Badrutt's Palace
VIP access
racing car on the ice
concierge throughout
The Stillness and the Speed
Every late January the frozen Lake St. Moritz becomes a racetrack. The ICE St. Moritz brings some of the most valuable racing cars ever built, Ferrari 250 GTO, Aston Martin DB4 GT, Porsche Carrera RS, Maserati Birdcage, out onto the ice to drift, slide and occasionally crash at 1,800 metres. This is not a concours where cars sit polished and static. Engines run. Tyres drift on ice with near-zero traction. Naturally aspirated V12s echo off the surrounding peaks.
The base is Badrutt's Palace, directly above the lake where it all happens. VIP access gets you into a heated pavilion close enough to smell the fuel and speak to the owners between runs, guided access to the cars themselves, and the part that sets this trip apart: a day when you take the wheel of a vintage racing car on the ice, under professional instruction. This is automotive theatre meeting alpine absurdity, and you are not just watching. You are participating.
Around the event the five nights leave room for Corviglia skiing, Michelin-starred dinners, the spa, and the particular mix of mechanical passion and alpine luxury that defines the week. Five nights at the property that has shaped St. Moritz winter culture since 1896.
VIP access is not general admission. It is a heated pavilion with proximity that lets you smell the fuel, hear the engines, and speak directly with drivers and owners between runs. Guided tours give you access no traditional car show offers: a Ferrari 250 GTO worth over $70 million, Aston DB4 GTs, a 300 SL Gullwing, period Formula 1, all original, all driven, the owners explaining why they choose to risk these irreplaceable machines on a frozen lake rather than keep them safe in a garage.
The day you take the wheel. A vintage racing car on the frozen lake, under professional instruction, learning firsthand why controlling 400-plus horsepower on near-zero traction is a discipline most drivers never develop. A briefing first, then the ice itself: gentle inputs, the first slides, building toward corners and, once you have the basic control, timed laps. You will not master it in an hour. You will understand exactly how hard it is, and have a story few people can match.
The closing day, when the demonstrations intensify: faster laps, more aggressive driving, awards for fastest time, best control and most spectacular drift. The last chance to get close to the cars and the people who drive them, and a combination of priceless machinery, frozen lake and absolute commitment that feels both absurd and magnificent.
The address that defined St. Moritz.
Two of the most storied hotels in the Alps sit at opposite ends of the same frozen lake. Badrutt's Palace is the base, directly above the ice where the event runs; the Kulm, the hotel that invented the winter season, is the alternative for guests who want something less formal and more sporting.
Badrutt's Palace defines St. Moritz as much as the frozen lake or the surrounding peaks. Opened in 1896, it has hosted European royalty, Hollywood, and the kind of wealth that does not require announcement, its tower visible across the valley. The Junior Suite with Lake View, around 50 square metres, looks straight down at the ice track: from the suite you watch the cars positioned in the morning, the practice runs through the day, and the infrastructure lit at night. The Palace Wellness spa runs to 2,000 square metres.
Suite Junior Suite Lake View. Approximately 50 sqm. Floor-to-ceiling lake views, antique furnishings, marble bathroom with separate tub and shower.
The Kulm opened in 1856 and quite literally invented alpine winter tourism: owner Johannes Badrutt challenged his summer guests to return in winter, they did, and the world followed. It sits at the opposite end of the lake, equally prestigious but less formal, more athletic, deeply rooted in sporting tradition. The Piz Nair Suite is a 47 square metre corner with wraparound windows across the lake to the Engadin and Piz Nair beyond.
Suite Piz Nair Suite. 47 sqm. Corner position, wraparound windows, marble bathroom with deep soaking tub.Helicopter skiing
Off-piste terrain unreachable by lift, with a professional guide, safety equipment and helicopter charter included. Weather dependent, half or full day.
Glacier Express
The scenic train from St. Moritz to Zermatt via Chur, Andermatt and Brig: eight hours, 91 tunnels, 291 bridges, in Excellence Class with a five-course lunch and wine pairings. Can replace the departure transfer.
Cresta Run
The historic skeleton toboggan run dating to 1884: a coaching session, then supervised runs down the 1,212-metre ice track at speeds past 130 km/h. Genuinely demanding and not for the faint-hearted.
Segantini Museum
A private viewing of Giovanni Segantini's alpine landscape paintings, outside public hours, with an art historian guide.
Event Access & Ice Driving
The ICE St. Moritz dates are announced roughly six months ahead, and VIP packages and ice driving sessions sell out quickly; this is a limited-capacity event by design. The driving session requires a signed liability waiver and a valid driver's licence. Instructors hold the safety margins throughout, but the activity involves controlling powerful vintage cars on ice, so spins and slides are normal, and comprehensive travel insurance with activity coverage is mandatory.
Altitude & Cold
St. Moritz sits at 1,856 metres and some guests feel mild altitude effects on the first day, which is why the arrival evening is kept light. Late January to early February runs from -15°C to -2°C with real wind chill on the lake; the pavilion is heated, but warm cold-weather gear is needed for the moves between hospitality and the track edge.
OTHER EXPERIENCES
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Como, ItalyLake Como: The Pearl of Northern ItalyA lakeside escape defined by beauty and indulgence -
St Moritz, SwitzerlandThe Sport of Kings on Ice - St Moritz: Winter Polo4 Nights, 5 Days
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