Relaxing in the sun above Arosa in the 1940s (Keystone)
Keystone
Off-piste freedom in Les Diablerets in 2009 (left) and in 1935 (Keystone/Dokumentationsbibliothek St Moritz)
Keystone
A sledge with benches: the first ski lift, Crans-Montana in circa 1930 (Mediathèque Valais Martigny)
Mediathèque Valais Martigny
A romantic race? Miss Barclay has two men under her control at the Village Run in St Moritz in 1913. (St. Moritz Tobogganing Club Archive London)
St. Moritz Tobogganing Club Archive London
Busy day at the Crap-Sogn-Gion cable car line in Laax around 1970 (ETH-Bibliothek Zurich, archives)
ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Bildarchiv
Rendezvous on ice in front of Badrutt‘s Palace in St Moritz, circa 1900
Dokumentationsbibliothek St. Moritz
PR-gag in St Moritz: Alfred Hitchcock, ready to jump out of a cable car (Optik Photo Rutz AG/Tony Rutz)
Optik Photo Rutz AG/Tony Rutz
Gunter Sachs (right, in red Raichle Fiber Jet ski boots) and Jean-Paul Belmondo, in St Moritz in 1975 (Dokumentationsbibliothek St. Moritz)
Dokumentationsbibliothek St. Moritz
Snowy dunes shaped by skiers in Davos in 1970 (Dokumentationsbibliothek Davos)
Dokumentationsbibliothek Davos
Swiss ski jumper Andri Ragettli at the Gstaad World Cup slopestyle qualification in 2014 (Keystone)
Keystone
Hats for everyone: Zurich children at a ski camp in 1977. The hats came from SKA, a credit institute. (Keystone)
Keystone
Snow cannon in action in Arosa in 2007 (Keystone)
Keystone
Sunbathing on a glacier, at Plaine Morte near Crans-Montana, circa 1970 (left). At right, a 1967 ad for Molitor leather ski boots
Deprez Photo, Crans Montana/Schweizerische National-Bibliothek/Mark Jeker
Ice skating in Davos in the 1920s (Keystone)
Keystone
Ski mountaineers on the Rätikon area of canton Graubünden in 2011 (Keystone)
Keystone
In the mid-1800s, the snow-covered Alps were primarily unexplored. Then people discovered the healing powers of the wholesome and dry winter mountain air. Patients with lung problems went to the mountains to recover, and when they did, they embraced the joys of snowy fun – launching the birth of winter tourism.
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Gaby Ochsenbein worked at Swiss Radio International and later at SWI swissinfo.ch from 1986 to 2018. She lives in Bern.
The resorts of St Moritz and Davos in canton Graubünden were pioneers in the field of winter tourism – not just in Switzerland, but worldwide. Most of the first tourists came from Britain, but there were some from Germany as well. This was when the first ice rinks, toboggan runs and legendary palatial hotels were built. Horse racing on snow and ice was popular. Later, people came to ski as well.
The fact that Switzerland is now a hotspot for winter sports also has to do with its geographical location and beautiful mountain scenery, including peaks like Piz Bernina, the Matterhorn, and the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.
The mountain world has changed over the years: now there are more roads, railways and holiday homes. Tourism has altered the nature of the Alps. What remains is the bright light, the clear air and the white snow – even if some of it is man-made.
The book Snow, Sun and StarsExternal link was released in 2014 by the Neue Zürcher Zeitung publishing house. It is available in German and English.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
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You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.