{"id":2087506,"date":"2026-08-11T03:03:56","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T00:03:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2087506"},"modified":"2026-08-11T03:03:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T00:03:56","slug":"fit-for-a-king-where-royals-ski-thailands-royal-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2087506","title":{"rendered":"Fit for a King \u2014 Where Royals Ski: Thailand\u2019s Royal Family"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Thai\"Thai
Thailand\u2019s King Maha Vajiralongkorn. | Photo Credit: Thairoyalfamily<\/a> and Zugspitze<\/a> on Facebook.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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This series will be exploring different winter sport-loving royals from all over the world.<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0Part one will be about Thailand\u2019s royals <\/span>who have been<\/span> skiing Europe\u2019s resorts for several generations. <\/span><\/p>\n

The tradition of Thailand\u2019s royals skiing in the Alps started when the current King\u2019s grandfather moved with his sons, Rama X\u2019s father and uncle, to Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1933 to protect them from a coup. <\/span><\/strong>Living\u00a0there, the royal family discovered a passion for winter sports. The family\u2019s 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\u00a0<\/span>Arosa-Lenzerheide)<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Arosa-Lenzerheide ski resort is located in the Swiss canton Graub\u00fcnden\/Grischa. <\/span><\/strong>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\u2019s many sanitoriums. Arosa is still one of the most glamorous resort towns in Switzerland and boasts luxury hotels and a two-Michelin-star restaurant<\/a> 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\u2019s largest ski areas.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Royal Family in Arosa with their tutor in the late 1930s. | Photo Credit: Kulm Hotel Arosa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ananda Mahi Dol, the current king\u2019s uncle,<\/span>\u00a0became king of Thailand in 1935.<\/span><\/strong> He remained in Switzerland for most of his reign since Thailand\u2019s royals only had symbolic power at this point. Mahidol revisited Thailand in 1945 and died in 1946 under mysterious circumstances. After his death,\u00a0Bhumibol, the father of Rama<\/span> X,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>was crowned<\/span> King of Thailand. However, he remained in Lausanne until 1951 to finish his studies at the local university.<\/span><\/p>\n

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    King Bhumibol and Queen Sikrit skiing in Gstaad, Switzerland with their kids | Photo Credit: Facebook<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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    Bhumibol and his wife, Queen <\/span>Sikrit,<\/span> continued skiing in Europe.<\/span><\/strong> They visited several ski towns in Switzerland, such as St. Moritz and Gstaad<\/a>, but since these weren\u2019t official state visits, details rarely became public. However, one of their trips to Gstaad, <\/span>Switzerland, was captured by several photographers. In 1961, the Royal Family of Thailand <\/span>celebrated New Years in Gstaad. Bhumibol was very sporty and also frequently water-skied and played ice hockey. <\/span><\/p>\n

    King Bhumibol skiing. | Photo Credit: Thai Public Relations Department<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Gstaad is a town with multiple ski areas<\/span>, which have<\/span> a combined slope length of 125 miles and over 43 lifts.<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0The city is in <\/span>Canton<\/span> Bern <\/span>and<\/span> has been a hub for the world\u2019s 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<\/span>\u00a0and music legends like Elton John. The area is known for its picturesque landscape and charming small towns. Near Gstaad, you will find the Glacier <\/span>3000 ski area,<\/span>\u00a0which offers skiing from October to May.<\/span><\/p>\n

    St. Moritz is another celebrity hotspot located in the canton Graub\u00fcnden\/Grischa.<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0The local ski resort\u00a0<\/span>Corviglia<\/span><\/a>\u00a0has 94 miles of slopes and connects four different towns. <\/span>The ski area covers over 4400 vertical feet of skiable terrain <\/span>which<\/span>can be accessed<\/span> with 24 different lifts.<\/span> The resort has a rich history <\/span>and<\/span> was home to the second-ever Winter Olympics in 1928. It hosted the games again in 1948.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"Thai\"Thai
    The King enjoyed most winter sports and frequently played ice hockey. | Photo Credit: Facebook<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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    Bhumibol passed his passion on to his son Maha Vajiralongkorn, who became king in 2016. <\/span><\/strong>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 <\/span>Garmisch Classic<\/span><\/a> area or Germany\u2019s highest mountain, the<\/span>\u00a0Zugspitze<\/span><\/a>, but is also known to frequent nearby Switzerland, where he learned to ski.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"Hotel\"Hotel
    The Grand Hotel Sonnenbichl | Photo Credit: Grand Hotel Sonnenbichl\/Facebook<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Garmisch Classic and the Zugspitze are two resorts in south Germany that skiers can access with the same ticket.<\/span><\/strong>The resort\u2019s slopes have a combined length of 40 miles <\/span>and<\/span> the Zugspitze resort <\/span>is located<\/span> on Germany\u2019s highest mountain <\/span>which<\/span> is also<\/span> called the Zugspitze.<\/span> The Zugspitze reaches a peak elevation of 9,717 feet. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Rama X probably chose the resorts because they are close to and easily accessible from his residence in Tutzing.<\/strong> They also offer a <\/span>huge<\/span> variety of terrain <\/span>which<\/span> ranges from beginner-friendly slopes to one of Germany\u2019s steepest slopes <\/span>the<\/span> Kandahar. The Garmisch Classic resort hosts FIS Alpine World Cup events each year, and is home to a famous New Year\u2019s ski jumping competition, which attracts many visitors each year. The town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen hosted the Winter Olympics in 1936.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n