The serene, sunny high valley in the Goms region, in Upper Valais, is famous for its authentic villages with wooden houses and whitewashed churches. Goms is an attractive cross-country paradise in winter and a popular and far-flung hiking region in summer.

In Goms, the snow covers the wide plain like a soft blanket. No trace of wintry heaviness. The Rhône flows gently through the valley. Along its banks are trees, transformed into white, artistic sculptures by the frost of the cold season. Snow crystals dance in the morning light. It is a quiet world in the cross-country skiing area between Oberwald and Niederwald, a place of power for rest and exercise at the same time. If you get on the trail here, you will not only feel the skis crunching away, but also the magic of the place and the moment.

The former top Swiss biathlete spent many years competing in the World Cup, travelling to international events around the globe, gaining experience and achieving success. So he knows what he's talking about. It was no coincidence that he was drawn back to where it all began: Goms. Growing up in Geschinen, he feels at home here like nowhere else. 

View of the mountains, with the cross-country ski trail right on the doorstep 
These days, Benjamin manages operations at Hallenbarter Nordic, a lovingly run meeting place in the centre of Goms that is much more than the sum of its parts - a sports shop, cross-country skiing school and café for skiers. It is a meeting place for locals and guests or in fact for anyone looking for something special: somewhere to get to know people, hear real stories and feel the very particular Goms magic. 

However, the history of this traditional business did not begin with Weger, but with another local great: Koni Hallenbarter, who was born in Obergesteln and gave his name to the business. He wrote cross-country skiing history more than 40 years ago when he became the first Swiss to win the legendary Vasaloppet – setting a new record time for the event. 

With palpable pride and shining eyes, the 62-year-old cross-country skiing pioneer tells how the local ski club has always been represented at major international events and how sport has played a decisive role in shaping the valley and its development. He himself embodies living cross-country skiing tradition, without ever losing sight of the future. Tradition only remains alive if it is carried on. 

Cross-country skiing is a sport that gives you time to breathe. A demanding sport, but not one that takes everything out of you, because the Goms cross-country skiing paradise always has the right track ready, with its 100 kilometres of perfectly groomed trails for classic and skating styles: for those with sporting ambitions, for those just skiing for pleasure or for curious beginners.

Whether gazing straight ahead at race speed or with an open view of the panorama – amid the impressive Valais mountains, everyone will find the right rhythm: alone, in pairs, in a group or with a dog for company.

Particularly inviting is the Sonnenloipe (Sun Trail), which stretches between Oberwald and Münster along the Rhône, past old barns and villages with wooden balconies – and always under the winter sun. Anyone who glides along there follows not a route, but a feeling. 

The Herz-Loipe (Heart Trail) between Obergesteln and Geschinen takes an even more leisurely course through the landscape. This is a cooperative venture with the Swiss Heart Foundation, stemming from the idea that exercise has healing powers. 

The Matterhorn Gotthard Railway, which also winds its way through the valley, is a constant companion along the trails. Its numerous stations conveniently link the entire cross-country ski trail network with public transport, especially since the cross-country ski trail pass also includes access to it. 
A quiet luxury that allows you to stop where your energy starts to flag: 

“If you have had enough, you can simply get on the train at the next station and return to the starting point or to your hotel in comfort. This makes cross-country skiing here particularly relaxed," explains Benjamin Weger. 

But what would sport be without the relaxation after it? The next charming café by the side of the trail is never far away. Tea steams on the sun terraces, the fruit cake is homemade and the Valais platter is lovingly topped with regional specialities.

Here, Goms remains true to itself and yet continues to change. Thanks to visionaries like Hallenbarter. And homecomers like Weger, who carries on an important tradition: magical experiences of nature on narrow skis.