Engadin Valley Sports and Entertainment
There is a famous Olympic Bob Sled run in St. Moritz/Celerina. The only remaining natural ice bobsleigh track made with only snow and water. There are national and international races every weekend for 2-men and 4-men bobs. If you are a thrill-seeker (I'm not) take a guest ride with an experienced pilot. You get a certificate, photo and pin (about $140 for the thrills and chills). Or for experienced bob sledders, you can get a temporary membership and speed down the Cresta Run yourself on a small racing tobaggan. (Around $360 for 5 runs.) All this may sound expensive but if this is your sport, it's worth every dollar. For people like us, just stand around this course and watch the pros zoom by.
The various Engadin villages maintain and prepare over 100 miles of paths and promenades in the winter. We snowshoed into the Val Roseg along with too many walkers of all ages to count. Everyone out for a stroll in the sun. There were also cross-country skiers, horse drawn sleighs, parents pulling children on sleds, all headed to the Roseg Glacier Restaurant about 9 kms/6 miles each way. A private sleigh there and back runs around $120. (Nothing is cheap in Switzerland. Nothing has ever been cheap in Switzerland but what fun to actually take a horse-drawn sleigh ride.)
It was incredibly beautiful in the Val Roseg with streams, snow-capped mountains, the sleigh bells jing-jing-jingling by and the hot high-altitude sun keeping everyone nice and toasty.
You don't need any special equipment to walk the trails. Some people buy little crampons that fit over your boots and give more traction and others just use their regular snow boots. We were on snowshoes.
There is also snow-karting, sledging, Heli-skiing, the Swiss Mountain Climbing School, ice rinks, indoor swimming pools, horseback riding, curling rinks and centers...not forgetting our favorite pasttime...eating...especially, Raclette.
Raclette consists of a special semi-firm, salted cheese made from cow's milk, melted to a very gooey consistency. You scrape this melted cheese off a big hunk onto boiled new potatoes. A green salad, pickles and other condiments, along with dried meats are usually served along with it. A bottle of red wine and we are in hog-heaven. So very, very, very good that my mouth waters just thinking about Raclette.
If known of the above (with the exception of eating) appeals to you, just take one of the mountain railways or huge gondolas up to the top of a mountain, sit in the sun, eat, drink and people watch. In Pontresina, the Crast'Ota Sun Terrace gives you a free deck chair and woolen blanket. Sit and pretend you are rich, famous and in a James Bond movie.
