Chamanna Coaz

Two days between larches and glaciers

The Val Roseg is one of the loveliest side valleys of the Upper Engadine: car-free, gently rising, lined with larches and closed off at its head by the ice faces of the Bernina range. From Pontresina (1820 m) the broad valley track reaches the Hotel Roseggletscher (1999 m) in a good hour and a half — or take the horse-drawn carriage.

Beyond that it turns alpine. The path crosses the outwash plain, climbs the moraine ridge to the Lej da Vadret (2200 m) and then pulls steadily up to the Chamanna Coaz (2610 m) — twelve kilometres and 780 metres of ascent from Pontresina, a good four hours. The final section is steep but well built throughout and stays within T2. The hut sits on a rock step above the glacial lake, opposite the Sella glacier, Piz Glüschaint and Piz Roseg — one of the most generous hut settings in Graubünden.

Day two does not return the same way but heads out westwards: across the high plateau to the Fuorcla Surlej (2755 m), the tour’s highest point and the classic viewing balcony onto Piz Bernina, Piz Scerscen and Piz Roseg. Then follows a long, open descent past the Hahnensee and through the larch slopes to St. Moritz — a good 1500 metres down, with the station at the end. Over both days the tour adds up to some 31.5 kilometres, 1590 metres of ascent and 1630 of descent, around ten hours of walking in total.

Tip: late September to mid-October, when the larches in the valley turn gold and the first snow already sits on the summits. Check the hut’s opening dates and the carriage timetable beforehand. To shorten day two, descend from the Fuorcla Surlej to the Corvatsch middle station.

On my list but not yet walked myself — a personal report will follow.

Hero image: Fadri62, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.