Cresta Run & St Moritz

St. Moritz is the oldest winter sports resort in the world, and has been host to two Winter Olympics and three Alpine Ski World Championships. The resort enjoys one of the most spectacular settings in the Alps, situated on the Upper Engadine lakes. In winter, the frozen lakes play host to a diverse and eccentric range of activities, from polo and horse racing to ice cricket, but the highlight of the trip is taking on the famous Cresta Run.

Beginners start from a point approximately a quarter of the way along the course and are encouraged to go down in a time of between 65 and 75 seconds.

If beginners follow instructions, they will negotiate the Cresta successfully, but ignoring the expert advice will almost certainly result in total loss of control and an airborne exit at Shuttlecock Corner, the most famous – and feared – point of the Run.

Ride the Cresta in the morning, then head off to an Alpine restaurant for a traditional meal. Some of the best restaurants are only accessible by horse-drawn sledge. Wrapped in a fur blanket, guests are pulled along the crisp snow under frosted fir trees.

Other than the Cresta run, you can enjoy a number of alternative winter activities, including skiing, dog sledding, snow-shoeing, or curling. In the evening soak up the resort's great nightlife and cosmopolitan ambience.

There is a catch – this particular run is only open to male riders. The last lady to ride in a race was in 1925. However ladies are allowed to ride on one day of the season, typically the last day, in what is called the Wendy Baines trophy.