PONTRESINA HOHENWEG

Our original plan was to climb Piz Languard (3262m), the landmark mountain of Pontresina, but we suspected that the snow of the previous few days would make this inadvisable, and so it proved. We took the chair lift from the village up to Alp Languard and headed off uphill.  

Looking down over St Moritz from above Alp Languard (note the snow)

  On reaching the snow-line at about 2800m we continued to climb but it soon became apparent that the snow would be deep and the mountain very steep so we retreated down the mountain to join the Hohenweg path – the “Steinbockweg” which contours along the north west slopes of Piz Muragl at about 2700m. Much of the path is across a boulder field almost 2km long, but it is well marked, albeit rough. 

The "Steinbockerg" path crosses the boulders and scree below Piz Muragl

There was one slightly exposed section over a rocky outcrop with a fixed cable but the rest was relatively easy. By now the sun had come out and the views steadily improved over the valley, the mountains north of St Moritz and the Bernina mountains. 

  We passed information boards about the sites in this area that are being used to predict climate change. Borings are taken down about 10m into the permafrost and show the annual variations in temperature since 1987.

  On reaching the Chna Seganini mountain hut and restaurant at 2737m we had a drink and then dropped down into the Muragl valley to a lower path back to Alp Languard; a much easier path at about 2000m. On one section a corrugated steel tunnel had been constructed under a stream in a steep gulley.

The path back to Alp Languard with the Val Roseg in the background