Lake St. Moritz, or Lej da San Murezzan in Romansh, is a beautiful area for that summer morning or afternoon walk.  The lake measures approximately 1.6 km long and 0.6 km wide and depending on how fast a walker you are, it may take 1 to 1-1/2 hours to circumnavigate.  Photo enthusiasts will want to allow for additional time as the scenery is stunning and there are lots of picturesque scenes to be captured. 

The walk goes in a whole circuit and once you decide to embark on the track, the only way of getting back to your starting point is to complete the circuit or backtrack, i.e. there’s no shortcut back into town.

Lake Walk - St. Moritz

There is a club house by the lake and in summer, you may see sailing regattas and the odd optimistic fisherman bopping on the water, waiting patiently for a catch.  The lake freezes over from December to May and the place comes alive with all kinds of winter sports.  The first ice cricket tournament took place on the frozen lake in 1988.  The St. Moritz White Turf international horse races have been taking place on the lake in February each year since 1907. It’s hard to imagine the thundering hooves of horses on this normally very serene lake.  How solid is this ice that it can withstand the weight of horses pounding on it, and just to give you some confidence, what about the story of the English cricketer David Gower who parked his rental car on the ice in January 1990 only to find that it had broken through the ice and sank overnight.  Imagine having to explain to the car rental company that their car is at the bottom on the lake!

Sailing on St. Moritz Lake

Before we set out on our lake walk in summer, some mischievous friends told us that they had seen a python and marmots along the walk.  For a split second I believed them, and then realized they were pulling my leg when they expanded on their sightings to include bears and eagles.  You will actually see all these creatures, except that they are wooden carvings, some more realistic than others.  We walked the track in an anti-clockwise direction and saw Jim and others enjoying their cup of coffee at the club house in the beautiful morning sun.  It was tempting to join them and sit there to enjoy the scenery, but our conscience got the better of us and told us that we needed to walk.  There was a week-long sailing regatta happening on the lake and the sails of the boats added to picturesque scenery.

The weather can change quite dramatically here and the bright blue skies that we started out with soon got clouded over and it became quite cool. So, even in summer, it’s wise to bring along a jumper.  We prayed desperately that the grey clouds would blow over as we were due to go up to Piz Nair after lunch.

Helen

Travel Signposts Blog

St. Moritz is one of the world’s glitziest and most expensive ski resorts, deserving its reputation as the St. Tropez of ski resorts. Our tour director describes this place as a ski resort for the “chic-kie mickeys”, her description of the jetset types who have heaps of money to burn.

St. Moritz

In St. Moritz, you can buy everything from Chanel skis to Cartier diamonds in the swanky boutiques. We spotted a gold mobile phone with a CHF 22,000 price tag.  For such a compact town centre, the concentration of designer label boutiques is amazing.  Every shop window that you look at, there’s a label staring back at you, including names like Etienne Aigner – Bucherer – Bally – Cartier – Herve Leger – Ferrè – T.Mugler – Prada – Dolce Gabana – Gucci – Donna Karan – Calvin Klein – Jil Sander  – Jet Set – Versace – DKNY – Ralph Lauren – Giorgio Armani – Louis Vuitton – Escada – Bulgari – etc.  Why I wonder would anyone buy designer goods in St. Moritz when the choices are much better in Rome, Milan or Paris.
 
We were here in summer and the place was quiet and had a deserted feel about it.  The designer boutiques were devoid of customers, so certainly, the summer tourists aren’t the ones who come here for designer label shopping.   

St. Moritz accommodation

St. Moritz boasts some excellent skiing with outstanding views and an average of 322 days of sunshine a year. The town has two main districts: St. Moritz-Bad is the spa area located on the southwestern side of the lake, whilst St. Moritz-Dorf is on the northern side of Lej da San Murezzan. Most of the hotels are located in St. Moritz-Dorf or village, located above the northern shores .  The town centre is very small, and I’m amazed that it has the capacity to facilitate the winter Olympics.  It is modern and lacks the medieval charm of some of the more traditional Alpine ski resorts, however, what it lacks in charm, it more than makes up for in the stunning views over the lake and surrounding mountains.  For atmosphere and nightlife, St. Moritz-Dorf is the place to stay as most of the hotels, restaurants, bars and shops are located here. From here, there is direct access to Corviglia, the largest local ski area, and there are also several bus stations from which you can take the free shuttle service to the other mountains.  Ski enthusiasts will not doubt be familiar with St. Moritz – Corviglia, Corvatsch and Diavolezza which are known for their unforgettable skiing experiences. 

St. Moritz town centre

Snowfall has arrived early this year and with current temperatures ranging from Min / Max -20°C to -4°C, ski conditions are bound to get better.

Whilst St. Moritz is a winter paradise offering skiing, ice-skating, toboggoning and snowboarding, accompanied by après-ski fun, there are also lots of other activities happening in summer, e.g. polo competitions, sailing regattas, mountaineering and hiking. So if you’d like a “chic-kie mickey” ski experience, St. Moritz is the place to go.  Make sure you take lots of credit cards with you!

Helen

Travel Signposts Blog