View from St. Moritz - NYT Crossword Clue

Introduction

Today's clue, "View from St. Moritz," is a classic example of a geographical clue that frequently appears in crossword puzzles. It's a straightforward test of world knowledge, connecting a famous location with its most prominent natural feature. For seasoned solvers, this is often an instant fill, but for newcomers, it's a great entry point into the world of common crossword answers.

Clue Analysis

The clue breaks down quite simply:

• St. Moritz: This is the key piece of information. Recognizing St. Moritz as a famous luxury resort town in Switzerland is the first step.
• "View from...": This part of the clue asks what you would see from this location. Given its setting, the view would be of a dramatic, natural landscape.

The puzzle is looking for a singular noun that describes a key feature of the Swiss landscape. Since the answer is a three-letter word, we're looking for a concise term for a mountain in that region.

Thinking Approaches

A solver might arrive at the answer through a few different paths:

1. Direct Association: The most direct route is to associate St. Moritz with Switzerland, and Switzerland with its famous mountain range, the Alps. The singular form, "ALP," is a common crossword entry for a single mountain in this range.
2. Using Crossings: If you're unsure about St. Moritz, the crossing letters can be a huge help. If you have the 'A' and the 'P', for example, "ALP" becomes a very likely candidate for a three-letter word describing a "view."
3. Crossword Pattern Recognition: Experienced solvers will recognize this type of clue immediately. "Swiss peak," "Tyrolean sight," or "Matterhorn, for one" are all common variants that point to the same three-letter answer. "ALP" is a piece of what's sometimes called "crosswordese" - words that appear more often in puzzles than in everyday speech.

Background Context

St. Moritz is a high-altitude resort town in the Engadin valley in Switzerland. It has hosted the Winter Olympics twice (1928 and 1948) and is a world-renowned destination for skiing, hiking, and mountaineering. Its location places it squarely within the Eastern Alps, meaning the views are dominated by majestic, snow-capped peaks.

While in common English "Alp" can refer to any high, rugged mountain, its more specific meaning (and its origin) refers to a high-altitude pasture where cattle are grazed during the summer. However, in the context of crossword puzzles, "ALP" is almost universally used to mean a single mountain within the Alps range.

Conclusion

"View from St. Moritz" is a perfect example of an easy, knowledge-based clue. It rewards solvers for having a basic grasp of world geography and for recognizing common crossword conventions. Once you've seen this clue-and-answer pair a few times, it becomes a reliable foothold for solving the rest of the puzzle.

Hints

1. Hint 1: St. Moritz is a famous resort town. What kind of natural feature is it known for?
2. Hint 2: The clue refers to a specific type of mountain seen in Switzerland.
3. Hint 3: It's a singular form of a famous European mountain range.
4. Hint 4: The word is short, only three letters long.

The answer is ALP.