trekking experience don’t be tempted to hurry, unless the weather dictates, and when walking in a group adapt your speed to that of the slowest member.
Features of interest seen along the way are described in more detail in boxes or a sidebar to accompany the text on specific trek stages.
Abbreviations are used sparingly. While most should be easily understood, the following list is given for clarification.
AVAlpenverein (Alpine Club – usually refers to Austrian & German Clubs)
CHFSwiss francs
DAVthe German Alpine Club
EUEuropean Union
F&BFreytag & Berndt (map publishers)
K&FKümmerly + Frey (map publishers)
OeAVAustrian Alpine Club
SACSwiss Alpine Club
INFORMATION AT A GLANCE
Currencies Austria uses the euro (€): 100 cents = €1 while Switzerland and Liechtenstein both use the Swiss franc (CHF): 100 centimes or rappen = CHF1. Euros are usually accepted as payment in Swiss huts and hotels close to a border, but change will be given in Swiss francs. Credit cards are welcome in most hotels and berghausen, but cash is usually required when paying for goods and services in mountain huts.
Emergency number The Europe-wide emergency number is 112.
Formalities Visas are not required by UK passport holders, or other EU nationals.
Health precautions At the time of writing no vaccinations are required of visitors to the region covered by this guide. There are no endemic contagious diseases here, but be aware that tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is spread by a bite from the Ixodes tick which is prevalent among these mountains. Risk is seasonal, from March to September, and those who take part in outdoor activities are particularly vulnerable. An injection of TBE immunoglobulin gives short-term protection; ask your GP for advice. Any medical treatment received while abroad must be paid for, but the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) which entitles the holder to receive certain medical benefits in an emergency is also valid in Switzerland (a non-EU country). However, it is no substitute for proper health insurance, so make sure you have adequate cover that includes personal accident, sickness and mountain rescue.
International dialling codes When phoning to Austria from the UK use 0043; the code for Switzerland is 0041, for Liechtenstein use 00423. In each case after dialling the country code, ignore the initial 0 of the area code which follows. To call the UK from abroad use 0044.
Language spoken German is spoken throughout the Silvretta and Rätikon Alps, and although some hut wardens and hoteliers understand English, visitors should make an effort to speak some of the host country’s language. A brief German language primer and glossary will be found in Appendix D.
Mobile phones Coverage is reasonable throughout the area, but by the very nature of the terrain ‘black spots’ exist where it’s almost impossible to get a signal.
TREK 1
A TOUR OF THE SILVRETTA ALPS
The lovely Kromertal is crossed on the way to the Hochmaderer Joch (Stage 5)
TREK 1
A Tour of the Silvretta Alps
| Start | Berghaus Vereina/Klosters Platz |
| Finish | Alp Sardasca/Klosters Platz, or Schlappin/Klosters Dorf |
| Distance | c70–80km |
| Time | 6–7 days |
| Maps | K&F ‘Prättigau-Albula’ and ‘Unterengadin’ 1:60,000 |
| Accommodation | Mountain huts and hotels |
From the Vereina Pass the way descends into the head of Val Sagliains (Stage 1)
This week-long anti-clockwise circuit of the Silvretta Alps begins and ends at the Swiss resort of Klosters, and is the toughest of the three treks in this book, with several challenging passes that need to be crossed.
The first night is spent in Berghaus Vereina, reached by minibus taxi from Klosters Platz. The berghaus is a comfortable, privately owned inn-like hut standing at a confluence of valleys in view of the 3085m Flüela Wisshorn, and it makes a perfect introduction to the area.
Next day the route crosses the Vereina Pass (2585m) at the head of the little Süsertal, followed by descent into the untamed Val Sagliains below Piz Linard, the highest of the Silvretta peaks. The climb to the pass is not difficult under good summer conditions, but there is a fairly long and tiring descent before you reach the Lower Engadine village of Lavin.
The stage which leads to the Tuoi Hut (Chamanna Tuoi) is relatively easy, for there are no passes to confront. Instead you wander along a track to Guarda, one of the loveliest of all Swiss villages, and then strike north into Val Tuoi, at the head of which the Tuoi Hut is dwarfed by the towering walls of Piz Buin.
With two passes to negotiate, the next day is much more strenuous. It begins by climbing roughly eastwards through increasingly wild country before mounting a chaos of rocks to gain the 2735m Furcletta. On the east side of this pass the trek goes down through Val d’Urezzas as far as its confluence with Val Urschai, then heads upstream to the alp buildings of Marangun d’Urschai, where it crosses the river and works a way up to Pass Futschöl and into Austria. An hour or so below the pass stands the large Jamtal Hut, owned by the German Alpine Club (DAV).
As its name suggests, the Jamtal Hut is built in the upper reaches of the Jamtal, a fine valley that flows north to Galtür in the Paznauntal. Instead of descending through that valley, the continuing route of the Silvretta circuit tackles the 2839m Getschner Scharte, a rocky pass in the Jamtal’s western boundary. Descending into the little Bieltal, the main route then crosses the easy Radsattel to gain a splendid view of Piz Buin’s north flank and the glaciers flowing from it. The Wiesbadener Hut, where the day ends, is regularly used as a base for climbing this major Silvretta peak.
That makes quite a demanding day, but on the descent from the Getschner Scharte the waymarked route forks, giving an opportunity to shorten the day by going to the Bielerhöhe instead of the Wiesbadener Hut; this option also reduces the time and effort required for the following day’s stage.
Beginning at the Wiesbadener Hut, the penultimate stage of the tour follows a good track towards the northern end of the Silvretta Stausee, a long and narrow reservoir dammed at the Bielerhöhe, the highest point on the Silvretta Hochalpenstrasse, a sensational road with countless hairpins linking the Montafon and Paznaun valleys. Breaking away from the reservoir the trek turns west into the Kromertal, then up and over the Hochmaderer Joch at 2505m. The path now slopes downhill and curves south to reach the atmospheric Tübinger Hut in readiness for crossing back into Switzerland the next day.
On the final stage of the Tour of the Silvretta Alps there are also options to consider.
