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Piz Corvatsch from Lake Sils

Mountain·SwitzerlandSwitzerland

Piz Corvatsch

3,451m

Bernina Range

Summit weather

Zacharie Grossen · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Elevation
3,451m
Prominence
383m
Isolation
5.2km
Relief
1,661mabove the lowest point within 5 km
Steepest slope
56°within 1 km of the summit
Snow at the summit
All yearSee month by month ↓
First ascent
1850
Summit
46.4083°N, 9.8164°E

Mountain

Piz Corvatsch is a mountain in the Bernina Range (Switzerland). Its summit stands 3,451 m above sea level. Its prominence — how far it rises above the highest saddle linking it to a taller summit — is 383 m, and the nearest higher ground is 5.2 km away. It was first climbed in 1850.

From the lowest point within 5 km (1,790 m), it rises 1,661 m. The steepest side is the west face: 38° on average over the first kilometre. In places the ground near the top reaches 56° — terrain for climbers, not walkers.

The nearest town is Silvaplana, 6 km away at 1,817 m: 1,634 m below the summit.

Read more on Wikipedia

Scores

Piz Corvatsch for skiers and climbers

Two scores out of 10, built only from open data — every part is shown. They describe what the mountain offers, not how safe it is.

Hiking & mountaineering

8.9/10

Difficulty to the top

Hike

Most path sections around the top are T2 on the SAC hiking scale. Glaciers around the top.

Indicative only — never a safety assessment. Conditions change: ask local guides and check the forecast.

  • 2.5/2.582 waymarked routes and 184 path sections nearby
  • 1.5/1.59 huts and shelters
  • 1.6/21,634 m of ascent from the valley
  • 1.1/1.5383 m of prominence
  • 1.5/1.57 months with summit afternoons above −5 °C
  • 0.6/1via ferratas, climbing and glaciers

Ski score

9.6/10

  • 3.6/4172 km of downhill runs
  • 1.5/1.546 ski lifts
  • 1.5/1.51,506 m between the lowest and highest lift station
  • 3.0/39 months of snow at about 2,550 m

Runs by difficulty

  • Easy 36 km
  • Intermediate 115 km
  • Difficult 17 km

Snow season on the slopes (estimate)

Around 2,550 m, in the middle of the ski area: snow from October to June.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec
  • Snow on the ground all month
  • Snow some of the time
  • No snow
  • This month

46 lifts · lift stations from 1,797 to 3,303 m · 161 km cross-country

How these scores are made

Ski (where OpenStreetMap has skiing within 12 km): up to 4 points for the length of downhill runs (300 km or more = 4), 1.5 for the number of lifts (40+), 1.5 for the vertical between lift stations (1,500 m) and 3 for the snow season — a month counts when the estimated mean temperature at the height of the ski area is −1 °C or lower and snow falls or lies there (NASA POWER, 2001–2020). Hiking & mountaineering: up to 2.5 for waymarked routes and paths, 1.5 for huts, 2 for the ascent from the valley (2,000 m), 1.5 for prominence (3,000 m), 1.5 for the season (months with summit afternoons above −5 °C) and 1 for via ferratas, climbing and glaciers. OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: where few things are mapped, a score can be lower than reality.

Plan your visit

Stay, climb and get there

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Snow

When there is snow on Piz Corvatsch

At the summit, snow all year round. Month by month below, at different heights on the way up.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Summit3,451 msnow all year round
Snow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all month
Halfway up2,634 msnow from October to June
Snow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthNo snowNo snowNo snowSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all month
Silvaplana1,817 msnow from November to May
Snow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all month
  • Snow on the ground all month
  • Snow some of the time
  • No snow
  • This month

Estimate for a normal year: average temperature and precipitation from NASA POWER, carried to each height, in a simple model of snow building up and melting. In a given year snow can come earlier or stay longer. It does not replace the local snow and avalanche bulletin.

Summit weather

Piz Corvatsch, month by month

Not a forecast: long-term averages (1991–2020), carried up to the summit. The orange line is where an average afternoon reaches 0 °C; above the dashed blue line it freezes even at dawn.

On an average July afternoon the summit reaches about 7 °C; on January nights it falls to about -23 °C. In 7 months of the year it stays below freezing at the top even in the afternoon. In July the 0 °C line climbs to about 4,590 m, above the summit: the top thaws on an average afternoon. Across the region, February is the driest month (47 mm) and August the wettest (144 mm).

0 m1,000 m2,000 m3,000 m4,000 m5,000 mSUMMIT · 3,451 mSILVAPLANA · 1,817 mJanuary: 1,280 mFebruary: 1,410 mMarch: 1,910 mApril: 2,700 mMay: 3,560 mJune: 4,300 mJuly: 4,590 mAugust: 4,500 mSeptember: 3,900 mOctober: 3,170 mNovember: 2,170 mDecember: 1,450 mJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0 °C on an average afternoon 0 °C at dawn the summit
MonthSummit high °CSummit low °CSilvaplana high °C0 °C line (m)Rain & snow (mm)Wet daysSun h/day
January-14-23-41,28055114.4
February-13-23-31,41047105.6
March-10-1911,91061126.6
April-5-1362,70081156.1
May1-9113,560120196.1
June6-4164,300129197.5
July7-3184,590129208.1
August7-3174,500144197.3
September3-7143,90099156.3
October-2-1093,17099145.1
November-8-1622,170102133.6
December-13-22-21,45065123.7

Estimate: the NASA POWER climate of a ~55 km cell (average height 2,144 m), adjusted to the summit by −6.5 °C per 1,000 m. Rain, wet days and sunshine are those of the region. Mountain weather changes fast — always check a local forecast. ★ = mildest months at the top.

Relief

The mountain in profile

Two cuts through the summit, 16 km long, from the 30 m Copernicus elevation model. Heights drawn 2× taller than lengths, so the shape can be seen.

West – east
3,451 m1,796 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 km16 kmWE
South – north
3,451 m1,787 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 km16 kmSN
Steepness by direction
30°N: 25°NNE: 15°NEE: 22°ESE: 26°SES: 18°SSW: 32°SWW: 38°WNW: 36°NW

Average slope of the first kilometre from the summit. The orange petal is the steepest side.

Around the mountain

Huts, lifts and trails around Piz Corvatsch

Counted around the summit in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. The satellite plate shows 14 × 14 km.

Piz Corvatsch seen from above (Sentinel-2) N 5 km

Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 14 × 14 km, north up. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.

A lift reaches Corvatsch at 3,303 m — just 148 m below the summit.

  • 9mountain huts and shelters

    Bivacco Agostino Parravicini (3,183 m), Rifugio Marinelli Bombardieri (2,813 m), Rifugio Marco e Rosa (3,597 m), Vecchia Capanna Marco e Rosa De Marchi and 5 more

  • 9cable cars, gondolas, chairlifts and rack railways

    Alp Surlej, Mandras, Murtèl-Corvatsch, Giand' Alva and 5 more

  • 10ski areas

    Corviglia, Corvatsch-Furtschellas, Diavolezza-Lagalb, Aela (Maloja) and 6 more

  • 82waymarked hiking routes

    Puntraschigna - Roseg, Roseg - Chamanna Coaz, Roseg - Chamanna da Tschierva, Via Engiadina and 78 more

  • —via ferratas
  • 3climbing crags and routes

    Polveriera

  • 22named glaciers

    Vadret da Chapütschin, Vadret dal Murtèl, Vadret da Rosatsch, Vadret da Misaun and 18 more

  • 25viewpoints

    Marmorè, Clavanövs, Tschüchas, Silvaplana Fratta and 21 more

  • 4campsites

    Stellplatz Silvaplana, Silvaplana, Camping St. Moritz, Camping St.Moritz

  • 100hotels, B&Bs and chalets

    Hotel Palü, Europa, Badrutt's Palace, Hotel Schweizerhof and 96 more

  • 104restaurants and cafés

How hard are the paths?

184 path sections within 5 km, by SAC hiking scale (T1 easy walk … T6 difficult alpine).

T1T2T3T4T5
  • T1 hiking
  • T2 mountain hiking
  • T3 demanding mountain hiking
  • T4 alpine hiking
  • T5 demanding alpine hiking

Towns at the foot

  • Silvaplana6 km · 1,817 m
  • St. Moritz10 km · 1,845 m
  • Pontresina12 km · 1,822 m
  • Celerina12 km · 1,727 m
  • Samedan15 km · 1,716 m
  • Chiesa in Valmalenco16 km · 960 m
  • Lanzada16 km · 983 m
  • Caspoggio16 km · 1,098 m

OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: a low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. Places © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Photos

Seen by climbers and visitors

Bernina as seen from Piz Piot
Capricorn4049 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Bernina Range as seen from Gletscherhorn (Oberhalbsteiner Alpen)
Capricorn4049 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Recent years

How each month compared at the summit

Afternoon high at the summit (estimate). The first row is the reference, the 1991–2020 average in °C; the years show only the difference.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
1991–2020 average-14-13-10-516773-2-8-13
2020+2.1+2.0±0.0+2.4+1.4−1.4+0.8+0.8+1.0−2.5+3.9−0.2
2021−1.7+2.6−1.0−3.2−2.5+0.9−0.5−0.9+1.8−0.8−0.5+0.9
2022+0.8+1.1+1.3+1.3+2.4+2.3+2.2+1.9−1.1+3.2+0.5+1.3
2023+0.2+1.8+2.8−0.4−0.1+1.1+0.7+1.0+3.8+3.0−2.1+2.3
2024+1.9+3.6+1.2−1.8−0.9−0.6+1.5+2.7−1.6+1.1+2.3+2.0
2025+1.9+2.5+1.6+2.9+0.2+3.9−1.2+1.0+0.6−0.3−0.2+2.6

+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual

About these numbers

Names, elevation, prominenceWikidata (Q677288) · CC0
Relief, 3D view, profilesCopernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
ClimateNASA POWER, 1991–2020 · CC BY 4.0
Around the mountain© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons

Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.

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