Piz Nair, Mountain summit in the Albula Alps, Grisons, Switzerland
Piz Nair is a 3,055-metre summit of the Albula Alps above St. Moritz, built of the region's youngest rock, the colourful Saluver Breccia. Its crumbling pyramid rises between the Suvretta valleys, and the municipal boundaries of St. Moritz and Celerina meet on the top. The upper cable-car station sits at 3,030 metres, 30 metres below the peak.
The mountain hosted alpine skiing competitions during the 1948 Winter Olympics held in St. Moritz. These events shaped the region as an important center for winter sports.
The mountain restaurant serves as a gathering place where visitors share meals while overlooking the Engadin Valley. The food reflects local culinary traditions and uses ingredients sourced from nearby farms and producers.
The summit is accessible by cable car from St. Moritz, with the upper station located just below the peak. Accessibility varies depending on the season and weather conditions.
The summit station, built in 1955 on permafrost, now needs active cooling: compressed liquid CO2 circulates in thermosiphons beneath the building to keep the ground frozen. The technique, used for decades along the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, was applied here for the first time in a European mountain setting.
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