Corvatsch Ski Resort St Moritz Switzerland
Corvatsch ski resort is one of the 3 main skiing areas at St Moritz Switzerland. Corvatsch-Furtschellas combines a glacier & quality north facing terrain with superb views & fine dining to create the yin to St Moritz Corviglia's yang!
Corvatsch is currently only connected to St Moritz Bad via the advanced Hahnensee piste trail. Plans were afoot to lift-link Corvatsch with St Moritz & Corviglia, however the plans seem to have evaporated for the time being. A shame!
Pros & Cons for Corvatsch St Moritz Ski Resort
Pros
- One of three wonderful St Moritz ski areas.
- High altitude base & summit - excellent snow quality.
- Diverse terrain, glacier & north facing aspect.
- St Moritz’s longest skiable vertical, over 1,500m.
- Piste trails for intermediate & above skier & snowboarders.
- Challenging freeride terrain.
- Powder stays fresh & unsullied for days.
- Superb restaurants & fine dining (incl. on mountain).
- Travel to the broader St Moritz area can be via some of the world's best rail journeys.
- Over 230km of cross-country ski trails in the valley below.
- Massive range of non-ski activities & options.
Cons
- Rocky off-piste terrain can require a lot of snow to avoid ‘shark attacks’ on your skis or board!
- Expensive food (dining) & accommodation.
- No major village directly at its base; St Moritz is a car or bus ride away.
Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)
- Not lift connected to other St Moritz ski areas.
- 'Awkward' terrain means one cannot easily ski the full vertical.
- Highest number of older surface lifts in the region.
- The St Moritz area is not the simplest place to drive too (so take the train!).
- Corvatsch is shaded & super-cold in mid-winter (great snow quality though).
Skiing & Snowboarding, Lifts & Terrain
St Moritz's most diverse skiing area, Corvatsch is a north-aspect behemoth up to 3,303m & includes 120km of piste and a glacier in its terrain. The opposite of Corviglia (literally - it is shaded & colder!), Corvatsch’s darkness nonetheless delivers fabulous snow quality & more terrain diversity than Corviglia. Its skiable vertical of over 1,500m is what skiing BIG mountains in Europe is all about. Experts will adore the challenging steeps here, and there are some nice side and backcountry routes too.
See the Corvatsch ski trail map below.
Corvatsch is perhaps let down by some awkward terrain which leads to complex ski lift interlinking, plus the low volume cable cars from Surlej & Furtschellas which can be painful on a busy morning. The ski lifts at Corvatsch include the oldest in the region, but perhaps that just means there are not enough people skiing there to justify any upgrades.... and that's just fine with us!
For detailed information on ski lifts, terrain, trail maps & lift passes, see our Corvatsch Skiing & Snowboarding page.
Where is Corvatsch Switzerland?
Corvatsch is located near the villages of Surlej Silvaplana & Sils im Engadin deep in the Swiss canton of Grisons (Graubünden), splendidly surrounded by snow & glacier clad mountains. The ski resort is 12km by road south-west of the legendary resort town of St Moritz.
The town of St Moritz is 86km south of Grisons capital Chur & 203km from Zurich by road. Milan Italy is 125km to the southwest of St Moritz as the crow flies.
Gateway international airports are Zurich (ZRH) & Milan Malpensa (MXP). Both are linked to St Moritz by train. The Powderhounds recommend taking the train to St Moritz, but for those that just cannot abide public transport or are travelling in larger groups, a private transfer from Zurich airport may be the most efficient mode of travel.
Search & book all airport transfers to Corvatsch.
St Moritz has its own well-appointed train station with connections to Switzerland & Italy. Aside from landing your own private jet at the local airfield, the train provides the most scenic & comfortable mode of travel to the area. Local buses or taxis at the train station link St Moritz to the villages near Corvatsch.
Search & book train tickets to Corvatsch & St Moritz.
Driving to Corvatsch & St Moritz in a rental car is not the easiest thing to do in the world. Surrounded by high mountains on three sides, the easiest road access to is via the Inn River valley from Landeck or Innsbruck in Austria (drive time <3hr). However, this route is not particularly useful for many travellers to St Moritz; hence three high mountain passes (2 via Chiavenna & Tirano in Italy & one via Bivio in Switzerland) tend to provide the main driving routes, all of which are questionable in bad weather. If driving to Corvatsch, check road conditions & if in any doubt, take the train!
For information on the best way to get there, see our Travel to St Moritz page.
Corvatsch Accommodation
Corvatsch ski area has three main village areas nearby - Silvaplana, Surlej and Segl (Sils). Surlej is closest to the ski lifts, but Silvaplana gets the most winter sun. The villages offer alternative (and sometimes cheaper) lodging options to St Moritz proper. All are seamlessly connected by buses and/or trains to St Moritz & the other ski areas of Corviglia & Diavolezza Lagalb. The best ski-in ski-out accommodation at Corvatsch is the modern Nira Alpina, an unbeatable location & facilities.
Search & book all Corvatsch ski accommodation.
Many visitors will be of the view that staying anywhere other than in St Moritz when skiing the area is untenable. We can certainly understand that perspective. The Grand Hotels & reputation of St Moritz is part of its allure. However, like Davos (but not nearly as bad!), St Moritz has lost much of its traditional architecture & succumbed to some unsightly development. And just like Davos has lovely Klosters to offset it, so does St Moritz have Celerina and other villages to offset it.
Search & book all St Moritz ski accommodation.
St Moritz has more enormous 5-star hotels than just about any ski resort in the world (Badrutt's Palace Hotel, Kulm Hotel & Carlton Hotel to name a few). It certainly caters to the high-end skier that demands fine dining, excellent service and exquisite comfort. Indeed, staying at one of the major 5-stars is a quintessential St Moritz experience.
However, as with every other ski resort in the world, a full range of accommodation options are available to suit every budget. Case in point are the numerous apartments, hostels & 3-star hotels in & around St Moritz. Well located 3-star hotels include the Hauser Swiss Quality Hotel & the Soldanella Hotel.
Between Corvatsch & St Moritz, Suvretta has the classic Suvretta House an uber traditional 5-star at the western end of Corviglia, providing a sense of the old world in an otherwise thoroughly modern surround.
Ski Rentals, Lessons & Guiding
Ski rentals are available near the ski lifts throughout the Upper Engadin via our local partners near both valley stations at Corvatsch, plus in Pontresina, and the centre of St Moritz, Receive a discount when you search & book via our Corvatsch Ski & Snowboard Rental page.
An huge number of ski guides & instructors ply their trade in the Upper Engadin region & ski resorts at Corvatsch, Corviglia & Diavolezza Lagalb. For more info & options, compare, search & book via our Corvatsch Ski Lessons & Guiding page.
Activities
St Moritz is not just a ski resort, it is far, far more. The Engadin valley fully embraces winter providing a variety of non-alpine ski activities that is boundless & far exceeds nearly all other ski resorts in the world.
For more information, see the St Moritz Activities page.
Nearby Resorts
As if skiing all the brilliant St Moritz ski areas wasn’t enough, the Rhaetian train network puts the amazing Davos Klosters & a host of resorts from Chur in play. By car or bus, the secret stash at nearby Bivio & the larger Savognin provide a vastly different ski experience to St Moritz.
The ultimate Swiss ski holiday would involve taking the Glacier Express train from St Moritz all the way to Zermatt via the world class Andermatt Sedrun and Brig for another week of skiing. Let’s go!
Review
The Powderhounds last reviewed Corvatsch several seasons ago & had an amazing time. We are due to return this winter and ski some more interesting stuff. Click on the review link in the left column (or top of the page if on a mobile) to read its long-winded, inciteful ramblings & a few extra photos!
See how Corvatsch & the other St Moritz ski areas compare to the rest of the Swiss resorts on the Switzerland ski resort ratings page, or compare to the rest of Europe on the European ski resort ratings page.
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