19th International Walser Community Championship

Valorsnà is organizing the 19th International Walser Ski Championships, which will take place on March 15, 16 and 17, 2025 in Vallorcine (La Poya and Balme). The event will welcome over 150 competitors and accompanying staff from the Walser colonies.

The International Walser Association, based in Brig in the Upper Valais, brings together around twenty communities from the high Alpine valleys, which were populated and shaped by the Walser people, who migrated from northern Germany to the Upper Valais and then to Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein and France between the 13th and 15th centuries. They came as far as Vallorcine. This convivial gathering, which takes place every 2 years in rotation, consists mainly of a ski competition (around 150 competitors + accompanying adults). This XIXth edition of the Walser International Ski Championship will take place on March 15, 16 and 17, 2025 in Vallorcine (Domaine de la Poya and Domaine de Vallorcine Balme) and will welcome over 150 competitors and accompanying persons from the various Walser colonies in Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy and France. The aim of this event is to promote and maintain Walser identity, culture and specificity through the ages, by hosting and organizing events organized by the International Walser Association, based in Brig in the Upper Valais.

The 3-day program is as follows:
Friday March 14 :
From 6pm: Welcome to the 19th International Walser Ski Championships
Meeting point: La Poya ski area, Le Buet railway station, Vallorcine
Activities: Night skiing, torchlight descent,
Open to all

Saturday March 15th :
Day
From 9:30 am to 2 pm: Giant slalom skiing on the Vallorcine - Balme ski area for Walser community skiers. Come and cheer on the competitors.
Evening :
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm: aperitif, speeches and prize-giving ceremony
8:30 pm - 12:00 am: party (reservation required)

Sunday, March 16th
10:30 am: mass at Notre Dame de l'Assomption church in Vallorcine