On three Sundays every February, thoroughbreds race on a track ploughed into the snow on the frozen lake. It has happened since 1907.
The ice on Lake St. Moritz is usually around fifty centimetres thick by February, which is enough to hold a grandstand, a restaurant tent, a betting hall and thirty thousand people. The track is ploughed into the snow and rolled flat; the horses wear special shoes.
The race to watch
Skikjöring. A rider-less horse gallops at full speed, pulling a skier on a long rope behind it. It is the oldest race of the meeting and the one that brings people to the rail. Whoever wins all three Sundays is crowned King of the Engadin.
Wear more than you think you need. The sun is warm, but you are standing on ice, and the cold comes up through your boots after an hour. We lend sheepskins and keep a flask of tea at reception on race days.
Getting there
It is a ten-minute walk down from the hotel, or you can watch the finish from the balconies of the Lake Rooms. We reserve tables in the restaurant tent for guests who ask by January.
