The Silvretta Alps are a
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have aris ...
of the
Central Eastern Alps shared by
Tirol,
Vorarlberg (both in
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
) and
Graubünden (
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
). The Austrian
states of Tirol and Vorarlberg are connected by a pass road (
Silvretta Hochalpenstraße at 2032 m). The majority of the peaks are elevated above three thousand metres and are surrounded by
glacier
A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...
s. Thus, the area is also known as the "Blue Silvretta".
Borders
According to the
Alpine Clubs, the Silvretta Alps are outlined from other groups by the following borders:
St. Gallenkirch -
Ill river as far as
Partenen -
Zeinisjoch -
Zeinisbach -
Paznauntal as far as
Ischgl -
Fimbertal -
Fimber Pass -
Val Chöglias -
Val Sinestra -
Inn River from the mouth of the
Branclabach to the mouth of the
Susasca -
Val Susasca -
Flüela Pass -
Davos -
Wolfgang -
Laretbach -
Klosters -
Schlappinbach -
Schlappiner Joch -
Valzifensbach -
Gargellental -
St. Gallenkirch.
The Silvretta Alps are surrounded by the
Rätikon
The Rätikon is a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps, located at the border between Vorarlberg, Liechtenstein and Canton of Grisons, Graubünden. It is the geological border between the Eastern Alps, Eastern and Western Alps and stretch ...
,
Verwall,
Samnaun,
Sesvenna,
Albula and
Plessur ranges.
The Piz Buin is not the highest, but the most popular peak of the range. It can relatively easily be ascended from north or south through glaciers and stretches of easy climbing.
The Silvretta is famous for its skiing especially its many
backcountry skiing possibilities. In the 1920s
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...
was staying in the region for a winter (he lived at
Schruns in
Montafon,
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
). Later, he wrote a couple of short stories about his skiing experiences in the Silvretta. Some of these short stories are to be found in ''A moveable feast''.
Adjacent valleys
*
Montafon
*
Paznaun
*
Engadin
Peaks
Mountain huts
* Berghaus-Verein, private
* Bodenalpenhaus, private
* Chamanna Dal Linard, Swiss Alpine Club (SAC)
* Fergen Hut, SAC
*
Heidelberger Hut, German Alpine Club (DAV), Heidelberg Section
*
Jamtal Hut DAV, Schwaben Section
* Klostertaler Umwelt Hut, DAV
* Madlenerhaus, DAV Wiesbaden Section
* Saarbrücken Hut, DAV, Alpenverein u. Skiclub Silvretta
* Seetal Hut, SAC
* Silvretta Hut, SAC
* Tuoi Hut, SAC
* Tübingen Hut, DAV, Tübingen Section
* Wiesbaden Hut, DAV Wiesbaden Section
Ski areas in the Silvretta Alps
*
Silvretta Montafon –
Vorarlberg, Austria – largest ski area offering 113 km of slopes
* Silvretta Bielerhöhe – Partenen –
Vorarlberg, Austria
* Gargellen –
Vorarlberg, Austria
*
Galtür – Silvapark –
Tyrol, Austria
*
Scuol (Motta Naluns) –
Graubünden, Switzerland
*
Parsenn (Davos Klosters) –
Graubünden, Switzerland – highest ski area which extends up to an altitude of 2,844m
*
Madrisa (Davos Klosters) –
Graubünden, Switzerland
* Pischa (Davos Klosters) –
Graubünden, Switzerland
* Selfranga – Klosters –
Graubünden, Switzerland
*
Ardez –
Graubünden, Switzerland
*
Guarda –
Graubünden, Switzerland
See also
*
Passes of the Silvretta and Rätikon Ranges
*
Swiss AlpsSilvretta Alps on kamdoalp.cz - Hikes description, prominent peaks
References
{{Authority control
Mountain ranges of the Alps
Rhaetian Alps
Mountain ranges of Tyrol (federal state)
Mountain ranges of Switzerland
Austria–Switzerland border