St Moritz Ski Resort

General Feel.
Visiting the St Moritz Ski Resort will leave you with a colorful recall of mountain panoramas, lakes, meandering rivers and glacial skiing. The place has over time worked hard to earn the reputation of a glitzy resort. You could literally walk the place with your 20k necklace, if you have one, and fit into the scene. The dramatic mountain scenery is beautiful, on occasion met by steep downruns. Even the beginners can easily cruise down the mountainside taking in the views. It certainly is a rewarding experience.

St Moritz Ski Resort is made of two parts. The Bad side, and the Dorf side. The “Bad” prides itself on mineral spas, baths, ice-skating, curling, and ice bound activities. This part of town has a block construction type of architecture, dating back to I would guess 1970’s, with less thought given to Alpine design. It is a great launch pad for cross-country skiing. A run on skis just around the lake is a superb way of spending your day.

The Dorf part of the St Moritz Ski Resort is a little more glamorous with quite few designer shops, boutique hotels nestled in the side streets. This is the part where we stayed, unbeknown to us of the prestige it carries. We arrived in Dorf on a bus carrying tourists from Northern Italy. The accommodation was arranged at the first vacant hotel.

If you want to stay at the St Moritz Ski Resort, rather than the neighboring satellite towns, Dorf is our recommendation. It is easier to access the mountain from this part of town. The further you stay away from the main access road, behind the big hotels, the closer you will be to the funicular lift point.

If however being in the middle of the action is not your cup of tea, then consider an adjacent town called Celerina. It is more laid back heaving a more chilled out feel. It is a sweet alpine village with huts, timber chalets, reminiscent of old farming settlements.Celerina is also a good spot for families just starting out their ski experience, as there are few beginners slopes found here. This place has it’s own gondola which will take you to the rest of the skiable terrain.

Tips.
When visiting the St Moritz Ski Resort we feel the stay should be complimented with:

• a horse drawn sleigh ride
  
  
• an evening walk to the other side of the resort (leave your bow tie at home)
  
  
• thaw out session one evening at one of the local hot baths, only at Bad.
  
  
• visiting P Corvatsch on one day, and Piz Nair on another. You will appreciate the vast expanse of the mountain ranges around the St Moritz Ski Resort

Off Piste.

The ambiance and the scenery are beautiful. Most of the runs are gentle sloping, wide and on odd occasions steep. Almost the entire terrain is barren and exposed to the elements, so be mindful of the weather. We gauged about 90% of the terrain is suited to beginners through to intermediate skiers. The challenges are rather fragmented.

Corvatsch. If you make it here, this is the highest peak of the region towering to 3451m. It is a bit of a journey getting to the peak, not suited to the impatient souls. At the arrival however, you will feel like you are on the top of the world.

First you have to self-drive or catch a shuttle to Silvaplana. From this point onwards your vehicles stay parked at the base. Then you catch a tram to the foothills of Corvatsch, a place called Surlej. The rest of your journey is to be enjoyed by a couple of gondolas. You’re still here? Haven’t lost you? Bare in mind the summit station is a cool spot for a lunch break. By the end of your journey you have “scaled a whole mountain”.


Murtel.This is the midway lift point on your quest to Corvatsch. You will get a pretty good feel for the mountain. You can elect to ski back to Bad or in the opposite direction towards Furtschellas. Piz Nair is the peak which can be accessed from Dorf, and is the Bad’s equivalent of Corvatsch. It lies at the altitude of 3057m, on the opposite side of the mountain range. Reaching this peak is much less of an effort if you are staying in Dorf. This summit station also offers a café dinning experience with balcony views of the Alps.To get there catch a funicular heading to Corviglia.

Marguns. This is the midway point on your quest to the top of the mountain range. You can either ski down here from the Corviglia region, or be whisked here by a gondola from Celerina. Nice expanse of scenery awaits you here, views spanning beyond the St MoritzRegion.

If you want to explore glacial skiing, check the Diavolezza-Morteratsch Glacier out.

If you are a cross-country skier this place must be close to paradise. There are trails on top of trails. The cross country neighborhood covers St Moritz, Celerina, Maloja, Pontresina, Samedan, Bever, and Madulain just to name a few.

Family Rating for St Moritz Ski Resort**1/2

• Getting There.You can take the train from Zurich (new express about 40min, otherwise 3hrs+)If you would like to check out the official swiss train timetable, follow this link. Otherwise bus or self drive options are excellent choices as well.
  
  
• Creche. Main hotels have child minding facilities, Kurhaus in Bad and Schweizerhof in Dorf. There is a child pick up service available for 3 year olds and up.Badrutt Palace Hotel has kindergarten facilities open between 9.3am and 9.30pm.
  
  
• Ski Hire. Available at both parts of St Moritz. Ski schools for children are also available.
  
  
• Cafes.Some restaurants provide minor attractions to keep little children amused, but we have not seen any which are specifically build for children.
  
  
• Proximity to Ski Lifts. The skiable terrain is difficult to access with little children. The easiest approach is to stay in Dorf in little chalets hidden behind the hotels.Corviglia offers more beginners runs for your troopers.

  
  
  
  

Food
Very good quality, with the price tag to match. Swiss have more of an international quisine, hence all hotels elect to indulge their senses to various country's recipes . To follow with the old tradition of a shepherd’s meal, try good winter food ,fondue ( melted cheese, served as a food dip).

Accommodation
See if any one hotel offers ski packages, as that may be the best way to go. The adjacent town of Celerina may offer cheaper accommodation.

Enjoy St Moritz Ski Resort for the scenery and the variety of winter sports it brings you. Soak up some glamour and cover vast mountain regions whilst skiing.

From St Moritz Ski Resort back to skiing Europe.