It's 150 years since St Moritz hotelier Johannes Badrutt bet a group of departing British summer tourists that if they came back and stayed that winter they'd enjoy a sunnier, healthier winter than in damp foggy London – despite the reputation the Alps had back then in wintertime as a hoe of demons and devils.
Mr Badrutt won his bet, the English tourists reported back what a great time they'd had and within 20 years St Moritz was a celebrated winter destination and the great and the good were arriving en masse leading Mr Badrutt to have to build ever bigger and better hotels. That bet is widely seen as having started winter tourism worldwide, downhill skiing arrived a few decades later and the fore runner of the alpine technique in the first years of the twentieth century.
St Moritz plans to celebrate the anniversary all winter with events and promotions in resort and on the slopes.
In the Corviglia sector guests will find the history of 150 years of winter tourism displayed from the valley station (Chantarella) right to the top of the Corviglia.
The so called "Free Fall" section at the start of the resort's men's downhill run, the steepest in the world, will be open to the skiing and boarding public for the first time and there will be an extension of the Funslope for beginners.
There will also be a new attraction called "Skiline" on which skiers will be able to automatically film their descent and download it afterwards.
For the latest information on celebratory events, St Moritz has set up a page at:
http://www.engadin.stmoritz.ch/winter/en/activities/scintillating-st-moritz/150-years-of-winter-tourism/