St Moritz

St Moritz Skiing at Glance:
Vertical 4,300’
4 ski areas on 1 ski ticket
Summit Elevation 3,303-meters, 10,836’
350 kilometers of prepared slopes
59 lifts
40 on mountain chalets and restaurants

St. Moritz is a top luxury Swiss ski resort, with extraordinarily scenic Alps skiing at not one – but 4 ski areas! St Moritz ski village is high-end and high elevation, 1,800 meters above sea level, 5,900’ with a celebrity status wealthy clientele This pretty ski city is home to iconic 5-star hotels – The Kulm and Badrutt’s Place –overlooking Lake St Moritz, offering skiers the most luxe ski lodging in the heart of this famed alpine resort.

Yes, St Moritz is pricey, and posh, self-claimed “top 10 most expensive ski resort” with its bougie boutiques – Prada, Moncler, Cartier and every Swiss jeweler imaginable. Many visit St Moritz just to be seen, not really to ski. Promenading in fur, shopping and dining, attending parties, is foremost for glamorous winter guests versus sliding on snow. But the skiing is the true gem of St Moritz.

St Moritz skiing is the real deal. 350 kilometers of pistes (groomed marked ski trails) served by 59 lifts at four unique areas – all on one lift pass.

Corviglia is St Moritz’s primary ski mountain – reached from the village by funicular or gondola to an upper plateau of vast skiing, a modern 24-lift network, and breathtaking views of 4,000’ Alps all around this eastern Switzerland Engadin valley. Dozens of mountain chalets serve authentic Swiss fare – at classic Trutz, or fancy cocktails and charcuterie at White Marmot served on furry couches, with a DJ and dancing some afternoons.

Corviglia’s mountain air is fresh, the sky often brilliant blue, and the ski scenery is fairy-tale inspiring. Corviglia’s 155 kilometers of marked, groomed ski slopes area wide and well-groomed, while untouched inviting snow fields lay between pistes. The most famed terrain is up on the Piz Nair, the 3057-meter summit, 10,028’, reached by Tram. Here you glimpse St Moritz’s steep wild World Cup Downhill (and twice Olympic -1928, 1948) course.

The sun shines on Corviglia’s slopes from morning on, and on the many chalet decks where you will find folks lounging over lunch after their long ski runs. Ski from Corviglia’s summit all the way to town, St Moritz, for the full 4,300’ vertical and après ski accolades

Corvatsch is St Moritz second largest ski area across the Lake in neighboring Silvaplana. Corvatsch is St Moritz highest skiing at 3,303 meters, 10,836’. This mountain is fun for families, a bit less busy than Corvigila’s “house mountain”. Free riders love the huge terrain park near the summit, host of Silvaplana’s World Free Skiing annually. Corvatsch gets afternoon sun on its 35 marked pistes, served by a dozen ski lifts plus a base to summit tram. For on mountain dining, Alpetta chalet soaks up the sun on its terrace where you can sip a drink, or sit inside for their homemade alpine cuisine.

Diavolezza and Lagalb are the two smaller, but arguably steeper, big mountain ski areas of St Moritz, reached by car, bus or train.

Diavolezza skiers ride just one tram base to its 2978-meter summit, there’s also a short upper mountain chairlift, for three long undulating, exciting runs (north facing- so shaded with good snow quality) back to the humble base area. The “She Devil” (Diavolezza translated) views are wild – with brilliant blue glaciers surrounding you. Berghaus Diavolezza atop the tram, appropriately called Bellavista, has the “coolest” glacier views for a warm drink between runs.

The Morteratsch Glacier run lures free riders and off-piste skiers to descend the backside, – 5.2 miles through glowing ice fields, passing iridescent crevasse in to a valley, not for novices. Its an epic run, all the way to the Nordic trail run out that leads you to the train station to return to Diavolezza’s tram base. This “Langste Gletscherabfahrt” back-country expedition took us 45 minutes to ski, snapping many jaw dropping photos and videos on our way. Consider hiring a guide to explore this amazing glacier ski run.

Lagalb shares this valley, across the road from Diavolezza. You can ski to this 4^th St Moritz area, and ride the bus back. Lagalb’s one long tram from the rustic base climbs to 2983-meters, 9,700’, where the Alps stretch into Italy. Lagalb’s handful of steep swerving narrow runs are fast laps for the experienced skiers, mostly locals, who like to race their tram. Berghaus Lagalb at the summit is THE place to dine for its splendid views of Italy, and the highest Bernadina Peak at 4009-meters. Delicious Swiss Italian fare complements the setting.

Back in St Moritz, the centerpiece frozen Lake is a hub of daytime amusement – Nordic skiing, walking, and horse-drawn sleighs. Its also an upscale alpine party haven of winter polo and ski-joring – dubbed “The White Turf” and frequent catered glitzy Champagne fests throughout the fancy winter holidays.

St Moritz is also famous for its first bobsledding championships hosted in 1903, and the first golf tournament in the Alps in 1889.

St Moritz is rich (pun intended) in tourism tradition, originating as a mineral spring spa resort in the 1800s, long before anyone dreamed of schussing the snow-capped, sun-kissed peaks. Ski lifts didn’t grace these slopes until 1934.

Where to stay in St Moritz with 5000 hotels beds in St Moritz? So many 4 and 5 star hotels. The 1855 Kulm is the most posh and historic, even older than the iconic castle of Badrutts Palace– known as the “Grande Dame” of top Swiss hotels.

Après ski in St Moritz, its a parade of fabulous-ness at sidewalk cafes and at glam hotel bars. Evenings are lavish affairs with fancy dinners, jewelry fashion shows, followed by nightclubbing at secret spots of the celebs (Badrutt’s Cave – shhh), for those who didn’t ski all day, or don’t intend to tomorrow.

St Moritz is a must for an upscale downhill ski holiday, with four ski areas, and serious fun – with the proper funding to partake. Other nearby ski resorts to include in your Swiss Alps ski trip are Davos Klosters and Arosa Lenzerheide, Laax, Obersaxen, Brigels, Savognin, if you wish to make a Swiss ski safari. St Moritz is 200 km from Zurich, 170 km from Milan Italy.