Piz Corvatsch () is a
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher ...
in the
Bernina Range
The Bernina Range is a mountain range in the Alps of eastern Switzerland and northern Italy. It is considered to be part of the Rhaetian Alps within the Central Eastern Alps. It is one of the highest ranges of the Alps, covered with many glacie ...
of the
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
, overlooking
Lake Sils and
Lake Silvaplana
Lake Silvaplana (german: Silvaplanersee; rm, Lej da Silvaplauna) is a lake in the Upper- Engadine valley of Grisons, Switzerland. It takes its name from the village of Silvaplana. The lake is also connected to the nearby Lej da Champfèr. Togethe ...
in the
Engadin
The Engadin or Engadine ( rm, ;This is the name in the two Romansh idioms that are spoken in the Engadin, Vallader and Puter, as well as in Sursilvan and Rumantsch Grischun. In Surmiran, the name is ''Nagiadegna'', and in Sutsilvan, it is ...
region of the canton of
Graubünden. With an elevation of , it is the highest point on the range separating the main
Inn valley from the
Val Roseg. Aside from Piz Corvatsch, two other slightly lower summits make up the Corvatsch massif: Piz Murtèl (; north of Piz Corvatsch) and the unnamed summit where lies the Corvatsch upper
cable car station (; north of Piz Murtèl). Politically, the summit of Piz Corvatsch is shared between the municipalities of
Sils im Engadin/Segl and
Samedan, although the 3,303 m high summit lies between the municipalities of
Silvaplana and Samedan. The tripoint between the aforementioned municipalities is the summit of Piz Murtèl.
Several glaciers lie on the east side on the massif. The largest, below Piz Corvatsch, is named ''Vadret dal Murtèl''. The second largest, below Piz Murtèl and the station, is named ''Vadret dal Corvatsch''.
The Corvatsch cable car starts above the village of Surlej, east of
Silvaplana and culminates at 3,298 m. From there, the summit of Piz Corvatsch can be reached by traversing Piz Murtèl. In winter and spring, the mountain is part of a ski area, which is amongst the highest in Switzerland and the
Eastern Alps
Eastern Alps is the name given to the eastern half of the Alps, usually defined as the area east of a line from Lake Constance and the Alpine Rhine valley up to the Splügen Pass at the Alpine divide and down the Liro River to Lake Como in t ...
.
Climate
Piz Corvatsch has an alpine
tundra climate
The tundra climate is a polar climate sub-type located in high latitudes and high mountains. undra climate https://www.britannica.com/science/tundra-climateThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2019 It is classified as ET according to Köppen ...
(
ET) with long, cold winters lasting most of the year and a brief period during summer where the average daily highs rise above freezing.
See also
*
*
List of buildings and structures in Switzerland above 3000 m
This is a list of buildings and infrastructures above in Switzerland. As this height approximately corresponds to the level of the climatic snow line in the Alps, infrastructures located above it are generally subject to harsh weather conditions a ...
References
* Collomb, Robin, ''Bernina Alps'', Goring: West Col Productions, 1988
External links
The Corvatsch ski area and cable carPiz Corvatsch on Hikr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Corvatsch
Bernina Range
Mountains of Switzerland
Mountains of Graubünden
Engadin
Mountains of the Alps
Alpine three-thousanders
Tourist attractions in Switzerland
Cable cars in Switzerland
Samedan