Our mission is to revive and continue a historic tradition and also to preserve and promote skiing as a cultural heritage. At the same time, we aim to raise awareness of the challenges associated with climate change and promote glacier protection through the following initiatives.
Entry fees
One quarter of the registration fees are automatically donated to the following glacier preservation projects.
Charity auction
Old crampons, ice picks, wooden skis and other relics found during the annual summer clean-up on the Pers and Morteratsch glacier are transformed into works of art by Engadin artist Nora Engels. Following the awards ceremony, these will be auctioned off at the “Viva la Via glacier edition” promenade event in Pontresina, with all proceeds being donated to the following glacier preservation projects.
Whisky for glacier protection
ORMA, the world’s highest single malt whisky distillery on the Corvatsch, produces a special edition for the race under the name “vadret” – Romansh for glacier. From summer 2024, the Vadret whisky will be maturing on the Diavolezza. A CHF 25 donation is made to glacier protection for every bottle sold. Available in the online shop.
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GlaciersAlive
The association GlaciersAlive is active in various projects to protect frozen storage media for fresh water with the aim of ensuring sustainable supplies in mountainous regions. Further information is available at “MortAlive”.
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MortAlive
MortAlive is a project operated by the association GlaciersAlive with the aim of finding innovative solutions for covering glaciers with snow. As long as there is snow lying on top of the ice, it is fully protected from melting. This could limit or halt the loss of water storage media in arid mountain regions. Operating in conjunction with various research and industry partners, the “MortAlive” project has developed a ground-independent snow generation system that produces snow using water pressure only, without any need for electricity. The snow generation system has already been successfully tested at the Diavolezza valley station. In order to test the system in the challenging conditions of the high mountains, an additional test facility in the mountains is required. As the organiser of the Diavolezza Glacier Race, we are helping to finance this test facility.
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Bernina Glaciers Clean-up-Day
In July 2024, a glacier preservation initiative was held for the third time on the Pers and Morteratsch glacier near Diavolezza. Working under the supervision of mountain guides from the Pontresina Mountaineering School, volunteers picked up rubbish on the glaciers. The most interesting finds were handed over to Engadin wooden sculptor Nora Engels. Nora is using the finds to create works of art, which will be auctioned off after the awards ceremony. Part of this proceeds will be used for the next glacier preservation initiative in the summer of 2025. Further information on the Bernina Glaciers Clean Up Day 2024.
