Situated in the Upper Engadine Valley, near the Italian border, Pontresina ski resort is well-suited to skiers and snowboarders at all levels. There is a huge amount of unexploited off-piste in the region and cross-country skiing in the Engadine Valley is some of the best in Switzerland. The annual Engadine Ski Marathon is held here every March.
Pontresina (1,800m) is small and charming and represents a traditional Engadine village, featuring narrow streets and medieval houses. The 2,000 permanent residents are dwarfed by the 7,000 visitors joining them in the tourist seasons. Pontresina doesn't offer the ski-in/ski-out option, but there is an excellent range of shops, a convention centre and a museum.
Lodgings range from the budget option to the luxurious; there are 2,200 hotel beds and 3,000 other beds in holiday flats and private rooms, and a youth hostel is also available. There are some exciting pubs and restaurants and interesting cultural events, although après-ski in Pontresina is fairly sedate. There is a kindergarten at the Hotel Saratz, as well as a ski kindergarten.
Seven ski lifts service all 56kms of slopes of the Pontresina ski resort, which has a good cross-section of terrain difficulty. The longest run is eight kilometres and the huge area of off-piste terrain is ideal for snowboarders and cross-country skiers. Pontresina's ski lifts have a total capacity for about 10,000 people per hour.
Exclusive St Moritz is only 10kms away and is lift-linked with Pontresina, giving skiers and snowboarders access to its rolling snowfields and over 300kms of prepared slopes. Other mountains worth looking at are Muottas and Muragl (north of the town), and Diavolezza and Lagalb, on the way to the Bernina pass to Italy.
The Pontresina ski season runs from mid-November to early May, with cheaper weeks pre-Christmas holidays, in mid-January and March (but not during the Ski Marathon). Zürich is 200kms away and the most convenient way to get here is to fly to Zürich International Airport and transfer by train, or hire a car.
