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Frommer's Guide
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FEATURES AND EVENTS
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Winter in the Alps: St. Moritz Bubbles Over
by Randy Antin
Search Marketing Manager
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Getting There: Basic Train-ing for the Alps
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The best way to get to St. Moritz is by rail through soaring bridges, extraordinary gorges, amazing loop tunnels, and white glaciers. There are number of different trains from different cities around Switzerland, and all of them will provide a memorable journey.
The Glacier Express: Having the title of the slowest express train in the world would normally not be something to be proud of. Unless, of course, the route goes through some of the most impressive landscapes in the world. The Glacier Express passes through 91 tunnels and over 291 bridges as it makes a 125-mile journey from Zermatt to St. Moritz in a leisurely seven and a half hours.
The Bernina Express: The panoramic windows on the train make sure you won't miss any of the gorgeous scenery, from the valley of the young Rhine to regions of year-round snow. The route takes passengers through rising aqueducts, bizarrely curved tunnels, and the one of the steepest inclines anywhere (70 percent gradient!) used by trains that are not on a cogwheel system.
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During wintertime, a short list of the best playgrounds in the world dances on the tongues of people in the know. One of them stands out above the others. In fact, one of them is so well known that in 1986 the town decided to copyright its name in over 50 countries to make sure there would never be another town with its name.
 St. Moritz, huddled on the south side of the Alps in the Engandine Valley at 6,000 feet above sea level, has long been known as a fantasyland for the rich and famous. It is possibly the only place in the world where "champagne" is commonly used to describe the atmosphere. Surrounded by scenery including the highest mountain in the eastern Alps (Mt. Bernina at 13,000 feet) and having an absolutely stunning lake in its midst, St. Moritz has fascinated and delighted visitors for more than 3,000 years. And while what first attracted visitors were the healing mineral springs, today the clientele comes for some of the best skiing, winter events, and apres-ski on the planet.
 St. Moritz won the prestigious Golden Ski Award 2001, besting 600 other winter resorts on five continents. The five main ski resorts offer 55 mountain railways and lifts with 210 miles of slopes for fantastic skiing and snowboarding. There are also 90 miles of cross-country skiing trails. Away from the slopes, visitors will find the chance to try out skating, bobsledding, or curling. If you're really in the mood to try something different, break out your dark-colored golf balls and play a round of winter golf on the snow-covered course, or try to hold onto your toboggan on the Cresta Run, which carries you down, head-first, at speeds of over 85 miles an hour!
The Swiss love to take full advantage of their winter wonderland. Thus, there is no shortage of winter events in the Alps, and St. Moritz has its fair share. In the first week of February, the world championships of tobogganing and a winter cricket tournament (on snow!) bring spectators from all around the world. Every March, thousands of participants descend upon the neighboring town of Maloja, where they embark on the Engadin Ski Marathon. The competitors pass through St. Moritz in a virtual flood of people and equipment.
 But the events that really set St. Moritz apart from other resorts happen in February on the frozen lake. On the first three Sundays of February, the event known as White Turf is the center of attention. For three days, 25,000 visitors flock to St. Moritz to watch animals and jockeys take horse racing to the extreme by battling it out on the frozen lake. Numerous competitions highlight the event, which offers the highest purse in horse racing in the entire world. Exclusive to St. Moritz is the "skijoring"--a riderless horse tows a skier around the track. This is truly a unique spectacle that has to be seen to be believed. Also in February is the Gold Rush, a series of greyhound races. Only the fastest and strongest dogs and their trainers come here to compete for the crown of St. Moritz.
The entire resort underwent a facelift in preparation for the Alpine Ski World Cup Championships in 2003. The hotels and the town itself spent hundreds of millions of dollars to make improvements to the facilities, adding a new ice arena, indoor tennis and riding center, and a pedestrian area. And to continue to push the limits of entertainment and culture, the St. Moritz Tourist Board is constantly adding events to the already bursting calendar. What does this sudden influx of money and focus mean to today's guest? It means that visitors in the next few years will have the first opportunity to stay in the newest plush hotels and play in the resort that is truly the "dry, sparkling champagne" of ski resorts the world over.•
All articles are the exclusive property of Travelocity.com LP, and may not be reproduced in any format without Travelocity.com's express written permission.
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