Spectacular construction for the Freestyle World Championships: this halfpipe in the Engadin costs several million

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It is considered the highest discipline in snowboarding. The half pipe. A gigantic half-tube that opens at the top and is modeled entirely from snow. With equally gigantic slopes built exclusively for this purpose. The cost of maintaining a single pipe can quickly add up to six figures per season. It’s no wonder that many halfpipes have disappeared from Swiss ski resorts over the past decade.

Complex construction work

All the more astonishing are the almost five million francs that Corvatsch AG in Silvaplana GR has now spent on the construction of a brand new pipe. Unlike most pipes, the half pipe of the Corvatsch is built directly into the ground. For almost two years, construction equipment excavated a 22 meter wide and 170 meter long cavity in the mountain. To meet the requirements of conservation organizations and federal agencies, plants worthy of protection were dug up and later replanted.

“Of course, such an investment is an economic risk,” explains Nicolà Michel, Head of Marketing at Corvatsch AG. But he sees great advantages in the complex construction. Not just for the Freestyle World Championships next year. Because the superpipe is completely anchored in the ground, significantly less artificial snow is needed to shape it. “It pays off in the long term,” says Michel. «The Corvatsch Park is already a point of contact for freestyle enthusiasts. With the pipe at 2,700 meters above sea level, we can now offer professionals perfect training conditions in the early and late season.”

Will foreign training camps become redundant?

In concrete terms, this could even make the preparation camps of Swiss halfpipe cracks in New Zealand or South America redundant. Nothing has been finalized yet about the association. But the potential cannot be ignored. The Engadin is believed to have snow, and it also has a cold, dry climate. Perfect conditions for preparing a pipe from autumn to spring.

The snow park in Laax GR with the largest halfpipe in the world is only 2200 meters away. Does the Engadin want to overtake the established freestyle area? Michel answers this question somewhat vaguely: “We don’t want to take anyone’s place, but we will certainly claim our place!” This also means that Corvatsch is definitely playing with the idea of ​​one day holding the Halfpipe World Cup final in addition to the Slopestyle World Cup final (March 22 to 24). The 2025 World Cup is already coming anyway.

Source : Blick