Like a flower gathering its petals to fold itself in for the night, the town of St Moritz has been closing down; one hotel after another. I’m here in mid-October. The sun glistens on the frost that has covered the roofs lightly at night. But despite the mercury standing at 2 degrees Celsius and a brisk, cold wind, the day promises to be bright.
Between a busy summer and a busier winter, the tiny town of St Moritz, with about 5,000 inhabitants, takes a quick break. The imposing five-star hotels are the first to close down. The shops, especially the ones sporting bigger brand names, follow suit. Soon, the rest will down shutters, too.
Even the Hotel Schweizerhof, in Pontresina, an efficient hotel with panoramic views, where I am staying, a 15-minute drive away, is bravely struggling to meet the off-season clientèle, after allowing most of the staff to head home on their vacations.
But up on the mountain slopes, the activity has already begun.
The cable car that takes us in a swift swing up to Diavolezza (2,978 metres), one of the many ski stations, is almost empty, but this morning must have carried a full load, if the cars lining up the car park are any indication. Most are vans bearing logos of ski teams, and competition stickers. There are a few TV early birds too. The training for the competitive sports has already begun.
Dreaming of a white world (Clockwise from left) Try the ski lift for incredible Alpine views, watch the polo cup in January or discover the beauty of quaint St Moritz
Atop the mountain slopes, huge machines are at work, as the tracks are being levelled and smoothened out. The snow machine which ‘creates snow’ from water will be put to work as the skiers start their practice runs downslope. Most of the tracks are covered with a protective sheet that shields them from direct heat, and taken off when the sports begin.
A showcase for Nature
For now, there is only Nature that holds my attention. Two massive peaks, Munt Pers and Piz Trovat make up my view of the Bernina massif. The massif is an awesome sight, and provides skiers at St Moritz with some of the best skiing slopes in the world. After sunning ourselves sufficiently against the glass windows of the restaurant, we step in for coffee.
The regional calendar of events is already up. There are events for the novice, for children. Nostalgic experiences and spectator sports. The former includes skiing on a full-moon night, and a run on wooden skates, the old-fashioned way. And the really daring might just take up the challenge of attempting to slow-ski, to explore all the three closest ski station viewpoints, the Diavolezza, Corvatsch and the Lagalb.
Equally thrilling for both participants and spectators is the Cresta Run. It is not for the weak-hearted, they tell me, this ride where participants lie on their stomachs on a heavy sled and zoom down three-fourths of a kilometre of icy track, taking severely dangerous corners on the 500-metre route. Speeds can range between 80 to 90 kmph; incidentally, this one is open to men only.
The steep slopes of the mountain ensure speed great enough to rival a train’s, and our guide, Suzi Wip has shown us the point on the inside curve of a vertical wall, where the G-force en route is so high that participants ride over it, perpendicular to the ground.
Party-goers may gather at any of the events held above 3,000 metres on New Year’s Eve, but the event of the winter is the much-awaited Engandin Snow, where the “best free riders in ski and snowboard ride the slopes”. It’s a no-holds-barred contest, where the most dexterous alone can win. And of course, the unique opportunity to try bob skating, where ice skates are the vehicle that take one down a series of ‘U’ turns and hairpin bends, over treacherously slippery ice. The route is actually meant for bobsleighing, but often does double duty.
The height of winter is when the rich and famous gather, fur capes bristling in the firelight that glints off the champagne flutes and the glasses of single malt. St Moritz plays host to many snow-worshippers when the sports begin, and the star-struck can spot Robert De Niro, or George Clooney, or industrialist Lakshmi Mittal, (who has a home here) among others.
How it began
There is a justification for this phenomenon. A century ago, in the early 1900s, when winters were much colder without central heating, and St Moritz quickly turned into a ghost town when the trees started to grow bare, an enterprising hotelier invited three Englishmen to spend their winter at his hotel, at no cost. He wagered that he would give them an exciting time, under sunny skies, and bet that they would return for more next winter.
Through the cold, snow-kissed months, he introduced them to skiing, snow balling, tobogganing down the marvellous slopes. And that, as history will testify, was the beginning of winter sporting activities in Switzerland... nay Europe.
And that is why, when hundreds of Indians danced in a baraat through the streets of St Moritz as the entire town watched, they saw, among the other landmarks, the bust commemorating the gift given to the town by Johannes Badrutt... the gift of having the world’s eyes trained on the winter sports that take place at St Moritz.
When you sit it out
At the restaurant at Diavolezza, non-skiers can experience the thrill of watching a skier up close, thanks to a VR experience. Interested, I volunteered to give it a try.
Donning special eyewear, I watch the panorama around me come alive. Professional skiers toil up steep slopes to rush down at speeds that make me hold my breath. A daring jump spikes my adrenaline. There is more, as the ‘helicopter’ whose blades sound in my ears occasionally to make me believe I am riding it, veers away to take me to the neighbouring peaks. Virtual skiers come into view and disappear. I am sitting on a revolving chair and can turn around to follow any skier I wish to see more of. The silence of the mountains drenched in the sunlight that is characteristic almost through the year in St Moritz is mesmeric. When the show ends, it takes a minute to come back to reality.
By Nov 24, When the season opens, usually by end-November, there could be 15 tourists occupying the revolving chairs and donning the VR glasses that are provided free of cost, to share the virtual experience.
SNAPSHOTS FROM THE PAST
St Moritz and the surrounding region’s first claim to fame came during the Winter Olympics hosted there, first in 1928, and again after the Second World War, in 1948; events that drew crowds from all over the world. Today, the winter sports events remain a powerful draw.
