Snowtimes Davos 2020

below the Furka to the river at Serneus. The
timekeepers and finishing judges, given
what was thought to be a reasonable time
allowance, went on ahead but, due to some
misfortune-perhaps they lost their way in the
shocking light only just managed to get into
position and turn themselves into posts as
the leading racers arrived. Those were the
carefree, happy days! It was a geschmozzel
start and the light was so bad above the tree
line that it was not easy to keep direction.
Nevertheless, Jock finished in a dead heat
with another racer in 30 minutes and with
the combined points for the Slalom and
Downhill race, he was awarded the British
Championship for that year.
Three days later, January 11th, 1927,
Jock held a meeting with three of his friends
in the Fluela Hotel, Davos, and founded the
Grisons Ski Club. He was to be the Honorary
Secretary and the object of the Club was
to be “The encouragement of fast Ski running
and racing in the Canton of Grisons.”
On the following day, January 12th, 1927,
the first and only race under the auspices of
this Club was held on Plan da Gorz course,
much beloved by Jock Marden. Jock had offered
three Challenge Cups at the inaugural
meeting with categories for men, ladies and
juniors. The rendezvous for the race was the
Parsenn hut from where the competitors followed
the Starter to the starting point. This
involved the half-hour climb to the Furka,
the run down to the Grun See and the climb
to the intended starting point on the East
Shoulder of Kistenstein. The finishing judges
took the train to Küblis and walked up
to the “Avalanche Field” with the finishing
posts. Following a geschmozzel start it was
a flatout race to the finish with the outcome
decided not only by fearless skiing but also
a little luck. Jock Marden had skied too far
to the right and entered “Avalanche Field”
from the Conters end which then required
him to punt the last thirty of forty yards
only to be overtaken by Captain Robertson
in a direct schuss.
Jock Marden had ambitious plans for
the Grisons Club. Rather than the Slalom
races which were being run at Mürren and
Wengen in the Oberland, he envisaged
much longer courses in which snowcraft and
choice of line would play their part and in
which the Slalom technique would be given
its full scope in such places as the Languard
Gully; down the Isla Persa on Diavolezza
glacier; in and out the arches of the Muottas
Muraigl railway, down the Corviglia, down
the Dorf Täli; and in the wood glades of
the Plan da Gorz and Meierhof. This is the
reason why Marden’s cups (and previously
races) are named for places outside the
Davos Klosters area.
“Do you think it would be possible to
gather enough enthusiasts in the Grisons to
move from one centre to another and race
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down all these most unthought-of places?”
Jock Marden asked his friend Captain Robertson.
He was fully aware that the races
would be preceded by long and arduous
climbs but he felt sure that there were
enough enthusiasts in the various centres of
the Grison sufficiently keen to move about
the district and to race down the longer and
more difficult courses. In turn this required
club representatives at the various centres
such as Jock Marden acting for Pontresina
and Captain “Monkey” Robertson for
Klosters.
By April of 1927, Jock Marden wrote
to Captain Robertson that he had acquired a
number of Cups appropriately engraved for
the races he envisaged. He also enclosed a
sketch of the proposed club badge – a Bat
surmounting a G. He had chosen the bat as
an emblem for his club as “Something that
would flit about the snow making jink turns
at the highest possible speed.”
The plans for the Club were put
on hold for the winter of 1927-28 as Jock
Marden had to travel to the United States.
However, before his departure, he left his
Grisons Ski Club in a properly constituted
form – Bankers, Auditors, a Club Emblem,
Rules approved, Challenge Cups for races,
10 Original Members and 6 Ordinary
Members (all properly elected) and a
Deputy Honorary Secretary and Treasurer.
The last meeting of the Grisons Club, now
Competitors for the Plan da Gorz Cup in 1956.
SNOWTIMES 2020
DAVOS KLOSTERS