What do some hundred horses, Karl Lagerfeld, Percy Sledge and a Finnish jazz band have in common? Under normal circumstances, perhaps not much. But during the last few days they were all in St. Moritz; the roof of Europe, which on Sunday hosted the season’s last race day on the frozen lake. This year, Arabian horses had joined the cast to make the setting even more surreal, amidst palm trees, champagne bars and some 14,000 spectators. “When you race in St. Moritz it’s not for the money. It’s a little bit like the Olympics, with a completely different atmosphere and a unique backdrop. You’re not on the ground but in 1,900 meters altitude, with an amazing audience,” said Joachim Weissmeier, trainer of Fanal El Samawi, who won the Arabian race.

For Karl Lagerfeld, St. Moritz was a bit like the Olympics too, as he exhibited his latest art works, Fire Etchings, at the Gmurzynska, his longtime gallery for the past 17 years. “I’m a paperfreak. In fashion all collections begin on paper, just as in photography. My profession is to sketch. Whenever I have an idea I see it in three dimensions, I have a technique and then I put it on paper,” said Lagerfeld, whose images were etched into backlit glass with fire. Meanwhile, at the Kulm, a Finnish jazz band played divine tunes worthy of the late Miles Davies,while Percy Sledge performed at the Badrutt’s with a little help from his wife. When asked how a man from the deep South stays close to his roots in the Swiss mountains his answer was simple. “My fans.”  Photo Camilla Alfthan