The White Way
The long-distance hiking trail Via Engiadina is a winter dream. Our author surrendered herself to the whiteness of the Rhaetian Alps and lost sight of everyday life.
Main image: On the Via Engadina.
Crunch, crunch, crunch goes the snow beneath my hiking boots. Six-pointed crampons on my soles ensure a good grip. A fine striped pattern shows the trail has been freshly groomed. It lies before me invitingly pristine, untouched by humans so early in the day and promising a solitary hiking pleasure. The path is still in the shade and my breath visible in the morning air. To my right, the sun is beginning its climb through the undergrowth of the Swiss stone pines – an evergreen species that grows to the tree line and known in Germany as Zirbelkiefer.
I’m on the Via Engiadina, a long-distance hiking trail in the Lower Engadin. This historic route in the canton of Graubunden stretches from Maloja to Vinadi in six to twelve stages, depending on your pace and stamina. I’ve chosen the section from Zernez to Ftan – a stretch of about 27 kilometres that is manageable in two days. But it is not about ‘managing’ for me. I want to decouple my thoughts from the demands of everyday life, lose myself in the monochrome winter white and immerse myself in the culture of the Lower Engadin.
Il rumantsch, or Romansh, is one of Switzerland’s four national languages and is mainly spoken in Graubunden, a region including the Engadin. The Lower Engadin preserves the Vallader dialect – a style that locals say sounds like music to the ears. Romansh includes many words that have no real German equivalent. Pachific, for example, is best translated as ‘unhurried’ or ‘laid-back’. It’s a word used to describe their philosophy of life, implying a relaxed mindset and a peaceful live-and-let-live attitude. That’s exactly how I plan to spend the coming days. And as I wander, I simultaneously discover some of the most beautiful villages of the Lower Engadin.
The prospect of a cozy night stay awaits me. The hike along the Via Engiadina can be arranged through travel providers and in the family-run hotels where I will stop for the night, the pillows have already been fluffed.
Guarda in the morning light.
Sledges for the descent from the restaurant Vastur to Sent.
In the stüvas – cozy guest parlours paneled with fragrant pinewood – local specialties await. I can’t wait. For the first day, I plan to hike from Zernez through Lavin to Guarda. I set off early with a thermos of tea and a slice of typical Engadin fruit bread in my backpack. After walking for an hour and a half along the valley floor next to the Inn River, I stop in Susch to visit the museum founded by Polish entrepreneur and patron Grażyna Kulczyk.
The Muzeum Susch is housed in a former parsonage, once part of a medieval monastery and later expanded in the 19th century with a brewery. The old architecture, minimalist yet natural thanks to its materials, meets top-tier international contemporary art. Inspired by the stunning architecture and the colourful textile works of 91-year-old Hungarian artist Ilona Keseru, I leave the museum deeply impressed.
The path behind Susch climbs gently through a larch forest and then descends again. Recent sunny days have caused some snow to melt and refreeze during the icy nights – I’m grateful for the crampons that dig securely into the icy patches. After an hour, I cross the covered wooden bridge in Lavin and climb the steps to the village square.
To the right of the fountain stands Restaurant Linard. In a pine-panelled dining room from 1926 – said to be the most beautiful in the Inn Valley – young chef Jirka Vasek serves me a deliciously creamy celery soup with almonds and brown butter, followed by traditional buckwheat pizzoccheri with blue St. Gallen potatoes, pear and marjoram. I feel well-fortified for the next section: the hike high above the valley from Val Lavinuoz to the village of Guarda.
Coffee break at the Piz Linard restaurant.
Left: Sgraffito façades line the route. - Right: The trail also leads through Ardez.
Below: On the terrace of restaurant Vastur.
Guarda sits spectacularly above the Inn River, far from the main road and railway. I arrive at dusk, greeted by a large group of squawking ravens who share the traffic-free village with its roughly two hundred inhabitants. My cozy hotel room overlooking the Lower Engadin Dolomites awaits. So does my suitcase. Thanks to coordination among the Via Engiadina partner hotels, hikers’ luggage is transported from door to door.
The next stage gently climbs and descends on the sunny side of the Inn Valley to Ardez. There, I meet local guide Walter Schmid. He shows me the most beautiful sgraffito facades, an artistic style specific to these areas. He tells stories about village life; the ski lift that’s free for kids and the evening lottery that brings the whole village together – where he is hoping for a small win himself. A notable resident of Ardez is artist, sculptor and architect Not Vital. His foundation, Fundaziun Not Vital, aims to bring prints from the 17th and 18th centuries back to their place of origin. The Romansh library housing this collection is located in the Planta House of Wildenberg, an imposing white corner house dating back to 1642.
‘I want to decouple my thoughts from the demands of everyday life and lose myself in the monochrome winter white.’
At Tarasp Castle, built in 1040 and located halfway to Scuol, the foundation showcases a collection of antique, modern and contemporary art alongside rotating exhibitions. It sounds exciting, but I decide to save it for another visit and instead hike past the ski lift and up the slope. After passing snow-covered ruins, crossing a road and hiking past a cross-country ski trail, I reach Ftan – a village known not only for skiing but also for its sports boarding school, the talent hub of the High Alpine Institute.
A postbus full of casually dressed snowboarders and families in bulky ski boots takes me to Scuol. There, I find myself in the steaming outdoor pool of Bogn Engiadina – a complex of baths and saunas. I let myself drift pachific through the current channel during the blue hour, ready for tomorrow’s departure. In clear view, the snow-covered peaks of the Silvretta rise majestically, immovable. ‘We are here,’ they seem to say to me, ‘we are here and here we will remain. You are welcome to return anytime.’
Each village is more beautiful than the last
Travel Tip
If you want to extend your stay by half a day, consider a nearly four-kilometre tour from Sent to the sunny terrace of the mountain restaurant Vastur. Farmer Georg Salomon’s family runs the restaurant in winter only. Guests enjoy homemade fruit cake while seated on warm sheepskins. Then, they hop onto the restaurant’s wooden sleds and race back to Sent at high speed, framed by the stunning backdrop of the Silvretta range and the Lower Engadin Dolomites.
Along the Way Muzeum - Susch Surpunt 78
7542 Susch
+41 81 861 03 03
muzeumsusch.ch
Linard Lavin - Plazza Gronda 2
7543 Lavin
+41 81 862 26 26
linardlavin.ch
Bogn Engiadina - Via dals Bogns 323
7550 Scuol
+41 81 861 26 00
bognengiadina.ch
Restorant Vastur - Vastur
7554 Sent
+41 79 437 46 54
vastur.ch
Words Ilona Marx
Images Thalia Wuensche & Nadja Cantieni for Graubünden Ferien
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