People & Stories from Samnaun

Sister Lorena Jenal, born in Samnaun in 1950, has earned worldwide respect as a nun from Baldegg for her courageous work in Papua New Guinea. 

Kurt's retirement gives him the opportunity to hit the slopes almost every day. In the 2022/23 season, he set a new personal record with 126 ski days.

Zita Valsecchi leads the Samnaun theater group, performs for audiences year after year and, together with her colleagues, makes guests and locals laugh every week from the end of December to the begin

With a great deal of routine, postbus driver Mario Heis negotiates the access road to Samnaun with its spectacular tunnels and galleries.

Since 1889, the Heidelberger Hütte has stood southwest of Samnaun in the extensive Fimba Valley (Val Venga), which can be reached by ski in winter and on foot or by mountain bike in summer.

The young St. Gallen native manages one of the ski schools in Samnaun with great commitment and actively contributes to the promotion of skiing.

Andy Carnot puts his heart and soul into ensuring perfect piste conditions in the Samnaun/Ischgl ski area.

Thomas was diagnosed with a slipped disc in November 2020 after a fall in training and had to have surgery. He was already back on skis in February 2021.

When he carves down the slopes of Samnaun, people love to watch him. Marco Tumler is an excellent skier. He has been at the start of a World Cup race three times.

600 horsepower machines, hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of snow and dreamlike sunsets are his métier, satisfied winter sports enthusiasts his only goal.

The 1989 Vail Super-G World Champion is still an avid skier. He has skied on slopes on four continents.

Gian Denoth (52) from Tschlin is a full-time farmer and works in the rearing of young cattle. For 30 years, he has also worked in forestry, where he pulls wood with horses.

With his commitments to the valley museum, the municipal administration and the church community, Arno Jäger has helped shape the Samnaun valley.

Those who know Alp Bella from winter know that it has the best roast chicken in the region. In summer it is a catered alp. The milk reaches the valley through a pipeline.

Samnaun is known as the only Swiss duty-free zone outside an airport and a paradise for perfume lovers.

In winter on touring skis. In summer on the bike. Nature lover and whisky enthusiast Christian Heis lived his life to the fullest.

Life in old Samnaun was meager, strenuous and simple. In the 20th century, duty-free status and winter tourism finally helped it to achieve international fame.

The hotelier and chef from Samnaun likes to pedal up mountains on his lightweight bike. "I ride my mountain bike every day. Most of the time it's 1,000 meters in altitude."