THE HISTORY FROM THE BEGINNING UNTIL TODAY
Davos Klosters played an important role in the emergence and development of winter tourism and skiing in Switzerland and worldwide. In 1883, the German ski pioneer W. Paulke was the first to ski in Davos and presumably also in Switzerland. Ten years later, the first brave skiers ventured on the route from Davos over the Maienfeld Furka to Arosa. A year later, four English tourists set out on this ski tour, but got lost in the storm and ended up in Küblis in Prättigau instead of Arosa. This is how the first Parsenn downhill run, a milestone in skiing history at the time was born.
In the following years, ski pioneers made several first ascents in Switzerland, including the Weissfluh peak. Thus the Parsenn area became the birthplace of downhill skiing. The first downhill race took place here in 1913, and from 1924 onwards, the Parsenn Derby was one of the most important ski races in the Alpine region for a long time.
THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PARSENNBAHN
With the construction of the Parsenn funicular and the founding of the Davos-Parsenn-Bahnen AG in 1931, Davos experienced an unimagined boom in ski tourism and the birth of skiing as a popular sport took its beginnings. Up to this point, only cableways to viewing points or hotels had been built. The Parsennbahn was the first mountain railway built as a means of transport for skiers. More exciting and nostalgic information about the development of skiing on Parsenn and Davos Klosters can be discovered on the Nostalgia Run from the Weissfluh summit to Küblis.
DEVELOPMENT ON THE Jakobshorn
History was also made early on the other side of the valley at Jakobshorn, in 1934 with the construction of the world's first ski lift. With the help of a tow rope system with a haul rope, the J-shapped lift pulled ski tourists up the slope. The idea found a supporter in the local hotelier and farmer Leonhard Fopp, who made his property on the Bolgen available for the construction of the lift. In the first winter it already transported 70,000 skiers. After replacing the single stirrups with T-shaped double stirrups, so an even higher transport capacity could be achieved.
Later on, the so-called fun Mountain was again and again responsible for important developments in winter sports. The first snowboarders were allowed to take their turns on the Jakobshorn, while this sport was still frowned upon elsewhere. The Jakobshorn quickly became a Mecca for many young snowboarders and freestylers and is still one of the most important attractions in the entire region today.
FUSION OF THE MOUNTAIN RAILWAYS
Initially, all the snow sports areas in Davos Klosters were run by different owners. The mountain railways were divided into :
- Davos-Parsenn-Bahnen AG
- Luftseilbahn Klosters-Gotschnagrat-Parsenn
- Bergbahnen Brämabüel & Jakobshorn AG
- Klosters-Madrisa Bergbahnen AG
- Bergbahnen Rinerhorn AG
- Sportbahnen Pischa AG
- Davos-Schatzalp-Bahn
Under increasing and economic pressure, the individual snow sports areas decided to merge into one company in 2002. The individual companies, with the exception of Schatzalp, merged in 2003 to form Davos Klosters Bergbahnen AG. Since 2014, the Klosters-Madrisa Bergbahnen AG is no longer part of the company, but continues to be part of the Davos Klosters Mountains tariff association.
