Lake Silvaplana

The Maloja wind is the point. Air heated over the Engadin floor draws cold air up from the Bergell through the Maloja pass, and the result is a thermal that arrives most summer afternoons with dependable strength and direction - so reliable that Silvaplana became one of the established windsurfing and kitesurfing waters in Europe, with schools, rental and international events on the shore at Silvaplana and Surlej. The lake sits at about eighteen hundred metres under Piz Corvatsch, whose cable car leaves from Surlej. In winter the surface freezes hard enough for snowkiting, which continues the same trade on ice. Water temperatures stay cold all year, so wetsuits are standard.

What you actually see

• A wind on a timetable - the Maloja thermal arriving most summer afternoons.
• Kite and windsurf schools - the shore economy at Silvaplana and Surlej.
• Piz Corvatsch above - the cable car leaving from the lakeside.
• Snowkiting in winter - the same wind used on the frozen lake.

When to go

June to September for wind; midwinter for snowkiting. A day.

Honest expectations

Mornings are usually flat calm - the wind is an afternoon phenomenon and does not always show. The water is cold enough that a wetsuit is not optional. The Engadin is expensive. Beginners can find the thermal stronger than expected.

Nearby

Lake Sils is up the valley; St Moritz is down it.