Corviglia: Sustainability on the Mountain

Find out how we deal with ecological responsibility towards our most valuable resource.

Corviglia is one of the most beautiful mountain landscapes in the Engadine. It guarantees action, adventure and snow-sure slopes. But how do we manage to carry out the necessary work in nature as gently as possible in order to protect our flora and fauna? Here are some milestones:

Green electricity – a true summit achievement

Nowadays, it is impossible to imagine everyday life in the mountains without sustainably generated electricity: the 164 solar panels along the route of the Corviglia funicular produce enough energy for one in six ascents, and the valley and mountain stations on Piz Nair are also clad in solar panels. At lofty heights (2,666 metres above sea level), a wind farm generates electricity, while at the foot of the mountain, Switzerland's oldest power station draws energy from the lake.

Clean power on the slopes

‘PistenBully 600 E+’ – that sounds like a powerful machine! And it is. What's more, it is also highly energy efficient: used for the first time worldwide by Engadin St. Moritz Mountains in 2012, this diesel-electric snow groomer scores points with a significant reduction in pollutants and enormous fuel savings.

Over 20 years ago, Engadin St. Moritz Mountains was already a pioneer in sustainability when the hydraulics of all snow groomers were converted to biodegradable oil. The diesel was replaced by a low-sulphur variant, and as early as 2006, Engadin St. Moritz Mountains equipped its large snow groomers with diesel particulate filters.

A punctual start to the season thanks to sustainable snowmaking

Even if the snow doesn't come at the beginning of the season, ski fans from all over the world don't have to worry: a large proportion of the slopes on Corviglia are guaranteed to be open! This is ensured by state-of-the-art snowmaking systems that use bio-compressor oil – a world first. We also avoid using any additives to promote crystallisation, as well as using water to operate the machines. The water that turns into ice crystals seeps away again after the spring thaw, thus remaining in the natural cycle.

Snow from the lake

The natural reservoir of Lej Alv makes the mechanical snow production even more sustainable: to reduce their energy consumption, the snow-making machines do not use water pumped up from the valley, but instead draw on the 4,500,000-cubic-metre reservoir at around 2,500 metres above sea level.