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 arise ...

of the Central Eastern Alps shared by Tirol,

Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( , ; gsw, label= Vorarlbergisch, Vorarlbearg, , or ) is the westernmost state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with the ...

(both in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

) and Graubünden ( 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 (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such a ...

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 -

Paznaun The Paznaun () is a valley in Tyrol, Austria, leading south-west from Pians (856 m) to the Bielerhöhe (2071 m), a mountain pass at the border of Vorarlberg and Tyrol. The Paznaun is watered by the Trisanna and surrounded by the Centr ...

tal as far as Ischgl - Fimbertal - Fimber Pass -

Val Chöglias Val may refer to: Val-a Film * ''Val'' (film), an American documentary about Val Kilmer, directed by Leo Scott and Ting Poo Military equipment * Aichi D3A, a Japanese World War II dive bomber codenamed "Val" by the Allies * AS Val, a So ...

Val Sinestra The Val Sinestra ( Romansh lit.: "left valley") is a valley of the Swiss Alps, located in the Engadin between the Silvretta and the Samnaun ranges. The valley is drained by ''La Brancla'', a tributary of the Inn basin, near Ramosch. The highest m ...

Inn River The Inn ( la, Aenus; rm, En) is a river in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. The river is long. It is a right tributary of the Danube and it is the third largest tributary of the Danube by discharge. The highest point of its drainage basin is ...

from the mouth of the Branclabach to the mouth of the Susasca -

Val Susasca Val may refer to: Val-a Film * ''Val'' (film), an American documentary about Val Kilmer, directed by Leo Scott and Ting Poo Military equipment * Aichi D3A, a Japanese World War II dive bomber codenamed "Val" by the Allies * AS Val, a So ...

- Flüela Pass - Davos -

Wolfgang Wolfgang is a German male given name traditionally popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The name is a combination of the Old High German words ''wolf'', meaning "wolf", and ''gang'', meaning "path", "journey", "travel". Besides the regula ...

- 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 Graubünden. It is the geological border between the Eastern and Western Alps and stretches from the Montafon as far ...

Verwall The Verwall Alps or Verwall Group Reynolds, Kev (2005). ''Walking in the Alps'', 2nd ed., Cicerone, Singapore, pp. 321-326. . are a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps at the border of the Austrian states of Tyrol and Vorarlberg. It inclu ...

, Samnaun, Sesvenna,

Albula Albula may refer to: Places *Albula, an old (possibly legendary) name of the Tiber river Switzerland *Albula Range, a mountain range *Albula (river), a tributary of the Hinterrhein *Albula District, a district in canton Graubünden until 2017 ** ...

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. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...

was staying in the region for a winter (he lived at

Schruns Schruns is a municipality in the Montafon valley (altitude 690 meters), in the Bludenz district of the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. To the west is the famous Zimba mountain, often called the "Vorarlberger Matterhorn," which is v ...

in Montafon,

). 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 *

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 i ...

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 –

, Austria – largest ski area offering 113 km of slopes * Silvretta Bielerhöhe – Partenen –

, Austria * Gargellen –

, 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

References