Piz Corvatsch
3,451 m
Switzerland
Also known as CorvatschAlso known as
Corvatsch
- Elevation
- 3,451 m
- Prominence
- 383 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jul
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Sources differ: T4+ (hikr.org (2022)) · I (hikr.org (2022))
A short high-alpine outing from the Corvatsch cable car (3,303 m): down blocky ground onto the Corvatsch glacier, up a firn crest to Piz Murtèl (3,433 m), down a block ridge (I–II) to a second small glacier and up the last slope to the summit. About 1½–2½ hours round trip, but a full glacier tour in miniature.
About 100% of this line is approximate (no mapped trail; drawn from the terrain). Check it against a map before relying on it.
Why? 6 check notes
- ascent 276 m is 1.8× the net gain 155 m: the line probably detours down and back up (not a traverse)
- 100% approximate geometry
- low confidence 0.48
- Corvatsch → Piz Murtèl: glacier (snap_failed, 0.7 km)
- Piz Murtèl → Piz Corvatsch: dem (snap_failed, 0.6 km)
- waypoints at the same position: Vadret dal Corvatsch = Corvatsch
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 1.3 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +276 m
- −121 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,451 m
- Time Up
- 1h 19m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 1h 07m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Take the two-section cable car from Surlej (about 1,870 m) via Murtèl to the Corvatsch top station (3,303 m). Descend from the station by a stair and blocky ground (I–II) onto the Corvatsch glacier; part of the glacier near the station is covered with white fleece against melting, and some walkers simply cross it. Put on crampons here: the glacier has few crevasses and parties often go unroped. A firn crest leads south into the steep slope of Piz Murtèl (3,433 m), whose last 20 m are now loose scree because of glacier melt. From Piz Murtèl descend the coarse block ridge carefully (I–II) to the saddle between the two summits and onto a second small glacier, which can be bare ice late in summer, so crampons are essential. Cross it and a small saddle, then climb the final rocky slope to the summit of Piz Corvatsch (3,451 m), with a direct view of the Biancograt, Piz Bernina, Piz Roseg and the Sella group. Camptocamp gives 1½ hours up; hikr.org reports give 1¾–2½ hours for the round trip with about 420 m of ascent. Return the same way over Piz Murtèl to the top station. Check the last cable car down before setting off.
Start
Corvatsch3,296 m
- Corvatsch cable car Surlej–Murtèl–Corvatsch
- Rhaetian Railway to St. Moritz, bus to Surlej (Corvatsch valley station)
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corvatsch → Piz Corvatsch | 1.3 | 276 | 121 | 1h 19m |
Waypoints
- Lift: Corvatsch3,296 m
- Feature: Vadret dal Corvatsch3,296 m
not on route line
- Shoulder: Piz Murtèl3,433 m
- Summit: Piz Corvatsch3,451 m
Key Passages
- Blocky descent from the top station to the glacier (I–II)
- Firn crest to Piz Murtèl
- Block ridge down from Piz Murtèl (I–II)
- Second glacier, often bare ice
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 48%Overview
The 3,451 m summit above Silvaplana and Sils, reached by a short glacier-and-ridge outing from the Corvatsch cable car (3,303 m). It is an accessible first glacier summit with a full view of the Bernina group, but it still needs crampons and alpine experience.
Piz Corvatsch is the western cornerstone of the Bernina group, rising above the lakes of the Upper Engadine between Silvaplana, Sils and Pontresina. Its northern subsidiary summit, Piz Murtèl (3,433 m), sends the small Vadret dal Corvatsch north-west towards the cable-car station. A two-section cable car runs from Surlej via Murtèl to the Corvatsch top station (3,303 m) with a panoramic restaurant, making this one of the highest lift-served viewpoints in eastern Switzerland.
From the station the summit is a short but proper glacier tour: about 150 m of net height, 400 m of total ascent with the dip between the two tops, over a firn crest, block ridges of grade I–II and a second small glacier. Reports describe it as a 'mini' high-alpine tour that should not be underestimated. Glacier retreat has made it harder: the summits are increasingly scree and the glaciers bare ice late in summer. In 2022 the Swiss glacier monitoring network stopped measuring the Vadret dal Corvatsch because the ice had become too thin.
The summit view takes in Piz Tschierva, Piz Morteratsch, the Biancograt and Piz Bernina, Piz Roseg and the Sella group, and north across the Engadine to the Albula and Julier mountains.
Climbing Notes
Requirements are modest by Bernina standards but real: crampons and ice axe, confident footwork on block ridges (I–II) and on bare ice, and enough judgement to turn back in poor visibility. Parties often go unroped on the nearly crevasse-free glacier, but a rope is advisable for less experienced members and as glaciers change. The altitude (3,300–3,450 m) hits quickly when you arrive by cable car from the valley, so take it slowly.
Allow 2–2½ hours for the round trip from the top station, plus time on the summit, and check the last cable car down. Conditions are best in early to mid-summer, when firn covers the glaciers; from August the second glacier is often bare ice. In winter and spring the mountain lies within the Corvatsch–Furtschellas ski area and is a ski-touring objective.
History
First climbed on 13 July 1850 by the topographer Johann Coaz and his assistants during the Swiss federal survey. Early ski ascents date from 1898 (Philip Mark and Claudio Saratz, per de.wikipedia) and 1901 (per Camptocamp). The cable car opened in 1963 and was replaced by large-cabin cableways in 1997. Summer skiing on the glacier ended in 1993.
Season
Best Jul- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Not advisable
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Good
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Ski area; summit ski tour for experienced parties only
- Feb
- Ski area
- Mar
- Ski tours from the top station
- Apr
- Ski tours; check lift operation
- May
- Between seasons; check whether the cable car runs
- Jun
- Good firn cover; check summer lift opening
- Jul
- Best conditions
- Aug
- Increasing bare ice on the second glacier
- Sep
- Bare ice and loose scree; stable weather
- Oct
- Early snow; check lift operation
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Ski area
Access & Permits
- Fees
- Corvatsch cable car fare (Surlej–Murtèl–Corvatsch)
- Getting There
Silvaplana (Surlej), St. Moritz
Zurich (ZRH) or Milan Malpensa (MXP); Samedan (SMV) for general aviation
- Rhaetian Railway to St. Moritz, then bus to the Corvatsch valley station at Surlej
- By car to Surlej (parking at the valley station)
Hazards
- Glacier
- Exposure
- Weather
- Altitude