One of the best parts of running this blog has been connecting with fellow hikers and mountain lovers who are discovering their own corners of the Alps. Today, I'm thrilled to share a guest post from a reader who was inspired by some of my hiking reviews, and wanted to return the favor with her own insider guide to Scuol—a gem in the Lower Engadin that (in my opinion) doesn't get the attention it deserves.
If you've been following along, you know that Raunaq and I recently had our own memorable introduction to skiing in Davos. And by memorable, I mean: frozen boots, treacherous blue runs that turned out to be beginner-friendly in name only, and an ACL tear that sadly ended the season before it really began. So when this guide arrived in my inbox—written by someone who learned to ski as an adult, understands what it's like to feel nervous on steeper runs, and actually knows which slopes are genuinely beginner-friendly—I knew it would resonate with anyone who's ever felt intimidated on the mountain.
What I love about this guide is how honest and practical it is. If you're looking for a relaxed, wide-piste ski area with stunning views and a laid-back vibe (and actual blue runs that won't send you into a panic), this might be exactly what you need. Plus, there are some great tips here on winter hiking, ice skating, and even sledging if you want to mix things up.
A huge thank you to the author for taking the time to share this—it's exactly the kind of local knowledge that makes trip planning so much easier. Honestly, I wish I had this before Raunaq and I tried skiing. Maybe if we'd had this guide before our Davos catastrophe, our ski season would've lasted longer than two days!
Enjoy!
Ski Pistes
As background, I am not the most adventurous skier out there. I learnt to ski as an adult and I’m not a big fan of going at high speeds. On top of that, I scare quite easily. Scuol has a very relaxed vibe, and the pistes are very wide, which makes it enjoyable not only for me but also for my husband, who snow boards. The red runs I’ve skied are quite doable, but we tend to stick to the blue ones as they are more fun, in our opinion.
Here is a summary of my favorite runs (and bonus: the resort is on the sunny side ☺):
Schlivera Motta-Naluns (via 15):
Main blue run starting from the Schlivera chair lift. It is beginners friendly. After the Chamanna restaurant it gets a bit steeper:
Option 1: go left and connect to piste number 8. It is not as fun and a bit slow but not steep. Alternatively, you can already choose to go via piste 8 by taking the left track before the start of the lake.
Option 2: You go for it and ski down the steep section. The run becomes very wide, and you can do a lot of wide turns to control your speed. If it makes you feel better, it took me 1 year to realise there was an alternative to the steep section, so I just went for it and nothing bad happened.
The end of the run is quite wide and fun.
Connection to Jonvrai (via 16):
Once you have warmed up, I recommend that you ski down to Jonvrai so that you can connect to the Mot da Ri area, which is in my opinion, the best area of the domain. Just take the left track at the top of the Schlivera chair lift and follow piste 13. Caution: at the junction between the blue and red runs, the blue run narrows down quite a bit and does some S-turns. It is doable, but it is likely that you need to do some pizza-ing. If you slow down in advance and take it easy, you will be more than fine! It is the price to pay to reach the chairlift to Mot da Ri, the pearl of Scuol!
Mot da Ri (26):
Run 26 is known as the Autobahn – it is SO wide. It’s fantastic. We spend most of our time in this run. It is steep enough to have fun but flat enough that allows you to improve your technique. By the end, there is a bit of a tricky curve (see in the map the U shape, where all the runs meet), where people tend to accumulate. It is wide enough to do some turns and slow down. Until lunch time, this run does not have lots of people, so the accumulation in the beginning of said curve is not that bad. In the afternoon, the snow can get slushy and the curve icy.
Other runs
Schlivera-Prui (11): Very feasible to achieve for a beginner. It is not as fun as the ones above, but the landscape is very nice.
Prui-Ftan Valley run (9): As opposed to the blue valley run in Engelberg, which still give us nightmares 3 years later, this is doable if you are not a total beginner. The landscape is very pretty. Be aware that it is quite narrow (but not dangerous). If you have a snowboarder in your group, they might not enjoy it.
Salaniva (19, 20): wonderful landscape, painful run. The views are amazing, but the run is a bit of a pain. It is tilted and has a lot of up and downs, so if you do not reach a very high speed you might need to use your poles or even climb up parts of the run. It was a bit stressful as people would pass us by extremely fast. Would not do it again.
Champatsch (31): This is the only t-bar in the domain. It looks scary as hell, but surprisingly, it is doable! (would not do with snowboard, though). That being said, it can be quite harsh on your knees, so be aware. The views from up top are marvellous and both red runs are feasible for an advanced beginner, as they are very wide and long enough to take a few breaks if you get tired. I’ve never done the blue run, as it is often closed. In my opinion, it is not the best part of the resort, so I was never sad to skip it for the sake of my knees. However, I think it is worth to see it at least once.
Other Activities
Winter Hiking
Senda dal Somni (39): This winter hike is very pretty (and long). However, there is a part that is shared with the ski run (33), even if the trail map doesn’t look like it. This was quite disappointing and a bit cumbersome, as it is very steep (downhill) and not very comfortable. We were grumpy during that part. However, the rest of the trail is really nice.
Sledging
Motta Naluns – Prui + Sledge run: I found it nice. You can then go all the way down to Ftan with the sledge! The sledge run did not feel dangerous, but I did it at my own pace (a grandma overtook me while she screamed: “wheeeheee”). It was so much fun.
Langlauf (Cross-country)
There are numerous cross-country trails down in the valley. I have not done any of them but found it quite nice to have the option. The loop at the ski station looks very small.
Ice Skating
Engadin Ice Trail: This activity is hilarious. The ice skates are not very sharpened, and the trail is not flat at all. It is a natural path, so the ice is not smooth. All these ingredients make it for a very sporty, very sweaty, very funny experience. Unless you are an extremely skilled skater, this trail humbles you. At the same time, it’s been years since you laughed so hard. They will offer you for free a skating aid. My advice is to use it. Be aware that it is very easy to fall on your butt, so I’d recommend being cautious. The Instagram vs reality pics for this are priceless. We took around 45 minutes to complete the loop. If you do not have a car, you can take the bus from Scuol (you usually get a free public transport pass with your accommodation).
Accommodations
AFIDA: We’ve done Skiferien twice in Scuol. Both times we’ve rented an apartment with AFIDA. We recommend the La Perla apartments, they are very close to the gondola and have wonderful sunshine.
Belvair: For a short stay, the Hotel Belvair is quite nice, it connects to Bogn Engiadina (quite a famous spa and thermal baths in Scuol)
A huge thank you to Maria for taking the time to put together this incredibly detailed guide!
If Scuol sounds like your kind of place, I hope this guide helps you make the most of it. And if you've been to Scuol yourself, I'd love to hear about your experience in the comments below!
