The year got off to cool start in all senses of the word with a trip to St. Moritz.  Vince and Karen, a couple of our flying friends invited us skiing - the original plan was to fly ourselves, however the temptation of flying commercial to Zurich and then getting executive jet to Samedan was too much to resist.  Samedan is 10 minutes taxi ride from St. Moritz and is the highest conventional (non-altiport) airfield in Europe.

The photo shows Samedan airport in the valley ahead of the wing with St.Moritz and its frozen lake in front.

The jet, a Cessna C525, was maybe a bit extravagent, but even with the Zurich flight, still cheaper than flying ourselves all the way from the UK.  Vince, had liaised with the charter company ahead of time and they agreed to operate single pilot so we could take turns in the right hand seat.

Also with us were Andrew and Melena, friends of Vince and Karen.  Andrew is a member of the St Moritz Bob Club. 

Vince and Andrew had got a lot of treats laid on for us - a go at the bob run, watching some horse racing on the frozen lake, and even a couple of days spent skiing.

One of the highlights of the trip was a mountain flying lesson in a PA28.  Samedan is 5600 feet above sea level and whilst I was fully expecting a sluggish climb, one of the surprise factors was how slippery and difficult to slow down the aircraft felt on final.

The evenings were pretty special too, with visits to a number of top restaurants, plus an evening at the exclusive Dracula night club where Andrew is a member.

Ok, this trip wasn't cheap - in fact it was the most expensive flying trip we've ever been on - mainly due to the fact that everything in St. Moritz is five star with five star prices.  But what a way to kick off 2005!