Pontresina is the base for mountaineers approaching the Bernina group: Piz Bernina (4,049 m), the highest peak in the Eastern Alps, is approached from here, as are several glaciated routes across the range toward Italy. The village is more serious in its alpine character than St. Moritz — less about looking at mountains, more about climbing them. The local alpine school (Pontresina Mountain Guide Association) is one of the best in Switzerland for guided ascents of the Bernina.
The Morteratsch Glacier descends from the Bernina group toward the valley floor just south of the village, and the walk up the moraine to the glacier snout — about an hour from the Morteratsch train station — is one of the most striking and sobering nature walks in Switzerland. Signposts mark the position of the glacier's terminus in previous decades, showing a retreat of several kilometres. In summer this walk is extremely popular; start early.