The Silvretta Alps are a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

of the Central Eastern Alps shared by Tirol,

Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( , ; gsw, label=Vorarlbergisch, Vorarlbearg, , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is ...

(both in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

) and Graubünden (

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

). The Austrian states of Tirol and Vorarlberg are connected by a pass road (

Silvretta Hochalpenstraße The Silvretta Alps are a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps shared by Tyrol (state), Tirol, Vorarlberg (both in Austria) and Graubünden (Switzerland). The Austrian States of Austria, states of Tirol and Vorarlberg are connected by a pa ...

at 2032 m). The majority of the peaks are elevated above three thousand metres and are surrounded by

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

s. Thus, the area is also known as the "Blue Silvretta".

Borders

According to the Alpine Clubs, the Silvretta Alps are outlined from other groups by the following borders:

St. Gallenkirch ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy ...

- Ill river as far as

Partenen Gemeinde Gaschurn-Partenen is a municipality in the district of Bludenz in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. The two largest villages are Gaschurn Dorf (population 1083 as of 1.1.2020) and Partenen (population 376 as of 1.1.2020). Geo ...

- Zeinisjoch - Zeinisbach -

Paznaun The Paznaun () is a valley in Tyrol, Austria, leading south-west from Pians (856 m) to the Bielerhöhe (2071 m), a mountain pass at the border of Vorarlberg and Tyrol. The Paznaun is watered by the Trisanna and surrounded by the Centr ...

tal as far as Ischgl -

Fimbertal The Fimbatal, also Fimbertal, ( rm, Val Fenga) is an alpine valley situated between the Silvretta Alps and the Samnaun Alps. The valley is drained by the Fimbabach river (''Aua da Fenga''), a tributary of the Inn basin (Trisanna) at Ischgl. The h ...

Fimber Pass Fimber is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately north-west of Driffield town centre and south-west of the village of Sledmere. It lies on the B1248 road. The civil parish is formed b ...

Val Chöglias Val may refer to: Val-a Film * ''Val'' (film), an American documentary about Val Kilmer, directed by Leo Scott and Ting Poo Military equipment * Aichi D3A, a Japanese World War II dive bomber codenamed "Val" by the Allies * AS Val, a So ...

Val Sinestra The Val Sinestra ( Romansh lit.: "left valley") is a valley of the Swiss Alps, located in the Engadin between the Silvretta and the Samnaun ranges. The valley is drained by ''La Brancla'', a tributary of the Inn basin, near Ramosch. The highes ...

Inn River , image = UnterinntalWest.JPG , image_caption = Lower Inn valley from Rattenberg castle , source1_location = Swiss Alps (Lägh dal Lunghin) , source1_elevation = , source1_coordinates= , mouth_location = Danube (Passau) , mo ...

from the mouth of the Branclabach to the mouth of the Susasca -

Val Susasca Val may refer to: Val-a Film * ''Val'' (film), an American documentary about Val Kilmer, directed by Leo Scott and Ting Poo Military equipment * Aichi D3A, a Japanese World War II dive bomber codenamed "Val" by the Allies * AS Val, a So ...

Flüela Pass The Flüela Pass (german: Flüelapass, rm, Pass dal Flüela, elevation ) is a high mountain pass of the Swiss Alps in Graubünden. Traditionally considered the boundary between the Albula and Silvretta Alps, the pass crosses the watershed / ...

Davos , neighboring_municipalities= Arosa, Bergün/Bravuogn, Klosters-Serneus, Langwies, S-chanf, Susch , twintowns = } Davos (, ; or ; rm, ; archaic it, Tavate) is an Alpine resort town and a municipality in the Prättigau/Davos R ...

Wolfgang Wolfgang is a German male given name traditionally popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The name is a combination of the Old High German words ''wolf'', meaning "wolf", and ''gang'', meaning "path", "journey", "travel". Besides the regula ...

- Laretbach - Klosters - Schlappinbach - Schlappiner Joch - Valzifensbach - Gargellental -

. The Silvretta Alps are surrounded by the Rätikon,

Verwall The Verwall Alps or Verwall Group Reynolds, Kev (2005). ''Walking in the Alps'', 2nd ed., Cicerone, Singapore, pp. 321-326. . are a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps at the border of the Austrian states of Tyrol and Vorarlberg. It inclu ...

Samnaun Samnaun ( rm, Samignun) is a high Alpine village and a valley at the eastern end of Switzerland and a municipality in the Engiadina Bassa/Val Müstair Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. History The valley was first used as a seasonal ...

, Sesvenna, Albula and Plessur ranges. The Piz Buin is not the highest, but the most popular peak of the range. It can relatively easily be ascended from north or south through glaciers and stretches of easy climbing. The Silvretta is famous for its skiing especially its many

backcountry skiing Backcountry skiing ( US), also called off-piste (Europe), alpine touring, or out-of-area, is skiing in the backcountry on unmarked or unpatrolled areas either inside or outside a ski resort's boundaries. This contrasts with alpine skiing, which i ...

possibilities. In the 1920s

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...

was staying in the region for a winter (he lived at Schruns in Montafon,

). Later, he wrote a couple of short stories about his skiing experiences in the Silvretta. Some of these short stories are to be found in ''A moveable feast''.

Adjacent valleys

* Montafon *

* Engadin

Peaks

Mountain huts

* Berghaus-Verein, private * Bodenalpenhaus, private * Chamanna Dal Linard, Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) * Fergen Hut, SAC *

Heidelberger Hut The Heidelberger Hut (German: ''Heidelberger Hütte'') is a mountain hut located in the Silvretta in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It lies at an altitude of 2,264 metres above sea level in the Val Fenga. The hut was built between 1887 and 1 ...

, German Alpine Club (DAV), Heidelberg Section * Jamtal Hut DAV, Schwaben Section * Klostertaler Umwelt Hut, DAV * Madlenerhaus, DAV Wiesbaden Section * Saarbrücken Hut, DAV, Alpenverein u. Skiclub Silvretta * Seetal Hut, SAC * Silvretta Hut, SAC * Tuoi Hut, SAC * Tübingen Hut, DAV, Tübingen Section * Wiesbaden Hut, DAV Wiesbaden Section

Ski areas in the Silvretta Alps

* Silvretta Montafon –

, Austria – largest ski area offering 113 km of slopes * Silvretta Bielerhöhe – Partenen –

, Austria * Gargellen –

, Austria *

Galtür Galtür is a village and ski resort in the upper Paznaun valley in Austrian state of Tyrol located in the Central Eastern Alps 35 km southwest of Landeck near the border of Vorarlberg and Switzerland. History Galtür was settled by th ...

– Silvapark –

Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...

, Austria * Scuol (Motta Naluns) – Graubünden, Switzerland *

Parsenn Parsenn is a ski area near Davos, Switzerland, offering 35 ski runs. The Parsenn area is the largest and most modern of Davos' five mountains. The recently updated Parsenn "red railway" funicular covers the difference of up to the Weissfluh ...

(Davos Klosters) – Graubünden, Switzerland – highest ski area which extends up to an altitude of 2,844m *

Madrisa The Madrisa (or ''Madrisahorn'') is a mountain in the Rätikon mountain range, overlooking Klosters in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. Its summit (2,826 metres) is located near the Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the ...

(Davos Klosters) – Graubünden, Switzerland * Pischa (Davos Klosters) – Graubünden, Switzerland * Selfranga – Klosters – Graubünden, Switzerland *

Ardez Ardez () is a former municipality in the district of Inn in the canton of Graubünden in eastern Switzerland. The village is located in the Lower Engadin valley. On 1 January 2015 the former municipalities of Ardez, Guarda, Tarasp, Ftan and S ...

– Graubünden, Switzerland * Guarda – Graubünden, Switzerland

References