As part of the Weymouth and Portland build up towards the 2012 Olympics, Paracademy has become involved in a unique project to train local young people with skills that will potentially enable them to be part of the Olympic experience that will be right on their doorsteps. [more]
The Location and out and about in Silvaplana, Switzerland
Silvaplana is located 1815m above sea level in the middle of the wide Engadine lake plateau and surrounded by a striking mountain landscape. The location offers a wide range of activities for anyone who likes to breathe the fresh, dry air and enjoy the unique panorama.
In winter you can choose from a wide and varied range of leisure activities: the lake plateau and snow-covered mountain pine woods provide the ideal setting for long walks. 180km of well-prepared tracks make Silvaplana a cross-country skier's paradise. Snowkiting of course on the lake, tobogganing on the 1km long toboggan run, snow-shoe treks and an ice stadium with a curling rink guarantee pure winter fun. An aerial cableway with large cabins takes you from Surlej to airy heights just below the Piz Corvatsch (3'303m above sea level) peak. Here you will find an extensive and varied ski area including a snowboard park linked to the Furtschellas pistes and St. Moritz. Every Friday evening floodlights turn the night into a ski day. The provision of professional avalanche camps has made the Corvatsch particularly attractive for freeriders.Successful, well-established packages such as the Norwegian Week at the beginning of December, Carving Days in December and Snow-shoe Festival in January constitute the winter highlights. The Coppa Romana, the quintessential curling event, takes place every January – phew so don’t miss that!
- Altitude 1815 m above sea level
- Residents 910
Infrastructure (winter)
- Surlej-Silvaplana-Corvatsch aerial cable cars
- Opened from November 18, 2005 until May 1, 2006
- Valley station in Surlej 1,870 m above sea level
- Middle station 2,707 m above sea level
- Mountain station 3303 m above sea level
Sports centre Mulets
- Cross country school
- Snowsports Corvatsch - Silvaplana
- Daily sports activities
- Regular cultural events
- Swiss kite surfing and snowkiting School
Selection of hotels and accommodation
- 9 hotels
- 480 vacation apartments
- 10 private rooms
Silvaplana Kitesailing School
Some of you kite surfers reading this may well think that your sport was the first of the traction kite sports to occur, but one Swiss bloke would certainly beg to differ. In 1991 Stefan Popprath set up his first kite shop and snowkite school at Silvaplana. So long ago in fact that he called it ‘kitesailing’, which has remain the name of the school ever since. With the advent of kite surfing the school now teaches summer and winter as the lake freezes and thaws.
Paracademy X has partnered with Stefan following Neil Godbold’s visit there in Feb 2005 to run the first IKO snowkite instructor courses in Switzerland. This year now see the first year for the new Paracademy X snowkite camps.
The Silvaplana Kitesailing School will provide the infrastructure for the snowkite camps. The school ideally located by the lake is fully equipped with everything the student will need, from personal and kite equipment, through to changing facilities, a repair workshop, a kite shop, classroom and even a café to warm up in at the end of the day.
The Silvaplana school is not only responsible for the early days of snowkite teaching in Europe, but is also one of the scene setters when it comes to snowkite competitions to and has from 1995 been hosting a whole range of events including probably the race covering the longest distance on snow from Maloja to Silvaplana, a 5 hour team race and the also the European Championship.
Most snowkiting is done between January and March mainly on the Lake of Silvaplana, but also at the Berneina pass where there is the potential of kiting from the beginning of December until mid April over the frozen Lago Bianco.
Snowboarding And Skiing
Silvaplana ski resort sits at the foot of the Corvatsch Mountain, on the largest of the Engadine lakes, in the beautiful canton of Graubunden. Silvaplana has 65kms of varied terrain for both skiers and snowboarders and also boasts links with the upmarket resort of St Moritz. A combination of well-groomed slopes and rugged terrain make up the 65kms of skiing and snowboarding at Silvaplana ski resort. The runs are divided into 35 per cent for the beginner, 25 per cent for intermediates and 40 per cent for the advanced and expert; the longest piste is 10kms. Fourteen chair and draglifts can transport 1,000 people per hour, and there are also 150kms of cross-country trails throughout the linked region. The mid-November to May ski season at Silvaplana has good snow throughout, particularly in February/March. Cheaper weeks are usually offered at the beginning and end of the season. Most people fly to Zürich and take a train transfer to St Moritz and then the bus to Silvaplana, or hire a car.
Other winter activities and facilities at Silvaplana include: natural ice-skating; curling; mountaineering; paragliding; horse-drawn sleigh riding; and an excellent sports centre. There are restaurants on and off the mountain and après-skiers have a choice of bars and a clubs for nighttime entertainment. The village of Silvaplana itself is a mix of German, Romansch and Italian cultures and is presided over by the massive and beautiful Corvatsch Mountain. Six thousand slope-side beds are on offer in hotels, chalets and apartments. Extensive shopping and partying opportunities abound in nearby St Moritz.