About us

The largest share of emissions in connection with an event such as the BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon Lenzerheide occurs when spectators travel to the event and back home. Knowing this, we as organisers rely on an environmentally friendly transport concept. For the first time at a snow sports world cup in Switzerland, travel from any location within the country and the journey home by public transport are included in the event ticket.

A maximum of 20,000 cubic meters of technical snow is required for the BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon Lenzerheide in order to ensure planning security. The need for a cross-country ski track is small compared to a ski slope. The technical snow is produced by a SnowFactory and snow cannons. Around a third of the maximum 20,000 cubic meters was summered using snow farming.

The snow produced is not only used for the World Cup, but also as a solid basis for the cross-country ski network in the Lenzerheide holiday region. This snow is not only produced for four World Cup days, but for an entire season and also enables many amateur cross-country skiers to pursue their passion.

Excess spring water is used to produce snow in the Roland Arena. This water returns to nature via the normal melting and evaporation cycle. It is neither lost nor contaminated.

Snowmaking systems have taken a big step in terms of sustainability in recent years. Energy efficiency has been increased and holistic solutions lead to a continuously optimized use of energy, water and machine hours.

The BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon Lenzerheide takes place in the Roland Arena, which is surrounded by sensitive moorland and the equally vulnerable habitat of the endangered capercaillie. As organisers, we are aware of this and therefore try very hard to be considerate.

For example, the route planning has been adjusted so that no moorland is affected. We have chosen a capercaillie as the World Cup and World Championship mascot and are using our Lenzi to draw attention to the threat to capercaillie and the importance of consideration.

It is a fact that events like the Biathlon World Cup place a greater burden on the ecosystem than everyday operations in the Roland Arena. However, only selected larger events are held sporadically. Since opening in 2013, the Roland Arena has been the stage location for the Tour de Ski in cross-country skiing five times, and now the Biathlon World Cup will follow in December 2023 and the Biathlon World Championships in February 2025.

All activities in the Roland Arena, including the Biathlon World Cup, are carried out in accordance with the law on wildlife rest areas in the municipality of Lantsch/Lenz. From winter 2023/24 there will even be a new wildlife rest area near the Roland Arena. The law regulates, for example, entry bans and exit orders and of course also applies to events such as the Biathlon World Cup. If we and all guests who hike, bike, cross-country ski or watch the races in this sensitive area respect the current regulations, the harmony of sport and nature is guaranteed.

The International Biathlon Union (IBU) is one of the leading sports associations when it comes to sustainability measures, which is reflected, for example, in the nomination for the BBC Green Sport Awards 2023. The IBU was one of the first associations to join the United Nations’ «Race to Zero» climate initiative – with the goal of becoming climate neutral by 2040.

An IBU project has been running since 2022 with scientific partners such as the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) Davos and organizers such as the BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon Lenzerheide, which aims to make snow management more efficient, more resource-efficient and therefore more sustainable.