Cross-country skiing in the Engadin from Sils Maria: trails, passes, Skimarathon and Night Run

Cross-country skiing in the Engadin starts at the edge of Sils Maria. The Upper Engadin grooms more than 220 km of classic and skating trails between Maloja and Zernez, the largest network in Switzerland, and the trails across the Sils plain and, once the ice holds, over the frozen Silsersee start on foot from the village. The Schweizerhof stands on the Dorfplatz at 1,800 m and the trailhead at the Muot Marias sports centre is at the edge of the village. This guide covers the trails you can ski from Sils without a car, what the Loipenpass costs, where to rent and learn, and what a guest in the village sees of the Engadin Skimarathon and the Engadin Night Run in March 2027.

The trails around Sils

The Sils plain between Sils Maria and Sils Baselgia is the flat, open centre of the network. The Sils Baselgia loop is 2.2 km with 7 m of climbing, graded easy and suited to beginners. Every main trail here is groomed for classic and skating, and the trail report at engadin.ch shows each morning which sections were groomed overnight. The short version is on our cross-country skiing page.

The lake trails

As soon as the ice on the Silsersee is thick enough and there is snow on top, Loipen Engadin grooms trails across the lake to Maloja, to Plaun da Lej and to Surlej and Silvaplana. The full lake section across the Silsersee, Silvaplanersee and Champfèrersee is 12 km and forms part of the Skimarathon course. The lake trails open when the operator releases them, not by the calendar, so they open earlier after a cold December and later after a mild one. The stretch is open to the Maloja wind, which blows up the valley most afternoons, so ski it in the morning or ski into the wind first so that it is behind you on the way back.

Val Fex

The Val Fex trail starts at the Furtschellas valley station and climbs 286 m over 9.6 km to Plaun Vadret at the head of the valley, graded difficult for the sustained climb and the descent back. The valley is closed to private cars, so the only traffic is horse-drawn sleighs and walkers on the winter path. Allow about 2 hours for the round trip.

Down the valley to St. Moritz

The Maloja to St. Moritz trail is 15 km, graded easy, about 1 hour 30 minutes. From Sils you join it at the lake and ski past Silvaplana and Champfèr to the Nordic centre in St. Moritz Bad. Ski it one way and take the Engadin Bus back to the Dorfplatz, which is free for hotel guests from the second night.

Loipenpass, rental and lessons

Every adult skier needs a Loipenpass. For 2026/27 a day ticket is CHF 12, a weekly ticket CHF 40 and the Engadin season pass CHF 110. The Swiss pass, valid nationwide, is CHF 160. Children up to 16 ski free. Passes are sold at the Nordic checkpoints on the trail, at the Sils tourist office, at the ski schools and online at engadin.langlaufpass.ch, where the digital pass is issued at once. Ask at reception whether the hotel can issue one with your ski pass.

Rental in Sils is at La Fainera Intersport on Via da Marias 10, open Monday to Saturday from 08:30 to 12:15 and 13:30 to 18:00, closed Sunday. A classic set (skis and boots) is about CHF 40 for one day and a skating set about CHF 50, with the daily rate falling over a week. The Swiss Ski School Corvatsch-Pontresina runs beginner group lessons in Sils from 23 December 2026 to early March 2027, skating on Mondays and classic on Tuesdays from 13:30 to 15:30, about CHF 64 for the half day, meeting at Muot Marias next to the ice rink; book at the Sils office by 11:00 on the day. All prices and times here are approximate and given as a guide. Loipen Engadin, La Fainera and the Swiss Ski School Corvatsch-Pontresina set their own fares and opening times and adjust them from season to season, so check the current details on engadin.ch, lafainera.ch and ssscp.ch before you go.

Classic or skating for a first week

Choose classic if you have never cross-country skied. The grooves guide the skis, the movement is close to walking, and the rental set costs about CHF 10 a day less. Skating is faster and suits anyone who inline skates or ice skates, but it needs more balance on the first afternoon. Roughly 200 of the region's trail kilometres can be skated.

Night skiing: what is lit and what is not

Sils has no floodlit trail. The lit night trails in the Upper Engadin are a 2 km loop from the Nordic centre in St. Moritz Bad and a 1.1 km loop at the Cuntschet centre in Pontresina, both lit daily from 17:00 to 21:00, and both on the free bus and rail network for guests. Loipen Engadin asks skiers not to use the regular trails after dark, because grooming machines work the network in the evening.

Engadin Skimarathon 2027 from the village

The 57th Engadin Skimarathon is on Sunday 14 March 2027. Around 13,500 skiers start in waves from 08:15 above Maloja and race 42 km down the valley to S-chanf, and the course crosses the frozen lakes below Sils in the opening kilometres. The Engadin Half Marathon starts at the same time on the same course and finishes after 21 km in Pontresina. Marathon week runs from 6 to 14 March, with the Engadin Women's Race, 17 km from Samedan to S-chanf, on Sunday 7 March.

From Sils Maria you reach the course on foot. The course runs along the lake trail below Sils Baselgia. Watch from the lakeshore, then take the bus or train to the finish in Pontresina or S-chanf.

Entry for the 42 km is CHF 120 until 31 December 2026, CHF 140 from 1 January, CHF 160 from 1 February and CHF 190 from 1 March 2027. The half marathon is CHF 95 until 31 December, then CHF 115, CHF 135 and CHF 165 on the same dates. Registered runners ski the network free from the Thursday to the Sunday of marathon week; the marathon trail closes to training from 16:00 on the Saturday. Registration is open at engadin-skimarathon.ch, and our Engadin Skimarathon event page has the guest details.

Engadin Night Run 2027

The 9th Engadin Night Run starts at 19:00 on Thursday 11 March 2027 on Plazza Muot Marias in Sils and finishes 17 km down the valley in Pontresina. The course is lit by headlamps and by candles along the trail edge, with live music at 5 points. Start numbers are handed out at Sils Tourist Information from 18:30 to 18:55. Entry is CHF 65 until 30 November 2026, CHF 85 until 15 February 2027 and CHF 100 from 16 February. Finishers ride back free on the organiser's buses from Pontresina between 20:15 and 21:45, last stop Sils Maria Post. This is the one race of the winter that starts in the village, so supporters can watch the 19:00 start on Plazza Muot Marias and then walk back to the Arvenstube. Details are on our Engadin Night Run page. All entry fees and times for the races here are given as a guide. The Engadin Skimarathon organiser sets its own fees and schedule and adjusts them from edition to edition, so check the current details on engadin-skimarathon.ch before you register.

Skiing from the Schweizerhof

The Schweizerhof is not on the trail. The trailhead at Muot Marias is within walking distance of the Dorfplatz, and the ski bus to the Furtschellas valley station for the Val Fex trail stops directly in front of the hotel. The ski room opens with your room key and has boot drying and a free shoe-cleaning machine, so wet boots are dry by morning. From the second consecutive night, guests travel free in 2nd class on the Engadin Bus, PostAuto and the Rhaetian Railway inside the engadin mobil zone, night buses included. The wellness area is closed for renovation until summer 2027, but massages continue and guests have free entry to the OVAVERVA pool and spa in St. Moritz. Come and ski the lake with us in Sils Maria.

Schweizerhof, Sils Maria, a Faern Collection Hotel.

Hero image: © Sils Tourismus