Press 2026

^{Press release - 24 January 2026}

Cancellation of the 82^nd Inferno Downhill overshadows strong results for the Bernese Oberland

This year's downhill race at the International Inferno Races in Mürren was cancelled due to a fatal medical incident. The rankings of the previous riders will be counted. The winners' podiums for both women and men are firmly in the hands of the Bernese Oberland.

The Inferno Downhill was cancelled after just over half of the competitors had started. A 69-year-old rider collapsed shortly before the finish line and died at the scene despite immediate resuscitation efforts. As a result, the organising committee decided to cancel the race. At the same time, however, those responsible decided to evaluate the results up to the point at which the race was cancelled.

Strong Bernese Oberland athletes

Just the day before, the expected winning time was between six and seven minutes. However, the few centimetres of snow that fell overnight slowed the riders down somewhat, with the result that the winner, Mathias Reber from Niedersimmental, ultimately crossed the finish line with a time of 7 minutes, 16 seconds and 47 hundredths of a second. Reber had already won the Hexenabfahrt in Belalp a week earlier and confirmed his strong form in today's Inferno Abfahrt. Second-placed Michel Stähli from Grund near Gstaad followed him closely. Only 3 hundredths of a second separated the two Simmental natives. Third-placed Elia Saurer from Aeschlen lost a little more time, finishing just under four seconds behind the winner. Nevertheless, he put in an excellent performance with start number 315.
 

No races without numerous helping hands

The competitions and festivities during Inferno Week could not take place without the tremendous dedication of numerous helpers. Around 100 people during the week and an additional 300 at the Inferno Downhill are responsible for ensuring that everything runs smoothly. Despite the sad incident that forced the race to be abandoned, the celebrations at the Alpine Sports Centre in Mürren will continue in the evening in a modified format.

Rankings for the 82^nd Inferno Downhill

^{BZ am Abend – Hans Urfer, Stefan Schnyder, Christian Häderli – published 15:22 p.m.}

69-year-old dies shortly before the finish line of the Inferno Race in Mürren

A racer collapses 100 metres before the finish line and dies despite resuscitation efforts. The organising committee cancels the legendary downhill race for the first time in its 96-year history due to a fatality.

The Inferno Downhill in Mürren, which took place on Saturday, had to be cancelled due to a fatality. According to OK President Christoph Egger, a 69-year-old racer collapsed 100 metres before the finish line. Rescue workers tried in vain to resuscitate the man. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
 

The organising committee then decided together with the race management to cancel the race, according to a press release. Nevertheless, a ranking list will be published on Saturday evening and there will be a short award ceremony with a minute's silence. The evening celebrations at the Alpine Sports Centre in Mürren will take place ‘in an appropriate setting’, the press release continues.
 

There has never been a fatality at the Inferno Race

According to Egger, there have been several serious injuries following crashes in the history of the race. However, there has never been a fatality. According to the organisers of the Schilthornbahn, the Inferno Race is considered the ‘biggest amateur race in world skiing’. It was first organised in 1928 by British ‘ski enthusiasts’.
 

The number of participants is limited to 1,850. Every year, several hundred people who want to take part have to be turned away. The downhill course covers a distance of 14.9 kilometres.

The race starts on the Schilthorn and finishes in Mürren, with an altitude difference of 2,170 metres. Kuno Michel set the record time of 13 minutes and 20 seconds in 2013.

To the article (german)

^{Press release - 22 January 2026}

After a successful cross-country skiing start the evening before, the second day of Inferno was all about giant slalom. A total of 327 skiers took part in a thrilling race in perfect conditions. Both familiar and new faces graced the winners' podium.
 

In sunny conditions, the first racers set off in the Inferno Giant Slalom at 10 a.m. on Thursday morning, 22^nd January 2026. The racecourse was grippy, fast and remained smooth right to the finish, allowing all participants to benefit from ideal conditions. For a long time, it looked like the women's podium would be a repeat of last year's: Michelle Hurni from Unterseen, Lara Stern from Därligen and Arianne Wenger from Niedersimmental stood on the podium in the same order. Hurni won the race with a time of 1 minute and 20 seconds, beating second-placed Stern by a full 2.3 seconds. However, in a surprise result, Elena Exenberger, who lives in Austria, moved up from a high start number to take third place ahead of Wenger. The American thus prevented a triple victory for the Bernese Oberland.
 

Athletes from Bernese Oberland also dominate in the men's competition

In the men's event, last year's winner Marius Buhl from Germany took third place, just behind Ramon Gfeller from Unterseen and winner Michel Stähli. The Gstaad native took the lead with a time of 1:14,8.
 

The decisive Inferno descent on Saturday

This coming Saturday, 24^th January 2026, the cards will be reshuffled once again in the Inferno Combination. The participants will then battle it out for the top spots in the overall standings, which are determined by the results of the three Inferno competitions: cross-country skiing, giant slalom and downhill. In addition to the more than 300 Inferno Combination participants who will compete in all three competitions, there will be over 1,500 additional skiers competing for victory in the downhill event.

Rankings Inferno Giant Slalom

^{Press release - 21 January 2026 20:49}

The 82nd International Inferno Ski-Races in Mürren are underway: on Wednesday evening, 21st January 2026, the Inferno combination cross-country skiing competition took place as usual. Instead of racing through the village of Mürren, this time the athletes battled it out on a perfectly groomed cross-country ski trail in Stechelberg. Numerous participants from the Bernese Oberland dominated the race.
 

The 82nd International Inferno Ski-Races in Mürren got off to a successful start: today, Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m., over 300 cross-country skiers took part in the Inferno Combination. However, due to the current snow situation, the race did not take place in Mürren as usual, but in Stechelberg for once. Right next to the Schilthorn cable car valley station, the participants set off at 20-second intervals on a perfectly groomed cross-country ski trail. Thanks to the cool temperatures and the sparse sunshine in the valley at this time of year, conditions were ideal for setting up a race track at short notice. The skiers were enthusiastic and glad that they did not have to complete laps on the other possible alternative, the Allmendhubel. The lower altitude and the good atmosphere thanks to numerous spectators pushed them to peak performances.
 

Fast athlete from Simmental shakes up the usual pecking order

Silvio Fähnrich completed the three-kilometre circuit at the rear of the Lauterbrunnen Valley in the fastest time of 7 minutes and 13 seconds. The Simmental native finished well ahead of Oliver Zurbrügg from Lauterbrunnen, who had been the undisputed Inferno cross-country skiing champion for many years and crossed the finish line in third place just under 17 seconds later. Patrick Zürcher from Latterbach in Niedersimmental, who also finished second last year, came in between them, completing the Bernese Oberland podium.
 

Last year's ladies winner also at the top this year

The women's race was also won by a competitor from the Bernese Oberland: Sara Stern from Därligen once again took victory in the cross-country skiing competition with a time of 8:44.3. She dominated the race, finishing a good 45 seconds ahead of last year's runner-up Melanie Schock from Weinstadt in Germany. Third place went to Michelle Hurni from Unterseen.
 

The programme continues at a rapid pace

There will be no time for long breaks: at 10 a.m. on Thursday morning, 22 January 2025, the Inferno Combination participants will continue with the giant slalom at Winteregg. The grand finale will then take place on Saturday with the legendary Inferno Downhill, which this year will start as usual at the Kleiner Schilthorn thanks to the new cable car between Birg and Schilthorn. The finish line is at Winteregg. There will also be plenty of socialising during Inferno Week. Various parties will be held around the Alpine Sports Centre in Mürren on Friday and Saturday. On Friday evening at 8 p.m., the traditional Inferno parade will take place through the village of Mürren.

Inferno crosscountry skiing rankings from 21.01.2026

^{BZ Oberland, 16.1.2026, Alex Karlen}

The super combined event starts in Mürren on Wednesday.
 

After Adelboden comes Wengen, and after Wengen comes Mürren: the 82nd International Inferno Races will take place from 21 to 24 January. Thanks to the new lift, the 1,850 participants in Saturday's long-sold-out downhill race (starting at 8:50 a.m.), which is probably the longest and most difficult in the world, will once again start just below the Schilthorn – as in previous years. According to the announcement, women and men born in 2008 or earlier who ‘have good skiing skills’ are eligible to participate. In 2025, Kilian Burri (Boltigen) and Tanja Brawand (Grindelwald) took the top spots..

The competitions for the 41st Super Combined will kick off on Wednesday at 4 p.m. with cross-country skiing through the village, followed by giant slalom on Thursday at 10 a.m. at Winteregg.
 

The races will be accompanied by an entertainment programme including a festival restaurant in the sports centre and a parade on Friday evening with a devil burning ceremony. On Friday and Saturday nights, special trains will run to Interlaken with a Moonliner connection.

zum Artikel (german)

^{Press release, Sep 05, 2025 10:15 CEST}

The 82^nd International Inferno Races will take place in Mürren from 21^st to 24^th of January 2026.
In this edition, the start of the legendary Inferno downhill race will once again be at Kleines Schilthorn. Online registration is open until 15th September 2025.
 

While construction work on the new cable car between Birg and Schilthorn has made it impossible to start at Kleines Schilthorn this year, the 1‘850 participants in the Inferno Downhill on Saturday, 24^thJanuary 2026, will be able to take the new cable car to the summit for the first time and tackle the race as usual.
Interested participants can still register at www.inferno-muerren.ch until 15thof September 2025. The number of participants is limited. Men and women born in 2008 or earlier who have good skiing skills are eligible to register. Ambitious winter sports enthusiasts who are interested in the Inferno super combination can also register until the aforementioned deadline. The super combination will start on Wednesday, 21^st January 2026, with night cross-country skiing competition in Mürren, followed by giant slalom race on Thursday at Winteregg and downhill race on Saturday.
 

A few organisational adjustments

The four days of sporting activities will be framed by an entertaining supporting programme. The rankings of the night cross-country skiing race will no longer be announced on Wednesday evening immediately after the competition, but on Thursday after the giant slalom at the Winteregg restaurant. Furthermore, the opening hours of the race office in Stechelberg will be slightly adjusted so that participants can also pick up their race numbers on Sunday.