Another year, another great tournament! The 36th edition of Snow Polo World Cup in St. Moritz just bid farewell. Four days of pure fun, wonder, beauty and magical encounters.
Leading to it was a bit stressful as no one could have predicted such a warm winter. We could only pray for a swift change in the temperature and a steady snow for a few days otherwise it would have been a disaster! Thankfully, it all worked out and the pristine snow conditions and blue skies provided an ideal playing condition for the best snow polo players in the world to compete.
The tournament was buzzing with energy with the myriad of events taking place simultaneously – polo clinics, Maserati test drives, VIP luncheons on the frozen lake, exclusive black tie dinners and late night partying at the one and only King’s Social House at Badrutt’s Palace.
And of course, it goes without say that there was plenty of Perrier-Jouet champagne going around.
There were so many impressions to take in and process but the one which I still pinch myself for was the impromptu encounter with no other than her Grace Marquise Roberta Gilardi, last descendant of the Marquis Dementij Ivanovic’ Zhilijardi, private concelor of HIM the Tsar Alexander I of Russia. She has been coming to St. Moritz since a little girl, always residing at the Kulm Hotel which she calls her second home after Monaco.
From the moment we spoke on the phone, I knew she was a very special lady – the tone of voice she used along with her welcoming manners, all predicted a beautiful encounter. When we finally met at the Badrutt Palace Evening Gala, I was stunned by her beauty … and her jewerly!
We didn’t have much time but the few minutes we had were enough to make me a Fan! Her dress, from Elie Saab Couture‘s collection was stunning and let’s not forget to mention the Bulgari and Harry Winston jewelry used to adorn it.
Her grace is a busy lady! She is now getting ready for the Monaco Rose Ball, the Monte-Carlo Gala for the Global Ocean supporting HSH Prince Albert of Monaco Foundation, the Cannes Film Festival and of course F1! What a life.
I am looking forward to our next meeting when I will get to know the lady behind this heart-warming smile.
THE EVENT IN PICTURES
(copyrights: fotoSwiss.com/giancarlo cattaneo)
GAME | VIP TENT
GALA
FUN FACTS
Did you know that…
- St. Moritz is the cradle of snow polo. Reto Gaudenzi, today’s host and CEO, and
Hanspeter Danuser, the legendary tourism director of St. Moritz, came up with the
seemingly far-fetched idea 1983. - After two years of intensive preparation, the first tournament took place in January 1985
in a snow blizzard on a field measuring 40 by 80 meters, roughly one fifth of the size of
today’s field. - £100,000 is the average cost a top player will pay for a high-class polo pony.
- This is the only polo tournament in the world played on a frozen lake.
- Polo is a unique sport in the sense that there is no rule against men and women playing together.
- Sir Winston Churchill, a championship polo player himself, once famously said, “A polo handicap is a PASSPORT to the world.” Churchill’s love of the sport developed whilst serving in India in the late 1890s – he continued playing until he was 52-years-old.
- It is likely that each player will bring five horses or more for today’s match. Most players credit their horses for at least 80% of their game. In order to compete against the best players in the world, you must have the same calibre of horses as they do.
- All players must play with the stick in their right hand: it is illegal to hold the stick with the left hand. Therefore players who are left-handed must learn to play with their right hand.
- It takes 40 men a total of 5,600 man hours (or the equivalent of 3 man years) to erect 2,600 tons of tents, fences, grand stands and other infrastructure on the lake in under 3 weeks.
See you in 2021!
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