Eisfall Surlej - Engadin

A January morning on the ice at Surlej, the well-known icefall just above Silvaplana in the Upper Engadin. Short approach, cold air, and a couple of hundred metres of forgiving water ice.

Eisfall Surlej / above Silvaplana, Upper Engadin

WI3 / ~120 m / ~2 h / Gear: ice screws, 60 m rope, two tools

The Surlej fall is a friendly WI3 — roughly 120 m of ice at 70–80°, with the steeper steps broken up by easier ground, so it takes screws well and gives comfortable stances. It forms reliably each winter, which makes it a popular spot for the first ice days of the season and for teaching. It’s catalogued in the Hot Ice — Eiskletterführer Schweiz Ost guidebook.

Logistics

Parking

By the Lej da Silvaplana at Surlej, off the Julier/Maloja road below Piz Corvatsch.

Approach

A short walk from Surlej — straight up to the foot of the icefall, or across the frozen lake and up along the forest edge, about 15–20 minutes.