Ok, here’s the plan: Use Switzerland’s amazing mountain-dissecting railway network to visit some of the premium resorts in the Alps.

How does two days each in St Moritz, Davos, Disentis, Andermatt, Bettmeralp and Zermatt sound? Pretty good to me and Patrik, a Swedish snowboarding photographer who’s along for the ride…
 

We fly in to Zurich, hop on the train to Chur (pronounced Kuur, if you’re interested) and then change for the spectacular winding rail trip up to St Moritz - our glitzy starting point. It’s 13 hours door-to-door from the UK. Travelling by train is so damned civilised and it feels ever-so-slightly amazing as we disembark into the heart of a world famous ski haven 1775m above sea level.
 

The route we’ve chosen through the mountains is served by the luxury Glacier Express - a posh Swiss train laden with fine food and big windows through which to gulp down the jaw-dropping views. Actually, Patrik and I aren’t taking the Glacier Express because the regular trains run along the same line much more frequently - giving us loads more timetable flexibility.

 
Day 2
St Moritz has a well-deserved reputation for being a posh venue (see below) and it’s hardly surprising the ski zone on offer  is vast and fantastic. What’s more surprising is that south-facing Corviglia - the resort’s most popular ski area which overlooks the town and the lake - is almost deserted on this perfect, cloudless day. Ace. More space for us. Later we learn that only 40 per cent of winter visitors to St Moritz actually ski or ride.
 

 
At the top of the Piz Nair cable car sits the impressive and moody emblem of the Graubünden canton. And a bronze Ibex…etc, yawn.

 
We spotted this typically cosy St Moritz chalet, complete with handy minicab. Actually, it’s perfectly possible to do St Moritz on a budget if you stay in the surrounding villages. And there’s even a one-star hotel next to the station.
 

The Ski School wears Prada…
 

Winter sports were invented by the Brits in St Moritz in the 1800s, so it only seems appropriate to pull a funny face at the world’s only completely-made-from-ice bobsleigh run. St Moritz also boats the Cresta Run - a frankly insane toboggan run where you can reach speeds of 60mph with your nose 4 inches from the ice. If only we’d had time.

 
Day three
Two weeks after the last snowfall and we’re amazed to find there’s still fresh tracks and decent-enough powder to be had in the Corvatsch ski area. Its more sheltered-from-the-sun slopes are about 10 minutes in a bus from the centre St Moritz and, in mid January, almost totally deserted. For that we can easily forgive the T-bars and slow two man chair lifts.

All Photos: Patrik Lundin

Read more of Steve's train adventures as he heads on to Davos, and his 'favourite' hospital in the world