ST. MORITZ DOWNHILL AND CROSS COUNTRY SKI HOLIDAY
Feb 6 -15, 2004
The Trip:
Located about four hours southeast of Zurich, the towns of Pontresina, Samedan and St.
Moritz form a triangle at about 5200 feet in the heart of the Swiss Alps. This area, known
as the Upper Engadine (or Graubunden) is a world-famous ski mecca for both alpine and
cross country skiers. Magnificent mountains over 12000 ft. soar over both sides of a
long, wide valley, dotted with lakes, picturesque villages, and side valleys. At these
altitudes, snow is usually reliable. This area boasts incredibly diverse skiing -- from
novice to challenging -- as well as a swinging nightlife. In addition to skiers, this trip
will appeal to winter walkers, skaters, sledders, photographers, and lovers of fine cuisine,
wines, chocolates and camaraderie. Replacing the original local language of Romansch,
German is now the principal language of this region, but almost everyone speaks English
as well as French and Italian, so you'll have little or no trouble being understood.
To maximize our Swiss skiing time, we leave for Zurich on Friday evening either from
Boston's Logan or New York's JFK Airport. From Zurich Airport, we travel by chartered
bus to our three-star hotel in Pontresina, a colorful Engadine village just minutes away
from St. Moritz, arriving around 2:00 PM Saturday. We’ll get settled in, buy our ski
passes, and rest up for the next week’s activities.
Alpine Skiing:
The Upper Engadine boasts 250 miles of well-marked, groomed downhill runs on six
major mountains with 57 lifts, mostly cable cars and mountain trains. The vertical drop is
5,135 ft., from an altitude of 10,834 ft. The longest run is 6 miles. 25% of the downhill
slopes are rated Beginner: 50% (Blue); Intermediate (Red); and 25% Expert (Black). An
excellent transportation network of trains and buses, included in your ski pass,
interconnects all the mountain base stations and villages.
XC Skiing:
130 miles of groomed XC trails tempt XC classic skiers of all levels. Alongside at least
half of these trails run broad skating-style XC trails. So you can take your pick! Some of
the terrain features gradual rises and falls, often wending over lakes. Others such as the
Engadine marathon, contain challenging hills. Light waxless touring skis and boots with
good support are the equipment of choice. If some off-trail skiing appeals to you, bring
firmer boots and backcountry skis. Wherever we go, we'll find cozy restaurants with sun
terraces for lunch, coffee or a snack. Some of our favorite XC trails are:
 Rosegg Valley to the Hotel Roseggletscher (14 km roundtrip). Admire the
spectacular peaks and the Rosegg Glacier. Have lunch. Or add a 5 km. loop up to the
glacier.
 Bus to Maloja and ski over pine-covered slopes and several lakes back to St. Moritz.
 Ski parts of the 42-km. Engadine Marathon course.
Other Attractions:
The St. Moritz-Samedan-Pontresina area has many attractions in addition to skiing:
Winter walking on 125 miles of plowed paths.
Free outdoor ice skating and curling
Sledding at Muottas Muragl and between Prada and Berguns -- 5 km.
Romantic horse-drawn sleigh rides up beautiful side valleys
Snowshoeing trips
Many lively and friendly bars and discos
Charming tea/coffee houses with tempting pastries
Nearby indoor Olympic-sized swimming pool
Folk Museums and the local painter Segatini Museum
Day trips to the medieval town of Poschiavo, Italy on the Bernina Express
Our groups include both singles and couples, usually ranging in age from 35 to 65.
Occasionally we've have participants who are younger or older, and families. We
encourage everyone to mix around at meals, get to know all the other participants, and
share apres-ski activities. Of course, you're always free to take a rest day or pursue your
own interests whenever you choose. Flexibility and diversity are important to your
enjoyment of your vacation! We encourage your individual contributions of capabilities,
cooperation and good humor to enrich the group's experience.
Trip Cost:
The trip cost is $2095 per person, double occupancy.
Costs covered are:
 Round trip economy fare to and from Zurich Airport.
 Charter bus round trip between Zurich Airport and Pontresina Sporthotel.
 All breakfasts and dinners.
 All accommodations, including tax, service charge, and tips, on a double occupancy
basis.
Costs not covered are:
 Lunches. We can make our own or stop for a restaurant lunch.
 Mineral water, alcoholic beverages, and after-dinner tea or coffee, since individual
tastes here vary.
 XC ski pass is about $20 for the week, plus $2 for XC trail map.
 Alpine skiers' all-lift regional pass runs about $200 for 7 days for adults. A 6-out-of 8 days adult ski pass runs about $190, in case you plan to take a day off for rest or
sight-seeing. Free bus, rail and swimming pool are included.
 REGA helicopter rescue insurance for Alpine skiers: about $25.00
 Bus or trainfare for XC skiers. There is a regional pass for 70 SF per person.
 Entrance fees to museums, concerts, or other activities.
 Ski school and/or guide fees.
The trip will be run on a non-profit basis; funds paid in excess of actual expenses and a
modest 12% of the expenses (excluding air transportation) contribution to the AMC will
be refunded to the participants. The price assumes plane tickets may be purchased on a
favorable basis quoted by our travel agent, who cautions that the best prices will
disappear as time passes. Please keep in mind that if the leaders have to pay a wide
variety of ticket prices for the participants, those whose tickets are less expensive will
receive larger refunds if trip expenses are less than anticipated. As leaders, our goals for
the group are to have fun, stretch your skills, and savor a foreign culture safely, easily, at
reasonable cost and in the company of other adventurers with similar interests.
Ski Abilities:
XC skiers should be in good physical condition and be at least good intermediate skiers.
XC skiers must have solid technical skills (as a minimum, herring-boning up steep hills,
strong snow plowing and turning for downhill control, smooth striding and gliding, and
stamina for 12-20 km per day).
Alpine skiers should be able to ski intermediate trails comfortably, using stem christie or
preferably parallel technique, at reasonable speed and under control over both smooth
and moguled slopes. Moreover, you should have sufficient technique to be able to
descend black diamond trails or double black diamond trails safely, even if with less style
and speed, and manage a variety of high-speed lifts. In the Alps slopes are typically
broad, long, and sometimes steep.
Participants who are less advanced or much more advanced than the above technical
levels can ski on their own or join a ski school class (these are offered Monday through
Friday at reasonable cost). We'll be happy to assist with recommendations.
Accommodations and Meals:
We'll be staying at the attractive three-star Pontresina Sporthotel (80 rooms) which is
conveniently located near shops, tea rooms, and other hotels. The frequent inter-village
buses and ski bus stop just down the street and the Pontresina train station is a 5-minute
walk down the hill. Nearby is the Pontresina XC Ski Center and the start of several
beautiful XC ski trails are just a short walk away.
The Pontresina Sporthotel has newly renovated rooms, all with private bath; a piano bar
and large lounge on the first floor where we meet for drinks before dinner, a beautiful
fitness center overlooking the mountains featuring a sauna with aromatherapy, whirlpool,
steam bath,, and solarium, and a fine dining room. Every evening we'll have a five-course
dinner (first course, soup, salad buffet, main course of meat with winter vegetables, and
dessert). An alternate "wellness" (vegetarian) main course is available. Fine Swiss wines
and beers are available at your expense. Full extended buffet breakfasts include juices,
fruit, cereal, muesli, yogurt, breads, jams, tea, coffee or hot chocolate, cheeses and
coldcuts. You can see pictures of the Sporthotel on the internet at www.pontresinasport.ch.
We've reserved double rooms, each with private bath, telephone, and TV. If you're
traveling alone, we'll match you with another participant to share a double room. There
are a few single rooms available, but they require a single supplement.
Transportation:
The trip will start and finish at major east coast airports. Tickets from Boston, Newark,
and Baltimore are available; other major airports may be possible. We will leave the US
Friday night February 6th, and return to the US on Sunday February 15th.
We will make flight arrangements. However, if you wish to extend your stay in Europe,
either before or after our trip, let us know prior to booking the tickets and we will alter
your departure and return dates. Once you have received your ticket, it will be your
responsibility to maintain and/or alter it, if necessary.
Leaders
Phil Mecagni has been a member of the AMC since 1983. He took Winter
Mountaineering training in 1997, Leadership training in 1998, and Major Excursion
training in 2000. He is presently; the Bike Trip Coordinator for 40+ and an instructor at
Ski Committee Winter Workshops. He is an active bike and ski weekend trip leader. He
has extensive experience in both alpine and backcountry skiing, having participated in
numerous trips to Europe, Canada, and western US.
Ken Samoylenko has been a member of the AMC since 1993. He took leader training in
1999. He is a very active bike and ski weekend trip leader, running several 3-4 day trips
throughout the year. He is presently the Weekend Trip Coordinator for the 40+
Committee. Ken has extensive experience in both alpine and crosscountry skiing,
including numerous trips to Europe.
Application
To apply, send a completed and signed Application and a $500 deposit check to Ken
Samoylenko, 256 Thoreau Street, Concord, MA 01742 or Phil Mecagni, PO Box 5,
Woodville MA 01784. A leader will contact you by phone, upon receiving your
application and deposit. Once an acceptance decision has been made, a leader will again
contact you. Your deposit check will not be cashed until your application is accepted.
The second and final payment: $1595.00 is due in by Nov. 15, 2003.
Questionnaire
This application is also a Questionnaire to be approved by a trip leader. The leaders
review the qualifications of the applicants, and approve all participants. Primary
concerns are that prospective participants have enough skiing experience, proper
conditioning, and have suitable gear.
Trip Size and Wait List
The trip is limited to 24, including the leaders, who reserve the right to select a smaller
group. Once the trip is full, prospective participants may be accepted to a wait list. The
deposit for waitlisted participants is $500. If an accepted participant cancels, the leaders
will look first to the wait list for an additional participant. The $500 wait list deposit will
be refunded to prospective participants not offered a space on the trip.
Cancellation/Refund Policy:
Refundable Amounts, if cancellation is received in writing by the dates below, are:
Date of Cancellation
Up thru Nov 15, 2003
Nov 16 thru Dec 31, 2003
Jan1 – Feb 6, 2003
Replacement Found
$450
$1000 + ticket
$1000 + ticket
Replacement not found
$450
$500 + ticket
$200 + ticket
Trip Insurance:
Trip insurance is highly recommended, since job requirements, illness, accidents or a
death in the family can interfere with your travel plans. We will provide information on
how to obtain trip insurance through the AMC.
St. Moritz Ski Trip 2004
Application
Name:
Date:
Street Address:
Home Phone:
City, State, Zip:
Work Phone:
E-mail Address:
Fax Phone:
Birthdate:
Sex:
AMC Member. Yes / No
Height:
Weight:
Membership # and exp date:
Will you be skiing: XC or Downhill ? Describe your ski control skills:
List some recent skiing experiences, with dates :
Other recent AMC or group trips/activities:
Describe any environmental knowledge, or other knowledge/talents you’d be willing to
share:
Describe any special medical physical or dietary considerations:
Information you wish to provide for the leaders, noting anything you wish to be
confidential:
Please remember that the accuracy of the above information will impact all in the group
during the trip. Use the back of this form if needed.
Mail with your deposit to:
Ken Samoylenko, 256 Thoreau Street, Concord, MA 01742, or
Phil Mecagni PO Box 5 Woodville MA 01784