a shortened descent could be ridden, which Niklaus Stump won. During the Second World War , the development of the derby was slowed down. From 1939 onwards, no more Austrians took part - the Austrian Ski Association had become part of the German association the previous year .

In 1946 the Austrians returned to the derby. Although the Austrian ski racers were excluded from participating in international competitions in the first post-war winter, the Vorarlberg racers received a special permit to start in Grabs, but were only rated in one guest class. Furthermore, the organizers of the derby had to struggle with weather problems and so the races had to be shortened, postponed or canceled several times in the 1940s and 50s. From 1949, the downhill route was generally shortened. The FIS International Competition Rules no longer permitted height differences of more than 1300 meters. In 1950, a four-man German team took part in the derby. This was the first time German ski racers started outside Germany or Austria after the Second World War.

The win in the 20th Gamperney Derby in 1951 went to the Swiss Karl Gamma . In the women's race, Luise Jaretz from Austria won in 1952 and Ida Schöpfer from Switzerland in 1953 . A year later she became world champion in downhill and combined. The men's downhill run was won in 1953 by the Austrian Otto Linher . In 1955 the number of viewers had grown to 4,000. The "Jubilee Derby", the 25th edition in 1956, was attended by a record number of 151 starters from Switzerland, Liechtenstein , Austria and Germany. The Austrian Gebhard Hilbrand won the 4,300 meter long descent over 1200 vertical meters in a time of 3: 30.9 minutes. The women's run was 1700 meters shorter. Well-known participants in the 1958 derby were the winner of the women's downhill run Erika Netzer and the later Olympic and world champions Yvonne Rüegg , Josef Stiegler and Egon Zimmermann . Also at the start was an Englishman , Colin Grimley, who was surprised that there was no lift to the start. In fact, during the entire derby's existence there were no ascent aids at the start, which increasingly no longer met the standard. The ski racers had to cope with the ascent on their own, but were often supported by local youths who carried their skis to the start for a fee.

In 1959 and 1960 the derby had to be canceled again due to bad weather. The first serious accident in the 31-year history of this race occurred during training for the derby in 1961. A young Grabser driver fell and suffered fatal injuries. This accident meant the end of the derby, it was not played any further afterwards.

winner

Well-known names among the winners of the Gamperney Derby include:

literature