One of the most exclusive events on the winter sporting calendar, the St. Moritz Snow Polo World Cup is still a great place to be even when the matches get cancelled, says Helen Dalley
“There are two rules of snow polo. The main rule is to follow the line of the ball. The second is to look good,” jokes Malcolm Borwick, onetime captain of the England polo team with more than 50 caps for his country, and who’s coached both Prince Harry and Prince William. He’s also the chairman of the World Polo Tour, which determines the handicaps of players globally.
With his tall, lean frame and deep tan, Borwick certainly looks the part as he runs through the basics of this exclusive sport to a group of VIPs on icy Lake St. Moritz. It’s a brilliantly bright winter’s day, the sun dazzling against the snow, as we practice swinging the wooden mallets behind our heads, first whacking the bright orange plastic ball as far as we can, then later through the goals, in a fun, frenzied game on foot.
Mounting a chestnut steed wearing shoes with winter soles and studs to stop them from slipping, I try to chip the ball as Borwick slowly leads my horse around the ice and patiently offers some pointers. As I dismount, I’m struck with admiration for the players of this tough, fast-paced sport that’s played out on a field covered with powdery snow. When the foray into snow polo is over, our party celebrates with a mid-morning shot of Royal Salute (it has a long association with the sport, and Borwick is an ambassador for the whisky brand) on the frigid lake in the shadow of Piz Nair, where skiers take the cable car to the top, then zoom down wide pistes.
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We’re here to watch the world’s only high-goal tournament on snow, the Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz, at the invitation of Flexjet, a US-based private aviation brand and event sponsor that’s in the ascendancy since the pandemic sent demand for private aviation rocketing. We touched down in Samedan Airport, a 10-minute drive from St. Moritz, the day before on a Gulfstream G650-ER – the plane of choice for Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Cristiano Ronaldo – from Farnborough, the largest business aviation airport in the UK. With Zurich Airport 144km away from the luxury alpine resort, Samedan sees a steady stream of traffic from the super-rich who don’t have time for lengthy transfers, and fly in for annual events, including the jazz festival and Ski World Cup in addition to the polo.
The 12-seater jet is capable of flying for up to 14 hours, and the Ruinart Rosé flows almost as soon as we’ve eased ourselves into the sumptuous cream leather seats, savouring the endless legroom. The impeccably turned-out cabin crew briefly glance at our passports then hand them back as we dig into salmon blinis, pastries, cheese and fruit for breakfast, then lunch, an exquisite platter of sushi from London’s The Little Fish Company. It’s one of the best things to eat at altitude as the umami flavours are enhanced.
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We check into the grande dame of St. Moritz hotels, the Kulm, the birthplace of winter tourism. In 1879, it became the first place in Switzerland with electric light. While it may lack the lively après-ski of Verbier or Zermatt, St. Moritz’s moneyed, old-school charm is irresistible, its steep, cobbled streets awash with designer labels, places to pick up artisan Swiss chocolate like Läderach and Hanselmann, and alfresco seating where you can savour the Engadin sun. Outside the IWC boutique, there are chairs covered with sheepskin throws, and over at the Palace Galerie Mall at Badrutt’s Palace, throngs of well-heeled visitors in designer shades are looking for their next purchase.
While the jetset still flock to St. Moritz – Claudia Schiffer, Liz Hurley, Kate Moss and Robert De Niro have all attended the snow polo in recent years – climate change is contributing to warmer weather and shortening Switzerland’s ski season. The Kulm staff member who escorts me to my room says it was -12 degrees the week prior to the snow polo, and it’s shot up to 7 degrees in the past week. The mild temperatures mean there’s a risk the horses could slip on the ice, so this year’s three-day event is limited to a penalty shoot-out, with luxe Canadian clothing brand Mackage seeing off competition from teams including Flexjet and the World Polo League.
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The snow polo may be curtailed but no one told the VIP tent, as guests clink flutes of Perrier-Jouët, puff on fat cigars in the smoking lounge and queue for samples of Oona, the first Swiss caviar from sturgeon bred in mountain spring water. Beyond the VIP tent – the event is free and open to all – the stands cheer when a player drives the vivid orange ball through the poles for a penalty, while the picnic benches outside the hospitality tents in the polo village are populated by a glamorous crowd wrapped up in expensive ski wear, sipping glasses of wine.
From the high slopes of Corvatsch, which frequently has powder until the end of April, to the rails and jumps at Corviglia snowpark, skiers and snowboarders have a diverse range of slopes to sample at St. Moritz. If you’d prefer a more sedate and contemplative diversion, then consider strapping on some snowshoes to explore the Upper Engadin mountains – there are marked circular routes starting from the Muottas Muragl top station, which is reached by funicular railway.
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We crunch our way along the Philosophers’ Trail, which offers views of St. Moritz, the neighbouring village Celerina, and the jagged peak of Piz Ot, which stands 3,426m tall. Thanks to the warm weather, we quickly shed hats and gloves and pause to stop at boards bearing quotes from those who’ve previously walked this way, including German philosopher Immanuel Kant and Swiss historian Meta von Salis.
Back on the funicular, we watch tobogganists boldly careering through pine and larch forests, then it’s time to leave behind the Kulm’s old school allure and step aboard the Glacier Express to Zurich. While the standard class cabins are so-so (you might want to upgrade to Excellence class, which features lounge seating, a guaranteed window seat and a five-course menu), being sandwiched between the Swiss Alps as the train crosses vertiginous viaducts more than makes up for it, as does catching glimpses of locals skiing and hiking in the shadow of ski lifts and traditional Swiss chalets along the 3.5-hour journey.
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We pull into Zurich railway station for the flight to Heathrow and queue to check our luggage in, take laptops out and get passports at the ready, fervently wishing we were back on the Gulfstream with a glass of Ruinart in hand.
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