Eisstadion Davos
Encyclopedia
Vaillant Arena is an arena
in Davos
, Switzerland
. It is primarily used for ice hockey
and is the home arena of HC Davos
. It holds 7,080 people, of which 3,280 are seated. Every year the Spengler Cup
is played in this arena.
The open natural ice rink beside the arena, Eisstadion Davos, was in the past (up until 1997) the venue for many international speed skating
events and many speed skating world records have been broken here. It still continues to be used for Swiss Championships in speed skating. It is an outdoor, natural, ice rink (as opposed to ice rinks that are indoor and/or use artificial ice) and lies 1,560 metres (almost one mile) above sea level.
For the high velocities achieved in speed skating, high altitudes are favorable due to lower air drag, and since the ice conditions produced were also often very favorable, many World Records were set in Davos, beginning with Peder Østlund
who set four records in 1898. The arena also had a reputation for variable conditions, the sun or warm winds could play havoc with ice conditions throughout a championship.
As in 1979 HC Davos was qualified for the Nationalliga A a covered rink was necessary and the tricky wooden construction was finished. During the season 1980/81 the sides were still open. One year later the arena was closed by big glass panes.
In 1998 the west tribune was renovated and instead of a big standing area a tribune with plastic seats on two levels was built. The arena held at that time 7,680 people.
In summer 2005 a new, modern tribune including the restaurant “Nordside”, VIP rooms, a sector for sponsors and changing rooms was built in the northern sector. The capacity was reduced to 7,080 people. The renovation continued in 2006 with small investments in the security of the southern and eastern tribune and screens for advertising.
In January 2007 the indoor ice-hockey rink was renamed in Vaillant Arena because the famous heating technician Vaillant paid three million Swiss francs to future plans of renovating the arena this year.
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
in Davos
Davos
Davos is a municipality in the district of Prättigau/Davos in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has a permanent population of 11,248 . Davos is located on the Landwasser River, in the Swiss Alps, between the Plessur and Albula Range...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. It is primarily used for ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
and is the home arena of HC Davos
HC Davos
Hockey Club Davos is a professional Swiss ice hockey club based in Davos, Switzerland. Davos play in the Swiss National League A, which is ranked as Europe's sixth best ice hockey league. The team is usually a strong force in the league and often bolster their roster with Swiss national team...
. It holds 7,080 people, of which 3,280 are seated. Every year the Spengler Cup
Spengler Cup
The Spengler Cup is an annual ice hockey tournament held in Davos, Switzerland. First held in 1923, the Spengler Cup is often cited as the oldest invitational ice hockey tournament in the world. The event is hosted by the Swiss team HC Davos and played each year in Davos, Switzerland, between...
is played in this arena.
The open natural ice rink beside the arena, Eisstadion Davos, was in the past (up until 1997) the venue for many international speed skating
Speed skating
Speed skating, or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating...
events and many speed skating world records have been broken here. It still continues to be used for Swiss Championships in speed skating. It is an outdoor, natural, ice rink (as opposed to ice rinks that are indoor and/or use artificial ice) and lies 1,560 metres (almost one mile) above sea level.
For the high velocities achieved in speed skating, high altitudes are favorable due to lower air drag, and since the ice conditions produced were also often very favorable, many World Records were set in Davos, beginning with Peder Østlund
Peder Østlund
Peder Østlund was a Norwegian speed skater.Peder Østlund held the first position on the Adelskalender ranking during two periods, for a total of almost 10 years . He became World Allround Champion in 1898 and 1899, and became European Allround Champion in 1899 and 1900...
who set four records in 1898. The arena also had a reputation for variable conditions, the sun or warm winds could play havoc with ice conditions throughout a championship.
History
In the beginning of the 20th century HC Davos played on an open ice rink. Around 1970 was a first try to cover the ice rink by a wooden construction. Soon after the work began the project was stopped because of a financial gap.As in 1979 HC Davos was qualified for the Nationalliga A a covered rink was necessary and the tricky wooden construction was finished. During the season 1980/81 the sides were still open. One year later the arena was closed by big glass panes.
In 1998 the west tribune was renovated and instead of a big standing area a tribune with plastic seats on two levels was built. The arena held at that time 7,680 people.
In summer 2005 a new, modern tribune including the restaurant “Nordside”, VIP rooms, a sector for sponsors and changing rooms was built in the northern sector. The capacity was reduced to 7,080 people. The renovation continued in 2006 with small investments in the security of the southern and eastern tribune and screens for advertising.
In January 2007 the indoor ice-hockey rink was renamed in Vaillant Arena because the famous heating technician Vaillant paid three million Swiss francs to future plans of renovating the arena this year.