Destination Magazin Nr.3/2019 EN

EHC Saastal has been playing in the First
Division for 32 years. The club is the last in
Switzerland still training under open skies.
Get close enough to smell the action
EHC Saastal’s legendary home arena, Wichel, is one of a kind. It’s
an outdoor rink, making the club the only first division side in the
country still playing under open skies. And it’s the closest you’ll
ever be to the action. So close, that you can see every detail, the
puck, the players. You’re almost close enough to smell the stars in
action. So it’s no wonder that the Wichel rink is ranked among the
top 10 cult sites in the world of Swiss sport.
You can buy tickets for the ice
hockey games directly at the
evening box office at Wichel. For
game dates please consult
ehc-saastal.ch
I have always admired the EHC Saastal
ice hockey players. They are top-level
athletes who fear no opponent and
shy from no weather. Ice hockey itself
is thrilling. The combination of speed,
skill, and fighting spirit is hard to match.
Of course, the older and slower one
becomes, the faster these athletes seem
to fly across the rink as the puck flicks
from one player to another.
A visionary ice hockey president
As a small mountain valley with limited resources, the fact that this
Saas team plays in the first division is truly remarkable. Numerous
dedicated people are making it happen, including their unrelenting
president, Barbara Anthamatten. The board, the ice rink staff, the
cooks, the coaching teams and many more all play a huge role
in their success. The president is one of many who dream of a
home rink where games could be played whatever the weather.
An indoor rink could also offer holiday-goers an indoor alternative
for bad weather days. After a short meeting with the unrelenting
Club President, one is convinced that that this is far more than a
pipedream, within just a few years of becoming a reality.
The various EHC Saastal teams are made up of more than
160 players of all ages. The fact that this small mountain club has
been able to keep its place in the first league for an admirable
32 years has much to do with its superb youth programme which
currently boasts a total of six EHC Saastal youth teams... in a valley
of just 3,000 inhabitants.
The woman who made ice hockey history
EHC Saastal is an exceptional ice hockey club in many ways: it
has its famous open-air ice rink; it has a female president, a rare
thing even nowadays; and its goalkeeper is Sophie Anthamatten,
now 28. She is the female goalkeeper of a first league team. For 13
years, the president’s daughter has stood guard in the Saaser goal.
She won the bronze medal with the Swiss Women‘s Team at the
2012 World Championships and again in the 2014 Olympic Games.
Then, at the beginning of last winter, she became the first woman
to score in the Swiss Cup against a National League club (Geneve-
Servette), thus writing her name in the ice hockey history books.
A must-visit
An ice hockey match under open skies, up close and personal,
is certainly an experience not to be missed. But the legendary
Wichel rink offers so much more than the chance to enjoy thrilling
matches. During the day the ice is open for guests; and if it takes
your fancy you can enjoy a spot of curling, the oldest of the ice
sports, with games organized by the tourist board.
AN IMPRESSIVE SPECTACLE
The Saas Valley offers countless opportunities
to enjoy the ice, including watching
high-level sport. “Wichel” is the name given to
the storied outdoor ice rink in Saas-Grund.
Text: Christoph Gysel
Photos: Puzzle Media
Barbara Anthamatten, Club President, makes it all happen.
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