Once upon a time in Switzerland, there was a hotelier Johannes Badrutt and a group of aristocratic group of merchants and landowners along with other elite people as well. The incident took place on the evening of September month in St. Moritz in the year 1984.
As the vacationers sat around the fire at the Kulm Hotel, the Swiss manager grabbed the golden opportunity because somewhere back in mind, he was fearing. The dread was the fact that he was to return to the dreaded foggy London Winter.
The hotelier challenged the visitors with an exclamation, “Your Holiday Here in Summer.” and he did this over a bottle of Veltliner red wine. He also asked them, “Why not enjoy the mountains year-round? Winter is so pleasant that on beautiful days you can even walk without a jacket.”
The Englishmen were too lured by the blemish-free skies. Also, the backdrop of the lofty peaks seemed exciting to them. So calculating the risks and losses, they decided to accept the deal. Up until then St. Moritz had been a moderate hiking destination at the time of July and August as well.
But what happens if Badrutt’s promise would be broken? The hotelier would be paying the total expenses of their journey of the Inn and their winter-long stay. So there was no choice of losing. And they accepted the challenge, and the deal was done.
In the mid-December of the same year, that group had arrived in Switzerland. Towards the end of their journey that lasted for a week, they marched for their onward journey on a horse-pulled sled. Wrapped from head to toe in fur, they crossed the 2,284 m Julier Pass. It was a 2-day Alpine crossing, linked with Chur, Rhine Valley to Engadine Valley, southeastern Switzerland.
By the time they reentered St. Moritz, there were clear skies, and they were sweating profusely as well. On the other hand, the jacketless Badrutt was beaming with joy and was ready to greet those group of men.
And that is it!! Badrutt won the bet, and the Englishmen stayed on there until March as paying guests. The word quickly spread about the Champagne Climate of St. Moritz.
So the concept of winter holidays had taken the birth here. If you are a die-hard traveler, then grab the latest winter holiday offers with Premier Inn and redeem the same so that you are able to save your hard-earned money.
Simultaneously, the winter sports viz. Horse racing, Polo, and Cricket along with Cresta Run, Olympic Bob Run, and others are also famous. The first curling tournament that was held on the European continent was over the frozen Lake St Moritz. In 1882, the first ever European Ice-Skating Championship took place.
If you are up to the story of the St. Moritz, then you will get to notice that not only it is about tourism, but it is also about the social transformation as well. Johannes Badrutt may be forgotten, but nobody would forget his long-lasting impact.
