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.
Winter Ski Deals in Graubünden
I am a great fan of the winter sports resorts in Graubünden, and will be spending the Christmas period in the canton. It is probably the most complete ski and snowboard destination in the world, but it caters well for ever type of visitor – including the budget conscious.
This season Graubünden once again has a range of excellent deals. The season starts on 18th October 2014 on the Diavolezza in the Engadine, which celebrates 150 years of winter tourism. On 22nd November, Corvatsch and Corviglia in St Moritz open. Progressively other resorts open, with Arosa, Samnaun, Flims Laax Falera and Davos Klosters opening in November.
A great deal for getting there is the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) offer, “Railhit 2 for 1” in which two people travelling together from Monday to Thursday only pay for one if they are hotel guests or in self-catering accommodation. The offer lasts from 8th December 2014 to 10th April 2014. RailHit is not valid on a handful of special services, including the pass associated with using the Preda-Bergün sledging slope.
For 35 SFr per person per day for visits of at least two nights, a ski pass is included with accommodation at participating hotels in and around St Moritz.
Arosa once again features the “Ski School Included” for youngsters staying in the resort, whereby lessons are available at no charge.
Now linked to Arosa, Lenzerheide gives you a free lift pass if you book a stay at any time between 28th of November to the 20th December.
Up until 21st December 2014 you also get a complimentary ski pass for slopes in Davos Klosters for every overnight stay in a partner hotel in the area. From 20th December until 6th April the resorts are also offering a local insider to accompany you and show you the best of the mountains. Remember also that Ski Club of Great Britain members still can ski or snowboard for free with a Ski Club representative.
More details on these and other offers are posted at the Graubünden Tourism website.
There are also the usual range of budget options if you are going to Graubunden, with some excellent hostels and budget hotels. Check out the Winter Sports Accommodation Guide.
Sie haben Ski-Sprache zu verstehen?
And now for some German to use in a ski resort. Much of Austria and all of Swiss German-speaking Switzerland, speak in a dialect all but incomprehensible to a High German speaker. Fortunately they learn High German at school and will understand and welcome your attempts to communicate in the language. In Romansh areas, High German is also understood.
| General Phrases | |
| Careful! | Vorsicht! |
| Help! | Hilfe! |
| Avalanche! | Lawine! |
| Attention! | Achtung! |
| Sorry! | Sorry! |
| Excuse me. | Entschuldigen Sie. |
| Please. | Bitte. |
| Thank you | Danke / Merci (CH) |
| Hello | Grützi (CH) / Grüss Gott (A) |
| Do you speak English? | Sprechen Sie Englisch? |
| At the ski or snowboard school… | |
| I would like lessons | Ich möchte Unterricht |
| ski lessons | Skikurse |
| snowboard lessons | Snowboardkurse |
| private tuition | Nachhilfe |
| an English-speaking instructor | ein Englisch sprechender Lehrer |
| At the lifts… | |
| I want a lift pass for 1 day. | Ich will einen Skipass für einen Tag. |
| I want a lift pass for 1 week. | Ich will einen Skipass für eine Woche. |
| In a ski shop… | |
| ski boots | Skischuhe |
| ski poles | Skistöcke |
| skis | Ski |
| a snowboard | ein Snowboard |
| snowboard boots | Snowboardschuhe |
| ski gloves | Ski-Handschuhe |
| ski goggles | Skibrille |
| socks | Socken |
| sun cream | Sonnencreme |
| lip salve | Lippensalbe |
| I’d like to hire skis. | Ich möchte Skier mieten. |
| I’d like to buy a snowboard. | Ich würde gerne ein Snowboard kaufen. |
| How much is that? | Wie viel ist das? |
| Can you write it? | Können Sie es schreiben? |
| My boots hurt me. | Meine Stiefel verletzt mich. |
| My shoe size is… | Meine Schuhgrösse ist … |
| I weigh… | Ich wiege … |
| I want to ski. | Ich möchte fahren. |
| I want to snowboard. | Ich möchte Snowboard. |
| I am a beginner. | Ich bin ein Anfänger. |
| I am an intermediate. | Ich bin ein Zwischen. |
| I am advanced. | Ich bin fortgeschritten. |
| Some phrases you might need on the slopes… | |
| Where is… | Wo ist … |
| cable car | Drahtseilbahn |
| gondola | Gondel |
| chairlift | Sessellift |
| draglift | Schlepplift |
| ski bus | Skibus |
| train | Zug |
| restaurant | Restaurant |
| self-service restaurant | Selbstbedienungs-Restaurant |
| piste map | Pistenplan |
| blue run | blaue Piste |
| red run | rote Piste |
| black run | schwarze Piste |
| off-piste | abseits der Piste |
| closed piste | geschlossenen Piste |
| no entry | kein Einlass |
| icy | eisig |
| snow | Schnee |
| powder | Pulver |
| mogul | Mogul |
| rock | Rock |
| tree | Baum |
| And afterwards in the bar… | |
| beer | bier |
| red wine | rotwein |
| white wine | Weisswein |
| mulled wine | Glühwein |
| A beer, please | Ein Bier, bitte |
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? |