Scuol Ski Resort Switzerland
The Scuol - Motta Naluns ski resort in the Engadin region of Switzerland is an expansive skiing area, largely unknown to the rest of the world. Deep in the canton of POWbuenden (otherwise actually known as Graubünden or Grisons), Scuol should be on any good powder hound’s radar. It is certainly on ours…...
Scuol is one of THOSE places. Deep in the Swiss Alps at the end of the railway line, the gondola to the resort departs from just near the train station. In a high snowfall region of Switzerland, Scuol has luscious ski terrain, huge skiable verticals, modern lifts & fittingly, the 11th century Castle of Tarasp castle nearby. And it is so remote in winter that anyone driving there from the rest of Switzerland will need to put their car on a train transporter for a portion of the journey due to high alpine pass winter road closures!
Pros & Cons for Scuol - Motta Naluns Ski Resort
Pros
- Authentic, family-friendly, Swiss Alps ski resort & village in a snow-sure part of Switzerland.
- Long skiable vertical of over 1,500m.
- Ski terrain is predominantly above 2,000m altitude, guaranteeing super quality snow conditions.
- Quality on & off-piste trails & terrain for all abilities (except experts), including valley trails to pretty neighbouring villages.
- Plentiful untracked off-piste terrain on powder days (and the days after).
- A fine lift system that also provides easy access to the backcountry.
- Uncrowded.
- The town of Scuol is a pleasing mix of modern facilities & services, plus historic & natural elements, including the Inn River, a nearby castle & mineral springs aplenty.
- Wonderful accessibility for disabled skiers.
- Sensational access by train.
- Excellent local free ski bus network.
- A friendly, honest place where people just leave their skis & snowboards overnight on the outside racks at Motta Naluns.
- Good value lift pass.
- Numerous high-quality on-mountain restaurants & bars.
- Typically Swiss range of non-ski activities including sledding, thermal baths & winter walking trails.
Cons
- Limited terrain for expert skiers & snowboarders.
- The valley trail & terrain near Scuol village is south-aspect & low elevation that may struggle for snow in warmer winters.
- Local restaurant selection is very limited in scope.
Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)
- Quiet after-hours
- The valley trail to Scuol is not beginner friendly so a download on the gondola is required.
- Well ‘off the radar’ for international guests.
- Sunny south-aspect terrain.
- Limited ‘high-end’ and no ski-in ski-out accommodation.
- Unless there is fresh snow & powder, advanced riders may find the resort only interesting for a few days.
Skiing & Snowboarding, Lift & Terrain
The Scuol skiing & snowboarding terrain is south to north-east aspect, providing sunny slopes in the morning & avoiding the worst of the harsher afternoon rays. With most terrain over the 2,000m altitude mark, the ski area is incredibly snow-sure, with the majority of pistes located in the treeless alpine zone. We rate Scuol highly as a family-friendly ski resort, but freeriders will also find ample terrain for off-piste adventures, and powder laying untracked for days after a storm. A feature of the resort are its three main valley trails to the villages of Ftan, Sent & of course Scuol. Whilst the resort has a total skiable vertical of 1,525m, the most that is skiable in one run is the fabulous 10km long valley trail to Sent which runs for 1,280m vertical down from the 2,710m high Salaniva.
Check out the Scuol ski trail map below.
On piste, aside from the superb, afore mentioned piste trails, there is wonderful quality & range of options on the mountain. A total length of piste is around 80km, with an even spread for beginners & intermediates, but less for advanced riders. Beginners will be able to available themselves of all sectors, however, should note that the valley trail down to Scuol, whilst rated intermediate, can more often than not be a serious undertaking, and a gondola download back into town is recommended. A fine warm up run in the morning is down to Ftan, and then spreading out form there as the remaining lifts open. A quality snow park/fun slope is located prominently under the Naluns chairlift. Advanced riders will be keen to ski the fast groomers off the Mot da Ri chairlift if it is not a powder day, but other pistes can equally as fun, just ski a little faster! The #8 piste back into Motta Naluns can be quite hectic at times, so the better alternative is the remarkably quiet piste #6 on the opposite side of the chair.
On powder days, the locals will all try and smash the steeps under Mot da Ri first, so get in quick. From there, the small but enthusiastic freeriders (unusually, for Europe anyway, made up of many snowboarders) will spread out toward Champatsch & Salaniva. For longer fall line off-piste, the Champatsch sector is good with a traverse to skiers' left directly from the top and descending as you please from there. From the top of the chair at Salaniva, for better runs, point it down piste #19/20 and then drop in anywhere just before the advanced piste #17. Return is via the winter walking trail back to the base of the lift. On our visit e rode wonderful low-angle powder nearly all the way either side of #33 piste down to Sent. It was 'heaven sent' indeed.
Beyond the main gondola from the town up to Motta Naluns, the ski lifts at Scuol are all efficient chairlifts with the one exception being the double T-bar at Champatsch. Lift lines are only really noticeable at the Naluns chairlift where high numbers from the gondola AND the pistes all funnel onto the chair. A wait will only be a few minutes at most. Note that from the valley trail down to Sent village, there is no ski lift back into the resort. A pleasant 10-minute stroll down into the village square is required to catch the local PostBus back to Scuol. Alternatively, taxis are usually waiting at the end of the ski trail to take anyone willing to pay back to Scuol. Understand the bus timetable to avoid a long wait, or plan to have lunch at the Hotel Pension Aldier before heading back.
Lift Pass
Scuol has a reasonably well-priced lift pass that provides good value . As with just about everywhere now, Scuol's lift passes pre-purchased online are cheaper than the cash deck rate. To determine what the daily rate is at the ticket window (cash desk), Scuol has 8 different date periods which fall into the High, Normal, or Low seasons. The various 'seasons' can mean a difference of up to CHF12 on the cost of a day pass.
Where is Scuol Switzerland?
The Scuol ski resort is set above the town of the same name in the southeast Swiss canton of Graubünden (a.k.a. POWbuenden!). Situated deep in the mountains at the terminus a railway line, Scuol is easily connected to the rest of Switzerland & Europe by train. However, if not taking the train, the region can be best accessed via Austria.
Scuol is located 87km (1¾hr) by road east of the Graubünden capital of Chur. It is a 177km (<3hr) drive from Zurich to Scuol (including the train transport section!), and fabulous Innsbruck Austria is only 131km (1¾hr) drive in the opposite direction (NO train transport section!).
The best airports from which to begin a journey to Scuol are Zurich (ZRH) (for all international travellers) & Innsbruck (INN) (for UK/European based travellers). Rental cars & private transfers are readily available from each airport, but the recommended mode of travel from Zurich is by train.
By train, Landquart station is the main link to the regional line to Scuol-Tarasp. From Zurich airport, trains to Landquart usually require one change at Zurich main station & take from 1½ to 2hr depending on time of day. From Landquart, the Rätische Bahn (Rhaetian Railway) service makes the fascinating journey to Scuol via Klosters in less than 1½hr. The route is one of the more spectacular train journeys in the Swiss Alps, and that is saying a bit!
Rail links to the region’s other major ski areas are excellent. St Moritz is only 1½hr via Zernez & the aforementioned Klosters a mere 45min away. Davos is a shade under 2hr by train, but way more fun to ski too from Klosters!
Search & book here for train tickets to Scuol.
Driving to Scuol in winter is quite the adventure in winter …….. well at least from the Swiss side! Due the seasonal closure of the 2,383m Flüela Pass, loading the car onto the local train to transit underneath the mountain via the Vereina Tunnel is required near Klosters. A smooth process of loading and unloading can be expected. The journey time is only 18 minutes on the train but comes at a reasonably hefty tariff. Assuming one starts at Innsbruck, it is actually simpler & quicker getting to Scuol by car via Austria & Landeck-Zams, hence Innsbruck is one of the recommended airports.
Scuol can be relatively easily reached by train & public bus from Innsbruck. A train to Landeck Zams train station, and then 2 buses, the first of which is in the direction of Nauders, with a change just out of Pfunds (at the intersection with the road to Samnaun/St Moritz) to the second bus all the way into Scuol.
Scuol Accommodation
Scuol is a pleasingly authentic Swiss Alps village gloriously surrounded by high mountains. The town has a modern center with all the requisite shops & services one could need. Below the main street, the beautiful historic 'old town' of Scuol leads through narrow laneways to a covered bridge over the Inn River. interspersed along the way are several village squares with mineral springs fountains & troughs.
For holiday accommodation Scuol has an excellent range of hotel, apartment & chalet accommodation, though none of it is ski-in ski-out due to the location of the town in relation to the slopes. Near the train station & main gondola (to Motta-Naluns), four excellent (& affordable) options are quite close to it though! The Hotel Bellaval Scuol, Scuol Youth Hostel, Hotel Garni (Guesthouse) Panorama & Hotel Altana should be at the top of your list if wanting the ultimate convenience between the train, gondola, ski slopes & accommodation.
The main centre of town is around 700m from the gondola valley station, a distance easily done on foot without ski gear, but better done by local bus if you do! High quality lodgings are all clustered around the town centre. Numerous high-quality hotels include the Hotel Astras, Engadiner Boutique-Hotel Guarda Val, Badehotel Belvair, Hotel Chasa Sofia & Hotel Belvedere Scuol. In the lower old town of Scuol, three hotels worth a look are the Hotel Gabriel, Hotel Conrad, and the beautiful Hotel Engiadina.
Beyond the centre of town, there are several well-priced guesthouses, all close to free ski bus stops. We stayed at, and can recommend, the excellent Garni Alpenrose.
Scuol also has a multitude of beautiful apartments for holiday rental, many in delightful historic buildings. All are fully self-contained and best for larger families & groups looking to self-cater.
Search & book here for all Scuol ski accommodation.
Beyond Scuol, three other options exist in the immediate vicinity of the ski resort. All are connected by free ski bus (for lift pass holders) provided ease of access regardless of where one rest your head. One is on the opposite side of the valley to the ski slopes & lifts in the village of Tarasp. Overlooked by its gorgeous castle, the exceptional Schlosshotel Chastè provides a Swiss Alps snow experience of which dreams are made.
Back near the ski lifts, the village of Ftan is the highest in the region at around 1,680m elevation. It has a small number of hotels & apartments, plus a nearby chairlift & valley trail. Hotel Bellavista Swisslodge and Hotel Restaurant Engiadina are the pick of them, along with numerous apartments. At the other end of the resort, Sent is a quiet, traditional cluster of dwellings on the mountain side above the valley floor at 1,430m elevation. Sent is the end point of Scuol’s 10km long 'Traumpiste' valley trail. Hotel Pension Aldier in the centre of the village is the absolute best choice of lodgings.
Review
The Powderhounds reviewed Scuol in February 2024. We timed it to score some powder and gave it a full going over during a busy Swiss school holiday period. Suffice to say the resort is a gem that deserves to be experienced by more international guests. Click on the review link in the left column (or top of the page if on a mobile) to read all the reviews.
See how Scuol compares to the rest of the Swiss ski 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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