| Piz Corvatsch | |
|---|---|
 Piz Corvatsch seen fromLake 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″N9°48′58″E / 46.40833°N 9.81611°E /46.40833; 9.81611 |
| Naming | |
| English translation | Crow (or raven) peak |
| Geography | |
  Piz Corvatsch Location in Switzerland | |
| Location | Grison,Switzerland |
| Parent range | Bernina Range |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1850 byJohann Coaz and party[3] |
| Easiest route | From the Corvatsch station |
Piz Corvatsch ([ˌpitskorˈvatʃ]ⓘ) is amountain in theBernina Range of theAlps, overlookingLake Sils andLake Silvaplana in theEngadin region of the canton ofGrisons. With an elevation of 3,451 m (11,322 ft), it is the highest point on the range separating the mainInn valley from theVal 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 uppercable car station (3,303 m (10,837 ft); north of Piz Murtèl). Politically, the summit of Piz Corvatsch is shared between the municipalities ofSils im Engadin/Segl andSamedan, although the 3,303 m high summit lies between the municipalities ofSilvaplana and Samedan. The tripoint between the aforementioned municipalities is the summit of Piz Murtèl.
Several glaciers lie on the east side on the massif. The largest, below Piz Corvatsch, is namedVadret dal Murtèl. The second largest, below Piz Murtèl and the station, is namedVadret dal Corvatsch.
The Corvatsch cable car starts above the village of Surlej, east ofSilvaplana 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 theEastern Alps.
Piz Corvatsch has an alpinetundra 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) |
| Averageprecipitation 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 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 62 | 64 | 71 | 77 | 80 | 80 | 77 | 77 | 75 | 68 | 68 | 66 | 72 |
| Mean monthlysunshine 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 |
| Percentagepossible 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] | |||||||||||||
Media related toPiz Corvatsch at Wikimedia Commons
