Mountains & Marmots

by Living Our Best Lives

Kilometres Walked : 24

Flights Climbed : 190

Thursday 15th June, 2023

Another big day on the trail’s yesterday. Our goal was to climb as high as we could near Piz Nair. We didn’t get all the way to the peak as there was to much snow on the tracks but we were quite proud of the height we reached. At about 2800 metres we felt like we were on top of the world and at the same time on a completely different planet. We decided to actually stop at Heidi’s Hut on the way this time. What a cute little timber hut it was. You can just imagine it surrounded by snow in the winter, and then surrounded by all the crocuses popping up in the springtime.

Heidi’s Hut.
Inside, it was very cute.
Quite a few of these popping up where the snow has just melted.

Then the ascent began just behind the Signal Gondola Station. We slowly wound our way across the hills spotting plenty of the crazy Marmots and stopping regularly to enjoy the expansive views. What hilarious little creatures the Marmots are. They made us giggle on a regular basis along the way.

Views on the way up.
We can see for miles.
To think all of this is usually blanketed in snow.
The green lichen was out of this world.
Feeling very small surrounded by these rugged peaks.

After winding our way around the side of Piz Nair we came around the final bend and there was Lake Suvretta. Wow, it was still mostly frozen and quite a lot of snow was sitting around on the trails. What a spectacular sight. The rugged peaks surrounding the lake and us were like somewhere on another planet. It was just truly breathtaking. A lot of these tracks are for the Mountain Bikers as well. Talk about extreme sports and extremely fit. It’s certainly not for the faint hearted.

Lake Suvretta (Yes it is still mostly frozen)
It was just amazing.
Climbing the last section that we were able to.

From the lake we started to climb once more in the direction of Piz Nair but didn’t get very far as there was still to much snow over the tracks. But at 2800m (9100 ft) we were very pleased at how far we had come. There was even a ski chair lift at what felt like the middle of nowhere but I guess during ski season it would be very busy. It was hard to believe that everywhere we had been walking would normally be blanketed in metres of snow. What a spectacular sight that would be.

Ski lift and bar for the winter season, looking towards Piz Grisch
Still plenty of snow about.
The cool breeze picked up.
Proud of ourselves.
Incredible Scenery
We spent so much time just enjoying the surroundings.
On the way back down. (Poser)

What an incredible place St Moritz is. Even though we didn’t make it to the top of Piz Nair we had a fabulous time hiking. The Gondola that takes you up there is closed until the end of the month so we couldn’t get up there that way either. We had the most amazing time. You just become mesmerised by the scenery and you can’t help but just stop and perch on a rock and stare in wonder at the surroundings. It’s a very magical place. The rugged snow capped mountain peaks, the delicate and beautiful wildflowers, the very funny & cute Marmots, the tall swaying pine trees, the stunning scenery and the beautiful alpine architecture. We felt very grateful to be able to explore the area as much as we did.