Switzerland, October 2016: The Kulm Hotel St. Moritz (www.kulm.com) has created a new package to satisfy the needs of male guests who simply love to spend their weekend pursuing adrenaline-pumping experiences. Over a long weekend, they will get the chance to throw themselves down the iconic icy shute known as the Cresta Run, have a go at ski-joring, take a ride on the Olympic Bob Run and, if they wait till March, sky dive into the Engadine Valley.

And yes, there is a reason this package is only available to male guests: the rules of the privately-run St Moritz Toboggan Club, which oversees all activities relating to the Cresta Run, prevent women from taking part. So male adrenaline junkies only will spend their first morning in St. Moritz learning all about the dangers, before hurling themselves down the unique Cresta Run at terrifying speeds – the best riders reach speeds of almost 80mph at some points on the course, though beginners probably only reach half that speed.

Lunch will be spent at the Kulm Hotel's Sunny Bar, the home of the Cresta outside riding hours, where the eclectic mix of members will no doubt regale guests with a constant stream of anecdotes, before asking if they want to test their strength and stamina – another experience unique to the Cresta but we won't spoil it by telling you what that entails here… ! The afternoon will be spent ski-joring – in other words, being pulled across frozen Lake St. Moritz on skis by galloping horses. All guests need to do is hang on for dear life. Believe me, this is not for the feint-hearted.

The next day, guests will be back at the Cresta Run, trying to improve on their speeds, but hoping not to suffer the ignominy of falling off the track at Shuttlecock, though this feat does entitle you to automatic membership of the Shuttlecock Club and the right to wear a Shuttlecock tie. Fortified by lunch and maybe a drink or two with the Cresta riders, speed freaks will then have the chance to up the ante by taking a guest ride down the Olympic Bob Run, where speeds of around 80mph and a centrifugal force of 4.5G are attained in what is described as 75 seconds of “pure adrenaline”.

If visiting between 11 and 25 March 2017, adrenaline junkies will also have the opportunity to do a tandem sky dive at a very special cost of CHF440 (approx £350) – usually CHF545 – per person, which will include video footage and photographs to take home with you. The plane will take off from Samedan airport, just a few miles from St. Moritz, before you and your instructor jump out into open air and float back down to the Engadine Valley, enjoying spectacular panoramic views en route.

On the final day of the trip, the Kulm Spa St. Moritz will be returning guests to a calmer state of mind with a 50-minute Kulm Ritual massage, ahead of their journey home.

Though it is a man's package, the Kulm Hotel has not forgotten its female guests. For those who wish to take their missus with them, rather than their male best friend, the Kulm Hotel is offering a spa credit of CHF300 in lieu of the Cresta activities – ladies are very welcome to join in all the other activities, i.e. the ski-joring, Olympic Bob Run and, in March, the sky diving.

The Kulm Hotel St. Moritz's Need for Speed package includes:

• 3 nights' half-board accommodation (dinner each night in a different restaurant at the hotel – The Pizzeria, Chesa al Parc & Grand Restaurant)
• 2 x morning sessions at the Cresta Run
• 1 x afternoon session ski-joring
• 1 x guest ride on the Olympic Bob Run
• 1 x 50-minute Kulm Ritual massage
• use of the Kulm Spa St. Moritz for the duration of the stay

The package costs from CHF 2371 (approx £1880) per person sharing a double room and is valid from 2 December 2016 to 2 April 2017, subject to availability. Book online at www.kulm.com

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NOTES FOR EDITORS

Kulm Hotel St. Moritz (www.kulm.com) was the first hotel to be built in St. Moritz. The Kulm Hotel opened its doors in 1856 and immediately became popular for summer spa and painting holidays, particularly among the British who comprised around 75% of the hotel guests. The owner of the Kulm Hotel, Johannes Badrutt, initiated winter holidays to St. Moritz from 1864 and, as a result, the hotel, resort and Switzerland itself celebrated 150 years of winter tourism in the 2014/15 season.

Since the 19th century, the Kulm Hotel has changed considerably through expansion and renovation, but the fabulous location at the heart of St. Moritz with views over the Lake remains the same. A member of The Leading Hotels of the World, Kulm Hotel St. Moritz has 173 rooms, five restaurants (offering formal dining, French fine dining – the Gourmet-Restaurant the K has 16 GaultMillau points, the Italian Pizzeria with 13 GaultMillau points, local Engadine specialities and Japanese), the extensive  Kulm Spa St. Moritz (with a 20 m indoor pool with underwater music, various saunas and steam room, a Jacuzzi, a fully-equipped gym and treatment rooms, all with stunning views over Lake St. Moritz) and six conference rooms, with capacities ranging from 50 to 500 people.

Entertainment and sports facilities include the 9-hole Kulm Golf Course St. Moritz (the oldest golf course in the country), three tennis courts, a natural ice rink, a curling field and the Marmotta Kids' Club. The Kulm Hotel St. Moritz is inextricably linked to the Cresta Run, which was built within the hotel's grounds in 1891. To this day, tobogganing pilots congregate in the Kulm's Sunny Bar, which is Switzerland's oldest sports bar; the walls of the bar are lined with trophies and images of famous people who have hurled themselves down the infamous ice track.

Recent awards for the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz include being named best mountain hotel in Switzerland at the Connoisseur Circle Awards, Switzerland's third Top Luxury Hotel in the 2016 TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice® awards, as well as fifth place in the hotels worldwide recognised for best service category. This year, the Kulm was also named sixth best hotel in Switzerland by HolidayCheck and one of the most popular hotels worldwide; Bilanz Hotel-Rating 2016 ranked it eighth out of the 50 best holiday hotels in Switzerland. In 2015, the Kulm secured a top ten place in the “Friendliest Luxury Hotel” category at the Switzerland Tourism PRIX BIENVENU awards, entered the TripAdvisor Hall of Fame for excellence in hospitality for consistently achieving great traveller reviews on TripAdvisor, was named 5th best hotel in Switzerland by SonntagsZeitung's hotel critic Karl Wild and was named the best five-star hotel in St. Moritz for wellness, active holidays and luxury travel by HolidayCheck; the hotel's Gourmet-Restaurant the K also won 16 GaultMillau points. In 2014, the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz was included in a list of the top ten best holiday hotels in Switzerland compiled by renowned Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung and the top ten most welcoming luxury hotels in the country list put together by Switzerland Tourism.

In May 2016, Jenny and Heinz E. Hunkeler of the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz were named “Hoteliers of the Year 2016” by leading Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung, which publishes annual Hotel Rating Awards, the only honours sanctioned by Switzerland Tourism, the national tourist office. In July 2016, Nadine Böning-Soares received the title of “Spa Manager of the year” from Bilanz Hotel-Rating 2016.

Both the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz and its sister property Grand Hotel Kronenhof are owned by the Niarchos family.

For more information, please contact:
Sue Heady
Director
Heady Communications
T: 01608 651 692
M: 078 5595 0705
E: sue@headycommunications.com