The Cresta Run

The Cresta Run is one of only two completely natural ice runs in the world that still stages international competitions – the other is the neighbouring Olympia Bob Run St Moritz. It was the venue for the cresta event – the forerunner of skeleton – at both the 1928 and 1948 Games.

Just over a kilometre in length and featuring 19 corners, it has been built from scratch with snow every year since the winter of 1884/85, and is regarded as something of an architectural masterpiece. Open from the end of December to the beginning of March, it is owned and maintained by the Sankt Moritz Tobogganing Club (SMTC). The track welcomes both experienced athletes and the public. Riders use rakes on the end of their boots to brake and steer.

Around 12,500 rides are completed on it every year, adding up to an estimated half-a-million rides since the track opened. SMTC pays close attention to rider safety, as the risk of falling or losing control is inherent in the sport but also part of its appeal.

The run has hosted the annual Grand National race since 16 February 1885. This is the most prestigious of the four major classic races held at the venue, the others being the Curzon Cup (first held in 1910), the Morgan Cup (1935) and the Brabazon Trophy (1966).

Women have not always been allowed to use the track. Though female sledgers rode the Cresta Run until the 1920s, they were subsequently banned and not readmitted until 2018.

Cresta was invented by British soldiers in Davos at the end of the 19^th century and was a variation of cresta sledding, which can be traced back to the early 1870s, when British guests at the Kulm Hotel in St Moritz amused themselves by designing their own steerable sleds. Cresta first featured on the Olympic programme at St Moritz in 1928, but did not reappear until the 1948 Games. It was then discontinued at the Games on safety grounds and evolved into skeleton, which made its debut on the Olympic programme at Salt Lake City 2002.