Piz Corvatsch () is a mountain in the Bernina Range of the Alps, overlooking Lake Sils and Lake Silvaplana in the Engadin region of the canton of Graubünden. With an elevation of 3,451 m (11,322 ft), it is the highest point on the range separating the main Inn valley from the Val Roseg. Aside from Piz Corvatsch, two other slightly lower summits make up the Corvatsch massif: Piz Murtèl (3,433 m (11,263 ft); north of Piz Corvatsch) and the unnamed summit where lies the Corvatsch upper cable car station (3,303 m (10,837 ft); north of Piz Murtèl). Politically, the summit of Piz Corvatsch is shared between the municipalities of Sils im Engadin/Segl and Samedan, although the 3,303 m high summit lies between the municipalities of Silvaplana and Samedan. The tripoint between the aforementioned municipalities is the summit of Piz Murtèl.
| Piz Corvatsch | |
|---|---|
 Piz Corvatsch seen from Lake Sils | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 3,451 m (11,322 ft) |
| Prominence | 383 m (1,257 ft)[1] |
| Parent peak | Piz Bernina |
| Isolation | 5.2 km (3.2 mi)[2] |
| Listing | Alpine mountains above 3000 m |
| Coordinates | 46°24′30″N 9°48′58″E / 46.40833°N 9.81611°E |
| Naming | |
| English translation | Crow (or raven) peak |
| Geography | |
  Piz Corvatsch Location in Switzerland | |
| Location | Graubünden, Switzerland |
| Parent range | Bernina Range |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1850 by Johann Coaz and party[3] |
| Easiest route | From the Corvatsch station |
Several glaciers lie on the east side on the massif. The largest, below Piz Corvatsch, is named Vadret dal Murtèl. The second largest, below Piz Murtèl and the station, is named Vadret dal Corvatsch.
The Corvatsch cable car starts above the village of Surlej, east of Silvaplana and culminates at 3,298 m. From there, the summit of Piz Corvatsch can be reached by traversing Piz Murtèl. In winter and spring, the mountain is part of a ski area, which is amongst the highest in Switzerland and the Eastern Alps.
Climate
editPiz Corvatsch has an alpine tundra climate (ET) with long, cold winters lasting most of the year and a brief period during summer where the average daily highs rise above freezing.
| Climate data for Piz Corvatsch, elevation 3,294 m (10,807 ft), (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −8.5 (16.7) |
−9.2 (15.4) |
−7.7 (18.1) |
−5.3 (22.5) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
2.6 (36.7) |
5.3 (41.5) |
5.4 (41.7) |
1.6 (34.9) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
−5.3 (22.5) |
−7.7 (18.1) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −11.0 (12.2) |
−11.8 (10.8) |
−10.1 (13.8) |
−7.6 (18.3) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
0.4 (32.7) |
2.6 (36.7) |
2.9 (37.2) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
−3.2 (26.2) |
−7.5 (18.5) |
−10.2 (13.6) |
−5.0 (23.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −13.5 (7.7) |
−14.4 (6.1) |
−12.6 (9.3) |
−10.0 (14.0) |
−5.7 (21.7) |
−1.9 (28.6) |
0.2 (32.4) |
0.6 (33.1) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
−9.8 (14.4) |
−12.7 (9.1) |
−7.3 (18.8) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 77.5 (3.05) |
68.6 (2.70) |
75.7 (2.98) |
106.3 (4.19) |
131.8 (5.19) |
144.1 (5.67) |
134.7 (5.30) |
134.6 (5.30) |
99.8 (3.93) |
120.8 (4.76) |
135.3 (5.33) |
87.9 (3.46) |
1,317.1 (51.85) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) | 9.0 | 8.3 | 10.0 | 11.6 | 14.1 | 14.1 | 13.1 | 13.0 | 10.1 | 10.3 | 11.2 | 9.9 | 134.7 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 62 | 64 | 71 | 77 | 80 | 80 | 77 | 77 | 75 | 68 | 68 | 66 | 72 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 140.7 | 149.6 | 185.8 | 173.5 | 172.8 | 179.3 | 200.0 | 185.4 | 166.7 | 165.1 | 124.7 | 117.2 | 1,960.8 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 56 | 56 | 53 | 45 | 39 | 40 | 44 | 45 | 47 | 53 | 50 | 49 | 47 |
| Source 1: NOAA[4] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: MeteoSwiss (humidity 1981-2010)[5][6] | |||||||||||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Retrieved from the Swisstopo topographic maps. The key col is the Fuorcla Fex-Roseg (3,068 m).
- ^ Retrieved from Google Earth. The nearest point of higher elevation is northwest of Piz Roseg.
- ^ Collomb, Robin, Bernina Alps, Goring: West Col Productions, 1988, p. 109.
- ^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 13 December 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
- ^ "Climate normals Piz Corvatsch 1991-2020". MeteoSwiss. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
- ^ "Climate normals Piz Corvatsch 1981-2010" (PDF). MeteoSwiss. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
- Collomb, Robin, Bernina Alps, Goring: West Col Productions, 1988
External links
edit
Media related to Piz Corvatsch at Wikimedia Commons