Living the dream on frozen ice

Skijoring, derived from the Norwegian word skikj?ring, which literally means "driving with ropes" or "ski driving", ordinarily involves dogs such as huskies. But this 110-year-old White Turf spectacle draws a devoted group of adventurers and daredevils, who can be towed at speeds of up to 50km/h by riderless equines for 2,700 metres, making up what must be Switzerland's (and global horse racing's) flattest and most photogenic course, despite being Europe's highest. There was talk of it at one time becoming an Olympic sport in the 1960s. Surrounded by the shimmering landscapes of the Engadine valley, it's an utterly unique experience. Says Martin Staub, president and CEO of the event: "White Turf is world-exclusive."

That's pretty much how all of the Engadin and St Moritz feels. The picture-perfect backdrop has formed the mood board for a great deal of cinema; the Engadin is like the Hollywood of the mountains. More than 200 films have been made there, with classic moments from Elizabeth Taylor driving her convertible across the Silvaplana in Rhapsody (1954) to Roger Moore's turn in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) – one of the most famous sequences in the James Bond films, as he careens down the Piz Palü at breakneck speed on skis while trying to avoid three pursuing Russian soldiers.

Bond returned to the Engadin eight years later in the form of Timothy Dalton for a scene in A View to a Kill, where he fights, along with a cello, on Piz Scerscen. More recently, Kristen Stewart and Juliette Binoche became entangled in a tempestuous relationship on Lake Sils in Clouds of Sils Maria (2014).