Ski Classics World Championship Season XVIII heads to Switzerland on Saturday, January 16, 2027, with the Engadin La Diagonela, a 55km classic race from Pontresina to Zuoz.
After the opening weekend in Bad Gastein, the season heads to the Engadin Valley, home of winter sports heritage and postcard-perfect alpine scenery. Since joining in Season IV, Engadin La Diagonela has become a cornerstone of Ski Classics, combining Swiss precision, alpine scenery, and high-altitude endurance. Taking place above 1,800 meters, it is a race that challenges even the strongest athletes with its thin air, tactical climbs, and open valley winds.
The course also includes a sprint at the 8km mark, making it particularly important for Sprint bib favorites to be on the start line.
Now in its 14th edition, the race draws around 1,800 athletes from dozens of nations to the Engadin every January to experience perfectly prepared trails, outstanding organization, and the incomparable scenery of Switzerland’s famous high valley.
“Perfectly groomed tracks set against a world-famous high-alpine backdrop. A course that demands everything from its participants, culminating in an atmospheric finish through the historic streets and onto the village square of Zuoz. This is La Diagonela, Ski Classics tradition since 2014,” says Florian Wohlwend, Chief of Track.
“La Diagonela is unlike anything else on this calendar. Racing above 1,800 meters for most of the 55 kilometers leaves no margin for a bad pacing decision, and with Sprint points on the line just 8 kilometers in, the Sprint bib favorites can’t afford to wait. Whoever wins that sprint still has to survive everything the Engadin throws at them before reaching Zuoz,” says Lukas Bauer, Ski Classics Race Director.
Engadin La Diagonela — Ski Classics World Championship Season XVIII – Event 5
- Date: Saturday, January 16, 2027
- Location: Pontresina–Zuoz, Switzerland
- Distance: 55km classic technique
- Highest point: 1,832 meters above sea level
- Elevation gain: 659 meters
- Format: Mass start
- Starting procedure: Mass start
- Start times: Men 09:55 CET / Women 10:00 CET
- Points: Pro Event 300p – See exact point distribution
- Sprint: Sprint Celerina 8km
- Last edition winners: Amund Riege (1:57:22.2) and Stina Nilsson (2:13:22.4)
- Participation: open to recreational skiers
- Record number of participants: 2026, total of 1,802 participants
- Registration: Register here
- Link to SC Play: Watch here
Map and Profile
More information about Engadin La Diagonela can be found HERE
Read More – Engadin La Diagonela 2027: four days of cross-country skiing in the heart of the Swiss Alps
Ski Classics World Championship Season XVIII (2026/2027)
• Event 1: December 11, 2026 – Bad Gastein Prologue – Austria – 1km
• Event 2: December 13, 2026 – Sportgastein Criterium – Austria – 30km
• Event 3: December 19, 2026 – Bad Gastein ITT – Austria – 7km
• Event 4: December 20, 2026 – Bad Gastein Criterium – Austria – 36km
Bad Gastein Tour (Events 1–4 of Ski Classics World Championship Season XVIII)
• Event 5: January 16, 2027 – Engadin La Diagonela – Switzerland – 55km
• Event 6: January 17, 2027 – Zuoz–St. Moritz Sprint – Switzerland – 30km
• Event 7: January 31, 2027 – Marcialonga – Italy – 70km
• Event 8: February 12, 2027 – Bedřichov Heat Sprint – Czech Republic – 1.5km
• Event 9: February 14, 2027 – Jizerská50 – Czech Republic – 50km
• Event 10: February 27, 2027 – Oxberg–Mora Sprint Women – Sweden – 30km
• Event 11: February 28, 2027 – Oxberg–Mora Sprint Men – Sweden – 30km
• Event 12: March 7, 2027 – Vasaloppet – Sweden – 90km
• Event 13: March 20, 2027 – Birkebeinerrennet – Norway – 53km
• Event 14: April 3, 2027 – Reistadløpet – Norway – 35km
• Event 15: April 4, 2027 – Grand Finale Summit 2 Senja – Norway – 60km
For more updates and detailed information about the Ski Classics World Championship, visit skiclassics.com.
Author: Leandro Lutz
Top Photo: Ski Classics
