Mehr als ein Volkslanglauf - Gsies auf der Erfolgsspur

Environmentally compatible economic growth, sustainability, landscape-conserving projects: Buzzwords of current political discussions became the signposts for a new tourism concept in Valle di Casies/Gsiesertal back in the early 1980s. It all began with the Gsiesertal Run in 1984, exactly 40 years ago. What is now the second largest cross-country ski race in Italy and one of the largest in Europe boosted the economy of the Puster Valley, which was still underdeveloped in terms of tourism at the time. Plans for large ski resorts, which had divided the entire valley into opponents and supporters at the beginning of the 1980s, did not find a majority. Cross-country skiing proved to be a justifiable alternative, a triumph of nature over Alpine megalomania and, above all, an economic success story. Every year, on the third weekend in February, around 2,300 recreational, amateur and professional athletes enliven Valle di Casies/Gsiesertal and leave their mark on the 42 and 30-kilometre distances. To mark the 40th anniversary, the documentary takes a look behind the scenes of this major event and unearths previously unknown stories: Stories about victories, visions, successes, curiosities and participants, whether in the front or back row. Elaborately interwoven reports, multi-perspective portrayals and previously unknown historical film footage merge into a documentary that makes the Gsiesertal, its Volkslanglauf and its people tangible. More than just a cross-country race. Gsies on the road to success. A film by Lisa Hintner, Manfred Unterpertinger and Manfred Feichter.