St Moritz - Experience
Europe's most exclusive resort, St Moritz is a high-society winter playground beloved by British aristocracy. The well-groomed slopes are ideal for posing, the restaurants, shops and hotels are unashamedly upmarket and the frozen lake plays host to a bewildering range of winter events.
The beauty of St Moritz is not in the town's architecture but in the splendid natural surroundings. The town is set on either side of the lake in the high Engadine valley, a majestic setting that makes up for some rather uninspiring architecture. Split in two by the lake, Dorf is the genteel side of town, with the top hotels, restaurants and shopping. Across the lake is Bad, which has less resort attractions, but has the advantage that you can ski here from both of the main ski areas. It is not possible to ski back to Dorf from one of them.
147km of pistes is not an enormous total for such a high-profile resort. The Chamonix philosophy is to cut as few pistes as possible leaving as much of the mountain as natural terrain. Don't come here to ski mile after mile of groomed, flattering pistes; do come here for spectacular scenery, varied skiing and a chance to test your comfort zone.
St Moritz's society reputation and big prices keep many of the free ride generation away but the off-piste terrain is one very good reason to visit. Not only are there some true big-mountain pitches, the fresh snow does not get tracked out as quickly as elsewhere.
The focus of the resort lies elsewhere but there is a terrain park and half-pipe at Corviglia, the main ski mountain just above the resort.
As usual for Swiss resorts, mountain food is top-drawer, the only difference being that restaurants tend to cater to a wealthier crowd in St Moritz. Alpine specialities like raclette (slices of cheese melted over pickles and potatoes) and rösti (fried patties of grated potatoes and usually bacon, cheese and/or onions) sit happily alongside more gourmet items like foie gras, truffles and caviar.
The party scene is diverse in St Moritz with everything from outlandish tea spreads at the 100-year-old Hanselmann's to body-popping discos at the Cava. The restaurant scene is steeply geared to fine dining but if you still have cash to burn there's always the casino.
The springs at St Moritz are the highest altitude mineral springs in Switzerland and it was these that first put St Moritz on the tourist map back in the 18th century. Today there are numerous options for spa treatments, essential to wind down after a stressful day shopping in one of the most glamorous shopping streets in the world. Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Gucci and Chanel are among many others that keep non-skiers on their toes.
Top of the expedition tree for St Moritz is undoubtedly the Cresta Run, the last bastion of the British upper classes in Switzerland. Run by the British St Moritz Tobogganing Club, this is one of the most hair-raising adrenalin rushes in the mountains. Strap yourself on to the "skeleton" then throw yourself head-first down an icy, twisting gun barrel at speeds up to 150km per hour. There is one sadly misogynistic twist: women are only allowed if they are directly invited by a member on the last day of the season.
