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Cascata da Bernina 2022-09-26 17
Berninabach, Morteratsch - Pontresina. Photo: Leonhard Lenz, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

Berninabach, Morteratsch - Pontresina

Kayak spot · Switzerland

Whitewater: a river with rapids

Is it worth the trip?

40Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Fri 6: Wind 2 kn gusting 7, Air 1 °C, River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 40 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
8kn
Air
-2°C
Rain
0 mm

Tue 3 · 40 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
6kn
Air
-2°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 40 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
13kn
Air
-4°C
Rain
0 mm

Thu 5 · 40 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
6kn
Air
-1°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 41 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
7kn
Air
1°C
Rain
0 mm

Sat 7 · 40 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
13kn
Air
-2°C
Rain
0 mm

Sun 8 · 40 out of 100

Wind
2 kn
Gusts
13kn
Air
-3°C
Rain
0.6 mm

Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 140, poor
  2. Mon 240, poor
  3. Tue 340, poor
  4. Wed 440, poor
  5. Thu 540, poor
  6. Fri 641, poor
  7. Sat 740, poor
  8. Sun 840, poor
  9. Mon 940, poor
  10. Tue 1041, poor

The spot in three facts

  • Grade IIIat its hardest
  • Moving waterthe water
  • Best Jul–Aug6 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Wind and weather forecast and score for each day at Berninabach, Morteratsch - Pontresina
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Sun 1Nov40, poor4 kn15kn-7°C0.1 mm
Mon 2Nov40, poor2 kn8kn-2°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov40, poor2 kn6kn-2°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov40, poor4 kn13kn-4°C0 mm
Thu 5Nov40, poor2 kn6kn-1°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov41, poor2 kn7kn1°C0 mm
Sat 7Nov40, poor3 kn13kn-2°C0 mm
Sun 8Nov40, poor2 kn13kn-3°C0.6 mm
Mon 9Nov40, poor1 kn7kn-1°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov41, poor1 kn11kn1°C2.4 mm

Wind and gusts are in knots, rain in mm. River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go. More

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Best time to go

best Jul–Aug

Good kayaking days in a typical week, each month, for grade III paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).

  1. Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
  5. May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
  6. Jun5of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
  7. Jul6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
  8. Aug6of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
  9. Sep3of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
  10. Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
  11. Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
  12. Dec0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec

Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.

Typical weather, not a forecast, and not the river's level: a month that is often good to be outside may still be low water.

Map

put-in, take-out, its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

More kayaking near here

1 place

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Berninabach, Morteratsch - Pontresina

A river section on the Berninabach, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade II to III, on the international scale. Suits grade III paddlers and up, by its grade. None within 10 km, the nearest 34 km away. For grade III paddlers the best months are usually July and August, with about 6 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Pontresina. Within 5 km we also list 1 ski resort, 1 kayak spot and 1 mountain bike area.

  • River Berninabach
  • Grade Grade II to III, on the international scale.
  • Who it suits Suits grade III paddlers and up, by its grade.
  • Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
  • Schools, hire None within 10 km, the nearest 34 km away.

Spots and rivers: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Whitewater sections © Rivermap (rivermap.org), Riverzone and Jonathan Riddell, ODbL.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,860–US$3,420 each

about US$1,860–US$3,420 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, kayak hire.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to MXP, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$496–US$1,030
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$188–US$315
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$462–US$764
Food7 days eating outabout US$449–US$831
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$261–US$482
Totalabout US$1,860–US$3,420

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Pontresina

Closest

Pontresina

9 min by car · 26 places to stay

about US$174/nightcountry average

See 26 places to stay in Pontresina · Booking.com

About Pontresina its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$174 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 16h 10m

About 16h 10m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → MXP, direct, then 2h 35m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.

On the water

River level

River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go.

Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby

No paddling school, club or hire mapped within 25 km.

Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits