Winter Olympics 2026

Tuesday – February 10 – St. Moritz, Switzerland, and Livigno, Italy

The Winter Olympics 2026 – Milan and Cortina, Italy

The breakfast buffet at our hotel was incredible. To start, the room is expansive and very very posh. A young woman plays the harp on a stage at one end. The offerings, spread out on tables all along one side, are incredible. At the end is a special buffet for children. Amazing. The room is full of young families. I am reminded of young twins with two nannies who also appeared to be twins sitting near us last evening. Beautiful people at a beautiful place.

We have an hour and a half drive to Livigno. The Swiss/Italian Alps are stunning. The route includes a private, single-lane tunnel. We have the permit but still need to pay. The Swiss- German woman at the entrance is very stern! She became the subject of our humor for the entire day.

The first view of Livigno is dominated by the huge ski jump, constructed right in the town for the games. To its left is the mountain with runs for freestyle and snowboarding. WOW! We will be standing near the bottom, with hundreds of others – again the people watching is fun – with a great view of the giant video screen. Family/friends/fans are from all over the world, many wearing flags or gear of their country. Music is blaring, the crowd is dancing, cheering, laughing. Such a happy place full of kind and caring fans. 

I want to acknowledge the thousands of volunteers. They are everywhere, helping us with directions, always with a smile. Another example of a happy environment.

Today’s event is men’s freeski slopestyle finals. It reminds me a bit of skateboarding, except on skis. I recorded several videos either directly or on the video screen. The competition consists of three runs for each of the 12 competitors. The three highest scores will win the medals. We are excited that three Americans have qualified. American Alex Hall  takes second for the silver medal! The medal presentation is in front of where we are standing.

BTW, I am in love with Sami’s patchwork ski parka. He promised to send me the brand. One never knows what shopping online might yield.

For the late afternoon return to St. Moritz, we are made aware that the tunnel (and the shortcut home) is closed to private travel. The alternate route home takes 2 hours, 45 minutes. We are home in time for Jonathan to get a message, while Paige and I go shopping. A very, very long escalator takes us from our hotel into the heart of the village. The shops are a mix of the traditional high-end fashion shops together with local stores. We see many beautiful things, especially in the “Montclair” ski outlet. My nephew Sean Thomas, a fashion photographer based in Paris, just did an incredible photo shoot in Aspen for Montclair.

Dinner is at an offsite hotel restaurant, “Chesa Veglis.” Paige and I had great fun with the tiny bar and the attendant, teaching him how to make the “DuncanTini.” He kept my card; who knows, I might return. Again, the food was excellent. I had a pasta made from barley with potatoes and cabbage. A great ending to another great day!

Robert