"St. Moritz has a pedigree" according to travel writer Edward Peacock. About to celebrate its 150th anniversary, it first became a holiday ski destination in 1856 when hotelier Johannes Badrutt offered free bed and board to an elite selection of Brits if they spent a winter season in the summer-time Alpine resort. The group returned the following winter with more fun-seeking friends and St. Moritz was established as a ski resort.

Those who faithfully return year after year say its attraction comes from its combination of sophistication, service and sport. The world's first ski school was here...