St. Moritz. The birthplace of winter tourism
In the beginning, mountain tourism was mainly summer tourism. St. Moritz originally owes its importance to the healing springs, which have been known for 3,000 years and made the place a summer health resort early on.
The evolution towards a tourism model based on winter sports essentially took place in the second half of the 19th century. In 1864, Johannes Badrutt, owner of the Hotel Kulm in St. Moritz, made a bet with his summer clients that would go down in history. He told them that if they came back in the winter and did not like it, they would not pay anything and that if they returned in the winter months they could enjoy the sun and walk in short-sleeved shirts. Badrutt won, and St. Moritz developed into one of the most dazzling winter sports resorts in the world.
St. Moritz is now a global mecca for skiing set against a backdrop of elite hotels, shopping, and dining.
Grand Hotel des Bains. Kempinski. St. Moritz Tourismus AG
The Engadine is the largest winter sports region in Switzerland with 350 kilometers of slopes in nine snow-sure ski areas. In the Cresta Run, riders plunge down the ice track on skeleton sleds, while the Bob Run is one of the oldest natural ice bobsleigh runs in the world. There are 150 km of winter hiking trails for winter hikers, and cross-country skiers will find a network of around 200 km of cross-country trails in the Engadine.
St. Moritz was the host city for the Winter Olympic Games in 1928 and 1948, one of three cities to host the major event twice, along with Innsbruck, Austria, and Lake Placid in the United States. It also hosted the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in 1934, 1974, 2003, and 2017.
St. Moritz is a fixed date in the women's ski World Cup calendar.
With the four large ski areas of Corviglia/Piz Nair, Corvatsch/Furtschellas, Diavolezza and Lagalb, the Engadin St. Moritz winter sports region is a true ski paradise.
Corviglia is now one of the most renowned ski areas in the world.
The sunny Corviglia, St. Moritz's local mountain, thanks to its south-facing exposure enjoys the sunshine all year round and yet has guaranteed snow in winter thanks to its altitude (the ski area extends from 1,800 to over 3,000 meters).
Access to the ski area is directly from St. Moritz village via the Chantarella funicular, from Celerina via the Marguns chairlift, or from St. Moritz Bad aboard the Signal cable car. From Corviglia, the cable car takes you to the highest point, Piz Nair (3,057 m above sea level).
155 kilometers of superbly prepared pistes, of which 42 km are marked blue, 79 km red, and 34 km black, and 24 lifts await winter sports enthusiasts on the Corviglia.
The St. Moritz Corviglia ski resort offers a wide range of culinary delights. Magnificent mountain panorama meets south-facing sun terraces. There is everything – from the oldest ski hut, the Alpina, to the gourmet summit restaurant. While the Chamanna serves hut classics, the White Marmot offers stylish and contemporary dining.
The three ski resorts of Corvatsch, Diavolezza, and Lagalb are located in Upper Engadin and are clustered around the 4,048-metre Piz Bernina – the only 4,000-metre peak in the Eastern Alps.
Lufsteilbahn Corvatsch St. Moritz Tourismus AG, Gian Andri Giovanoli
Corvatsch, the highest ski area in the Grisons (the Romansh people called this impressive three-thousand-meter peak “Corvatsch”, the “big raven”), has more than earned the title of sports mountain with its 120 kilometers of slopes, a snowpark, and a freeride area with powder snow until the end of April.
In Corvatsch you will enjoy the longest floodlit night downhill run in Switzerland. Every Friday, there is a “Snow Night”, where you are invited to enjoy night skiing on the illuminated 4.2-km-long run slope.
In Corvatsch you will find a wide range of mountain restaurants and huts including Restaurant 3303, the highest restaurant in Graubünden with a one-of-a-kind view of the glaciers and the lakes of Upper Engadin.
The mountain station at 3,303 meters above sea level is also home to the highest single malt whisky distillery in the world.
In the glacier ski area of the Diavolezza, from mid-October to the beginning of May, you can enjoy the longest glacier run in Switzerland (with a length of around 10 kilometers) and breathtaking views of Piz Palü and Piz Bernina, along with a varied range of 32 kilometers of slopes and unmatched off-piste runs.
With its steep and challenging slopes, the Lagalb is the Engadine ski mountain for good skiers, offering a unique view of the Lago Bianco, into the Val Poschiavo, and further south into the Veltlin. Skiers looking to challenge themselves will find in Lagalb the steepest prepared slope in Grisons: the challenging Minor slope has an impressive gradient of 86%.
Diavolezza Lagalb is among the 10 ski Resorts with the best snow conditions in Switzerland.
