Brains
This series will be exploring different winter sport-loving royals from all over the world. Part one will be about Thailand’s royals who have been skiing Europe’s resorts for several generations.
The tradition of Thailand’s royals skiing in the Alps started when the current King’s grandfather moved with his sons, Rama X’s father and uncle, to Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1933 to protect them from a coup. Living there, the royal family discovered a passion for winter sports. The family’s children attended school in Switzerland and learned basic French. There they met a private tutor who introduced them to skiing. The Thai Royal Family frequently stayed at the Kulm Hotel in Arosa for skiing (what is now the joined ski area Arosa-Lenzerheide).
The Arosa-Lenzerheide ski resort is located in the Swiss canton Graubünden/Grischa. Arosa is one of the oldest Swiss ski resorts and was known for its understated elegance and natural beauty. Before the advent of ski tourism, Arosa was known as a summer resort and featured one of Switzerland’s many sanitoriums. Arosa is still one of the most glamorous resort towns in Switzerland and boasts luxury hotels and a two-Michelin-star restaurant inside the Tschuggen Grand Hotel. The Arosa ski area was joined with the Lenzherheide ski area in the 2013-14 season, when the connecting Urdenbahn was opened. The combined ski area features 140 miles (225 kilometers) of groomed slopes spread across 5,367 vertical feet and is serviced by a total of 43 ski lifts. It is one of Switzerland’s largest ski areas.
Ananda Mahi Dol, the current king’s uncle, became king of Thailand in 1935. He remained in Switzerland for most of his reign since Thailand’s royals only had symbolic power at this point. Mahidol revisited Thailand in 1945 and died in 1946 under mysterious circumstances. After his death, Bhumibol, the father of Rama X, was crowned King of Thailand. However, he remained in Lausanne until 1951 to finish his studies at the local university.
Bhumibol and his wife, Queen Sikrit, continued skiing in Europe. They visited several ski towns in Switzerland, such as St. Moritz and Gstaad, but since these weren’t official state visits, details rarely became public. However, one of their trips to Gstaad, Switzerland, was captured by several photographers. In 1961, the Royal Family of Thailand celebrated New Years in Gstaad. Bhumibol was very sporty and also frequently water-skied and played ice hockey.
Gstaad is a town with multiple ski areas, which have a combined slope length of 125 miles and over 43 lifts. The city is in Canton Bern and has been a hub for the world’s jet set. The Hotel Gstaad Palace has especially been popular among celebrities. Bhumibol and Sikrit also stayed there, as did Hollywood actors like Elizabeth Taylor and music legends like Elton John. The area is known for its picturesque landscape and charming small towns. Near Gstaad, you will find the Glacier 3000 ski area, which offers skiing from October to May.
St. Moritz is another celebrity hotspot located in the canton Graubünden/Grischa. The local ski resort Corviglia has 94 miles of slopes and connects four different towns. The ski area covers over 4400 vertical feet of skiable terrain whichcan be accessed with 24 different lifts. The resort has a rich history and was home to the second-ever Winter Olympics in 1928. It hosted the games again in 1948.
Bhumibol passed his passion on to his son Maha Vajiralongkorn, who became king in 2016. Vajiralongkorn, known as King Rama X, is one of the richest monarchs in the world and mostly lives in a small town south of Munich, Germany, called Tutzing, close to the German Alps. King Rama X stays at the Hotel Sonnenbichel, a luxurious resort he entirely books out for his family as well as his security and servicemen. He frequently skis in the Garmisch Classic area or Germany’s highest mountain, the Zugspitze, but is also known to frequent nearby Switzerland, where he learned to ski.
Garmisch Classic and the Zugspitze are two resorts in south Germany that skiers can access with the same ticket.The resort’s slopes have a combined length of 40 miles and the Zugspitze resort is located on Germany’s highest mountain which is also called the Zugspitze. The Zugspitze reaches a peak elevation of 9,717 feet.
Rama X probably chose the resorts because they are close to and easily accessible from his residence in Tutzing. They also offer a huge variety of terrain which ranges from beginner-friendly slopes to one of Germany’s steepest slopes the Kandahar. The Garmisch Classic resort hosts FIS Alpine World Cup events each year, and is home to a famous New Year’s ski jumping competition, which attracts many visitors each year. The town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen hosted the Winter Olympics in 1936.
- Related: Hometown Mountain Shoutout: Zugspitze and Garmisch, Germany: My Escape at the Edge of the Alps
If you happen to be skiing at the same resort as the Thai Royal Family, you may notice a lot of skiers dressed in black with a yellow badge on their arms. These are the king’s security and servants. You will also notice that they will scurry about hunched over as their heads are not allowed to be higher than the Royal Family’s heads.
The tradition of Thailand’s royals skiing in Europe had many positive impacts on the region and the hotels frequented by the royal family have used the royals to promote their hotels. On the other hand, many people in Tutzing are upset about the Thai King living tax-free in Germany, while his subjects in Thailand are upset their King resides overseas.
