Silvretta
Encyclopedia
The Silvretta Alps are a mountain range
of the Central Eastern Alps
shared by Tirol
, Vorarlberg
(both in Austria
) 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
s. Thus, the area is also known as the "Blue Silvretta".
s, the Silvretta Alps are outlined from other groups by the following borders:
St. Gallenkirch - Ill river as far as Partenen - Zeinisjoch - Zeinisbach - Paznaun
tal 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
, Verwall
and Samnaun
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 easily climbing.
The Silvretta is famous for its skiing especially its many backcountry skiing
possibilities. In the 1920s Ernest Hemingway
was staying in the region for a winter (he lived at Schruns
in Montafon
, Austria
. 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.
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
of the Central Eastern Alps
Central Eastern Alps
The Central Eastern Alps comprise the main chain of the Eastern Alps with its highest peaks, located between the Northern Limestone Alps and the Southern Limestone Alps, from which they differ in geological composition....
shared by Tirol
Tyrol (state)
Tyrol is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of Tyrol.The state is split into two parts–called North Tyrol and East Tyrol–by a -wide strip of land where the state of Salzburg borders directly on the Italian province of...
, Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg is the westernmost federal-state of Austria. Although it is the second smallest in terms of area and population , it borders three countries: Germany , Switzerland and Liechtenstein...
(both in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
) and Graubünden
Graubünden
Graubünden or Grisons is the largest and easternmost canton of Switzerland. The canton shares borders with the cantons of Ticino, Uri, Glarus and St. Gallen and international borders with Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein...
(Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
). The Austrian states
States of Austria
Austria is a federal republic made up of nine states, known in German as Länder . Since Land is also the German word for a country, the term Bundesländer is often used instead to avoid ambiguity. The Constitution of Austria uses both terms...
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
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s. Thus, the area is also known as the "Blue Silvretta".
Borders
According to the Alpine ClubAlpine Club
The first Alpine Club, founded in London in 1857, was once described as:Today, Alpine clubs stage climbing competitions, operate alpine huts and paths, and are active in protecting the Alpine environment...
s, the Silvretta Alps are outlined from other groups by the following borders:
St. Gallenkirch - Ill river as far as Partenen - Zeinisjoch - Zeinisbach - Paznaun
Paznaun
The Paznaun is a valley in Tyrol, Austria leading south-west from Pians to the Bielerhöhe , a mountain pass at the border of Vorarlberg and Tyrol....
tal as far as Ischgl
Ischgl
Ischgl is a small village in the Paznaun Valley in Tyrol . Its ski resort Silvretta Arena Ischgl-Samnaun is connected with the ski resort of Samnaun across the border in Switzerland. Together this ski area belongs to the largest skiing resorts in the Alps...
- Fimbertal - Fimber Pass - Val Chöglias - Val Sinestra - Inn River
Inn River
The Inn is a river in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. It is a right tributary of the Danube and is approximately 500km long. The highest point of its drainage basin is the summit of Piz Bernina, at 4,049 metres.- Geography :...
from the mouth of the Branclabach to the mouth of the Susasca - Val Susasca - Flüela Pass
Flüela Pass
Flüela Pass is a high mountain pass in the Swiss Alps in the canton of Graubünden. The pass road connects Davos and Susch in the lower Engadin valley.Since the Vereina Tunnel opened in 1999, the road is no longer open all year.-See also:...
- Davos
Davos
Davos is a municipality in the district of Prättigau/Davos in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has a permanent population of 11,248 . Davos is located on the Landwasser River, in the Swiss Alps, between the Plessur and Albula Range...
- Wolfgang
Wolfgang
Wolfgang is a German male given name traditionally popular in Germany and Austria. Its earliest known bearer was a tenth century saint. The name is a combination of the Old High German word wulf, meaning "wolf" and gang, meaning "path". Grimm interpreted the name as that of a hero in front of...
- Laretbach - Klosters
Klosters
Klosters-Serneus is a municipality in the district of Prättigau/Davos in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.Its well-known ski resort lies from Zurich, the nearest international airport. Transfer time is about 1.5 hours. Klosters is from Davos...
- Schlappinbach - Schlappiner Joch - Valzifensbach - Gargellental - St. Gallenkirch
The Silvretta Alps are surrounded by the Rätikon
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 as the Rhine. In the south, the Prättigau is its limit, in the...
, Verwall
Verwall Alps
The Verwall Alps or Verwall Group are a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps at the border of the Austrian states of Tyrol and Vorarlberg.It includes the following peaks:*Patteriol 3,059 metres...
and Samnaun
Samnaun Alps
The Samnaun Alps are a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps, named after the Swiss municipality of Samnaun. They are located at the border of the Austrian state of Tyrol and the Graubünden canton of Switzerland.The range includes the following peaks:...
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 easily climbing.
The Silvretta is famous for its skiing especially its many backcountry skiing
Backcountry skiing
Backcountry skiing is skiing in a sparsely inhabited rural region over ungroomed and unmarked slopes or pistes, including skiing in unmarked or unpatrolled areas either within the ski resort's boundaries or in the backcountry, frequently amongst trees , usually in pursuit of fresh fallen powder...
possibilities. In the 1920s Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
was staying in the region for a winter (he lived at Schruns
Schruns
Schruns is the main village of the Montafon valley in Vorarlberg, Austria, in the Bludenz district.In the west, one can see one of the most popular hiking and climbing mountains in Vorarlberg, the Zimba, which is called the "Vorarlberger Matterhorn"....
in Montafon
Montafon
Montafon is a valley in Austria that extends from the city of Bludenz to the Silvretta mountain range. It is also known in the local dialect as Muntafu....
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. 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.
Peaks
- Piz LinardPiz LinardPiz Linard is a pyramid-shaped mountain of the Swiss Alps. At 3,410 m it is the highest peak of the Silvretta mountain range.It was first climbed on August 1, 1835 by the geologist and naturalist Oswald Heer led by Johann Madutz....
3411m (11,201 feet) - FluchthornFluchthornThe Fluchthorn or Piz Fenga is the second highest mountain in the Silvretta range, on the border between Austria and Switzerland. It consists of three summits of which the southern summit is the highest....
3399m (11,165 feet) - Piz BuinPiz BuinPiz Buin is a mountain in the Silvretta range of the Alps on the border between Austria and Switzerland. It forms the border between the Swiss canton of Graubünden and the Austrian state of Vorarlberg and is the highest peak in Vorarlberg....
3312m (10,880 feet) - VerstanclahornVerstanclahornThe Verstanclahorn is a mountain in the Silvretta Range , located in Graubünden, Switzerland. The mountain has a pyramidal shape with the northern face lying above the Verstancla Glacier...
3301m (10,831 feet) - Piz FlianaPiz FlianaThe Piz Fliana is a mountain in the Silvretta Range , located in Graubünden, Switzerland.-External links:*...
3284m (10,775 feet) - Silvrettahorn 3244m (10,657 feet)
- AugstenbergAugstenbergThe Augstenberg is a mountain in the Silvretta Range , located on the border between Austria and Switzerland.-External links:*...
3228m (10,611 feet) - PlattenhörnerPlattenhörnerThe Plattenhörner is a mountain in the Silvretta Range , located in Graubünden, Switzerland.-External links:*...
3221m (10,568 feet) - DreiländerspitzeDreiländerspitzeThe Dreiländerspitze is one of the higher mountains in the Silvretta range in the eastern Alps, at 3197 metres. The borders of Graubünden , Vorarlberg and Tyrol meet at the peak...
3212m (10,539 feet) - Piz TasnaPiz TasnaThe Piz Tasna is a mountain in the Silvretta Range , located in Graubünden, Switzerland.-External links:*...
3183m (10,443 feet) - Gross SeehornGross SeehornThe Gross Seehorn is a mountain in the Silvretta Range , located on the border between Austria and Switzerland.The Gross Seehorn is the westernmost mountain rising above 3,000 metres in Austria....
3123m (10,247 feet) - Gross LitznerGross LitznerThe Gross Litzner is a mountain in the Silvretta Alps, located on the border between Austria and Switzerland....
3111m (10,207 feet) - Flüela WisshornFlüela WisshornThe Flüela Wisshorn is a mountain in the Silvretta Range , located in Graubünden, Switzerland.-External links:*...
3088m(10,132 feet) - Piz MinschunPiz MinschunThe Piz Minschun is a mountain in the Silvretta Range , located in Graubünden, Switzerland.-External links:*...
3072m(10,079 feet) - Piz Faschalba 3051m(10,010 feet)
- Piz MurteraPiz MurteraPiz Murtera is a mountain in the Silvretta Range , located in Graubünden, Switzerland.-External links:*...
3044 m (9,987 ft) - Piz Davo LaisPiz Davo LaisThe Piz Davo Lais is a mountain in the Silvretta Range , located in Graubünden, Switzerland.-External links:*...
3027 m (9,931 ft) - PischahornPischahornThe Pischahorn is a mountain in the Silvretta Range , located in Graubünden, Switzerland.-External links:*...
2982m (9784 feet) - Hohes Rad 2912m (9554 feet)
- Plattenpspitze 2880m (9449 feet)
- SattelkopfSattelkopfSattelkopf is a mountain of Bavaria, Germany....
2863m - RotbüelspitzRotbüelspitzThe Rotbüelspitz or Rotbühelspitze is a mountain in the Silvretta Range , located on the border between Austria and Switzerland.-External links:*...
2,852 m (9,357 ft) - Vermuntkopf 2851m
- Kromerspitze 2830m
- Hochmaderer 2823m
- Valgraggeskopf 2820m
- Vallüla 2813m
Mountain huts
- Berghaus-Verein, private
- Bodenalpenhaus, private
- Chamanna Dal Linard, Swiss Alpine Club (SAC)
- Fergen Hut, SAC
- Heidelberg 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