Patrick Thorne writes for InTheSnow (http://www.inthesnow.com/feature/skiing-tracks-rich-famous/) about some of the celebrities who ski.
There are some interesting gems. Apparently Prince Charles took Princess Diana to learn to ski in Lichtenstein – presumably Malbun – to avoid the media expecting them at the Walserhof Hotel in Klosters, well known as a royal favourite. Prince Harry, it is claimed, prefers St Moritz, as does King Carl Gustav of Sweden. Charlie Chaplin was reputedly the first man to drive to St Moritz in the winter and Alfred Hitchcock kept a suite at the Palace Hotel for many years.
Sophia Loren, however, preferred Gstaad and the Gstaad Palace. David Niven was a near neighbour, choosing to winter in Chateau D’Oex.
I am not sure how many of the rich and famous actually ski at Davos during the World Economic Forum (21–24 January 2015), but you could do worse.
George Michael stayed at the Ferienart in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, 30 years ago to film the video for Last Christmas.
French words and phrases for skiers and snowboarders
As promised here are some useful phrases to get by in French-speaking ski resorts.
| General Phrases | |
| Careful! | Attention! |
| Help! | Aidez-moi! |
| Avalanche! | Avalanche! |
| Attention! | Attention! |
| Sorry! | Désolé! |
| Excuse me. | Excusez-moi. |
| Please. | S’il vous plaît. |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais? |
| At the ski or snowboard school… | |
| I would like lessons | Je voudrais leçons |
| ski lessons | cours de ski |
| snowboard lessons | cours de snowboard |
| private tuition | cours particuliers |
| an English-speaking instructor | un instructeur anglophone |
| At the lifts… | |
| I want a lift pass for 1 day. | Je veux passer un ascenseur pour un jour. |
| I want a lift pass for 1 week. | Je veux passer un ascenseur pour 1 semaine. |
| In a ski shop… | |
| ski boots | chaussures de ski |
| ski poles | bâtons de ski |
| skis | skis |
| a snowboard | un surf des neiges |
| snowboard boots | bottes de planche à neige |
| ski gloves | gants de ski |
| ski goggles | lunettes de ski |
| socks | chaussettes |
| sun cream | crème solaire |
| lip salve | pommade pour les lèvres |
| I’d like to hire skis. | Je voudrais louer des skis. |
| I’d like to buy a snowboard. | Je voudrais acheter une planche de snowboard. |
| How much is that? | Combien est-ce? |
| Can you write it? | Pouvez-vous écrire? |
| My boots hurt me. | Mes bottes me font mal. |
| My shoe size is… | Ma pointure est … |
| I weigh… | Je pèse … |
| I want to ski. | Je veux faire du ski. |
| I want to snowboard. | Je veux faire du snowboard. |
| I am a beginner. | Je suis un débutant. |
| I am an intermediate. | Je suis un intermédiaire. |
| I am advanced. | Je m’avançai. |
| Some phrases you might need on the slopes… | |
| Where is… | Où est … |
| cable car | téléphérique |
| gondola | gondole |
| chairlift | télésiège |
| draglift | téléski |
| ski bus | ski-bus |
| train | train |
| restaurant | restaurant |
| self-service restaurant | restaurant self-service |
| piste map | plan des pistes |
| blue run | piste bleue |
| red run | piste rouge |
| black run | piste noire |
| off-piste | hors-piste |
| closed piste | piste fermée |
| no entry | entrée interdite |
| icy | glacé |
| snow | neige |
| powder | poudre |
| mogul | mogul |
| rock | rock |
| tree | arbre |
| And afterwards in the bar… | |
| beer | bière |
| red wine | vin rouge |
| white wine | vin blanc |
| mulled wine | vin chaud |
| Can I have a beer? | Puis-je avoir une bière? |
Lifts in Switzerland
A few of my friends are doing a spot of summer skiing in Tignes and putting up annoying pictures of them enjoying themselves on Facebook. However I am not one for summer skiing – it just doesn’t seem right! And the nearest winter slopes are a long way away.
However that isn’t to say I am not thinking of where I will be skiing this Winter. My wife has already booked somewhere near Pizol, and I am getting a dribble of press releases ahead of the new season.
One of the more interesting press releases was from Seilbahnen Schweiz aka Remontées Mécaniques Suisses aka Funivie Svizzere aka Funiculars Svizras aka Swiss Cable Cars Association. They have put together an interactive site here where you can zoom in on the cable cars in Switzerland and click a link to take you to the home page of the respective operator.
150 Years of Winter Tourism
In the autumn of 1864, reputedly, Johannes Badrutt wagered some English summer guests the cost of their stay at the Hotel Kulm in St Moritz if they did not enjoy wintering there as much as they had enjoyed staying there over the summer. They arrived in time for Christmas and stayed through until Easter. In contrast to the gloomy, short, damp days of an English winter cooped up indoors, they were able to sit outside in the almost endless sunshine. Badrutt had won his bet, and with that the winter tourism industry was born.
That famous wager was made 150 years ago, and St Moritz will be celebrating it in style.
Winter tourism now vies with summer tourism in the Alps for the numbers of visitors and overnight stays. Badrutt and his son, Casper, went on to be responsible for a series of innovations, including coining the term Palace to describe a grand hotel and creating the world’s first bobsleigh course. And, of course, Badrutt’s Palace to this day remains one of the most iconic hotels in the world, and St Moritz the epitome of winter holiday resorts.