Winter at its best

Mid march 2009 I spent some days at Pontresina, Engadin, Switzerland, to relax from work. This included a nice hotel, good food and excellent swiss wines, long walks on frozen lakes and into snow-buried valleys and one day of skiing. There was a journey to Val Bregaglia / Bergell and the famous village of Soglio, too.

There were no alpinistic activities during those days. But there was this phantastic mountain scenery and snow from 2 meters in the valley up to 4 meters and more on the high mountains. And there were new plans forming in my mind - about climbing Piz Roseg, traversing the Dschimels - Piz Glüschaint ridge, summiting Piz Zupo and trying again the Bianco arete / Crast Alv which I did not in 2003, due to severe glacier conditions in this too hot summer.

I hope you enjoy the panoramas and the images of this album. I just love those pictures as I love the Engadin mountains.

Engadin Winter Panoramas

The first panorama shows the view from Corvatsch cableways mountain station: left is Bergell (western direction); in the far west you see Monte Rosa and the Wallis mountains; to the north there are the whole Albula mountains, the Glarner Alps, to the east the Piz Kesch region.

Northern Corvatsch view from Bergell group (left) to Piz Kesch

The second panorama shows the southern and eastern views from Corvatsch summit station: the Bernina group and the Ortler and Ötztal mountains in the distance.

Southern Corvatsch view: Bernina group and Ortler mountains

You can see the third panorama during a walk on the frozen Lej da Segl, the lake of Sils. There are routes for cross country skiing and for a walk. From Silvaplana to Maloja you cross two frozen lakes during a 3 to 4 hours walk with the below exposed panorama. At Maloja you can walk back or take the bus back to your starting point.

View from Lej da Segl to the west

The last panorama shows the marvellous view of the Roseg valley. This valley starts at Pontresina and - like the parallel Morteratsch valley east of it - it ends in the heart of the Bernina mountains. There is a winter walking route and a route for cross country skiing. Horse carriages are running between Pontresina and Hotel Roseg near the end of the valley, which offers accomodations and good food. The sweets buffet is spectacular and well known. At Hotel Roseg the woods end and a large meadow allows this spectacular view.