Skating waiters served drinks on the ice terrace of the Grand Hotel Les Bains in St. Moritz, Switzerland, during the 1920s and 1930s. The rest of the staff took some time to serve drinks. For some clients, a big part of the experience was watching servers fall while balancing expensive booze on a tray.
St. Moritz lies in the Engadine valley in the Swiss Alps, which is surrounded by mountains on all sides. Known for its ski resorts, the city hosted the Olympics in 1928 and 1948. Since the 1928 Winter Olympic Games were not held in conjunction with the Summer Olympic Games, they were the first true Winter Games.
Photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt, who worked for LIFE magazine at the time, captured the Grand Hotel servers balancing serving trays while gliding on one foot.
