Lucerne, Switzerland – Reported by Sascha Moeri for Elite Traveler, the private jet lifestyle magazine
I started skiing at the age of eight in Davos and Lenk. It’s the Swiss national sport and it’s completely normal for parents to introduce their children to it at an early age. Snowboarding was a new winter sports culture for the younger generation and I started at the age of 12.
In Switzerland, there are several places I go regularly, depending on my mood and the kind of snowboarding I’m after. My favorites include St. Moritz, Zermatt, Davos, Wengen, Engelberg and Lenzerheide, each of which has its own character.
I’ve owned an apartment in Lenzerheide for five years. The thing I like most about Lenzerheide is that it’s not crowded. It’s a great place to learn, practice and enjoy good skiing, and it’s remained a very family-oriented skiing region to this day.
Another great place to go with clients is up to St. Moritz. It’s got everything: Brilliant carving on the trails, free-ride slopes, spacious nursery slopes and a glacier downhill run that attracts winter sports fanatics like myself.
When I was younger, I used to go to Zermatt a lot. It’s ideal for young people because the nightlife is terrific. Apart from that, it has snow 365 days a year so you can ski and snowboard anytime. It’s the highest, biggest and best-developed winter sports region in the whole of the Alps and you never lose sight of the Matterhorn.
The world-famous international Lauberhorn race is fast and dangerous and attracts thousands of spectators every year to Wengen. I adore the traditional atmosphere that goes with it. There are also over 200 kilometers of slopes in the three skiing areas of Grindelwald-First, Kleine Scheidegg-Männlichen and Mürren-Schilthorn. The views of the Bernese Alps’ best-known mountains, the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, are amazing.
Engelberg is very close to Lucerne, so when I manage to get a little time to myself, I head straight for the mountains around Engelberg. I have my snowboard in the car all winter, so I’m always raring to go!
About the author: CEO of Bucherer Montres S.A. since November 2010, Sascha Moeri was previously vice president at Milus International in Biel, CEO of Milus Europe GmbH and CFO of Milus USA Inc. Moeri’s well-founded national and international knowledge of the watch industry comes from stints at companies like the Swatch Group and Michel Jordi. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration, and while still working, completed a joint MBA from the New York State University in Albany and the Lorange Institute of Business, Zurich. He was born in Switzerland and grew up in Biel, the cradle of watchmaking at the foot of the Swiss Jura.
Contact: Carl F. Bucherer, a brand of Bucherer Montres S.A., 41-41-369-70-70; info@carl-f-bucherer.com; www.carl-f-bucherer.com