Marmolada ( Ladin: ''Marmolèda'';

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

: ''Marmolata'', ) is a mountain in northeastern

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and the highest mountain of the

Dolomites The Dolomites ( ), also known as the Dolomite Mountains, Dolomite Alps or Dolomitic Alps, are a mountain range in northeastern Italy. They form part of the Southern Limestone Alps and extend from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Va ...

(a section of the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

). It lies between the borders of

Trentino Trentino (), officially the Autonomous Province of Trento (; ; ), is an Autonomous province#Italy, autonomous province of Italy in the Northern Italy, country's far north. Trentino and South Tyrol constitute the Regions of Italy, region of Tren ...

and

Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...

. The Marmolada is an

ultra-prominent peak An ultra-prominent peak, or ultra for short, is a mountain summit with a topographic prominence of or more; it is also called a P1500. The prominence of a peak is the minimum height of climb to the summit on any route from a higher peak, or fro ...

(Ultra), known as the "Queen of the Dolomites". In 2009, as part of the Dolomites, the Marmolada massif was named a

UNESCO World Heritage World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by int ...

site. The largest glacier in the Dolomites, the Marmolada Glacier, is located on the northern face of the mountain.

Geography

The mountain is located about north-northwest of

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

, from which it can be seen on a clear day. It consists of a ridge running west to east. Towards the south it breaks suddenly into sheer cliffs, forming a rock face several kilometers long. On the north side, there is a comparatively flat glacier, the only large glacier in the Dolomites (the Marmolada Glacier, ''Ghiacciaio della Marmolada''). The ridge is composed of several summits, decreasing in altitude from west to east: Punta Penia , Punta Rocca , Punta Ombretta , Monte Serauta , and Pizzo Serauta . An

aerial tramway An aerial tramway, aerial tram, sky tram, cable car or aerial cablecar, aerial cableway, ropeway, téléphérique (French), or Seilbahn (German) is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary cables for support, with a third movin ...

goes to the top of Punta Rocca. During the ski season, the Marmolada's main ski run is open for skiers and snowboarders alike, making it possible to ski down into the valley.

History

Paul Grohmann Paul Grohmann (12 June 1838 – 29 July 1908) was an Austrian mountaineer and writer. Biography Grohmann was a pioneer in exploring technically challenging mountains and is thought to have made more first ascents of Eastern Alps summits than an ...

made the

first ascent In mountaineering and climbing, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in climbing guidebook, guide books), is the first successful documented climb to the top of a mountain or the top of a particular climbing route. Early 20th-century mountaineers a ...

in 1864, along the north route. The south face was climbed for the first time in 1901 by Beatrice Tomasson, Michele Bettega and Bartolo Zagonel.

First World War

Until the end of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

the border between

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

and Italy ran over Marmolada, so it formed part of the

front line A front line (alternatively front-line or frontline) in military terminology is the position(s) closest to the area of conflict of an Military, armed force's Military personnel, personnel and Military technology, equipment, usually referring to ...

during that conflict. Austro-Hungarian soldiers were quartered in deep tunnels bored into the northern face's glacier, and Italian soldiers were quartered on the south face's rocky precipices. It was also the site of fierce mine warfare on the Italian Front. On December 13, 1916, an avalanche on Marmolada became known as White Friday, striking the

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

barracks and killing 270 soldiers. The Gran Poz avalanche is the deadliest avalanche ever recorded. As glaciers retreat, soldiers' remains and belongings are occasionally discovered.

2022 Serac collapse

On 3 July 2022, a serac collapsed which led to the sliding downstream of over 200 000 m³ of ice and debris, killing eleven people and wounding eight more.

Selected climbing routes

The south face of Marmolada Ombretta has become a mecca for rock climbers. Climbers have set over 200 routes with varying difficulties. They include: * 1979 – ''Don Quixote'', south face of Marmolada di Ombretta. First ascent by Heinz Mariacher and Reinhard Schiestl * 1981 – ''Fish Route'', south face of Marmolada di Ombretta. First ascent by Jindrich Suster and Igor Koller. * 1983 – ''Alì Babà,'' south face of Marmolada di Ombretta. First ascent by M. Giordani, F. Zenatti, P. Cipriani * August 2008 – ''AlexAnna'', southwest face of Punta Penia, Marmolada. First ascent by Rolando Larcher and Pilastro Lindo. 700m, 8a+/8b, 7b mandatory * 2009/2011 – ''Invisibilis,'' south face of Marmolada di Ombretta. First ascent by Rolando Larcher and Geremia Vergoni. Route established over 5 days from 2009 to 2011. 405m, 7c+ max, 7a+ mandatory * Summer 2011 – ''Bruderliebe'', south face of Marmolada di Ombretta. first ascent by Hansjörg Auer and brother Vitus Auer. 8b/+ * September 2023 – ''Madre Roccia,'' South Face. First ascent by Iris Bielli, Matteo Della Bordella, Massimo Faletti and Maurizio Giordani. The 900m, 8b max and 7b mandatory. * August 2024 – ''Ego Land,'' South Face. First ascent by Bernardo Rivadossi and Massimo Faletti. 410-meter multi-pitch, 8c/c+ max, 7c+ mandatory

Climbing incidents

* 26 July 1938 – Three Italian climbers were killed by rockfall when a lightning bolt struck the cliff face. * 27 July 2022 – British hiker Louise Atkinson was hiking with her husband when they got lost on a

via ferrata A via ferrata (Italian language, Italian for "iron path", plural ''vie ferrate'' or in English ''via ferratas'') is a protected climbing route found in the Alps and certain other Alpine locations. The protection includes steel fixtures such as ...

used for high-altitude fighting during World War I. She slipped and fell over 100 feet to her death. * 3 September 2024 – Professional mountaineers Francesco Favilli and Filippo Zanin were fatally injured when they fell while climbing ''Don Quixote'' on Marmolada's south face. The cause of the accident was unknown.

Gallery

File:Marmolada + Sellaronda tour 34.jpg, The highest point of Marmolada, Punta Penia File:Marmolada, Italy.jpg, Marmolada in autumn File:Marmolada 3342 m Punta Rocca View from the West - panoramio.jpg, Punta Rocca, 3342 m File:Marmolada - Malga Contrin, Pozza di Fassa, Trento, Italy - August 29, 2013 02.jpg, Marmolada - Malga Contrin

References

External links

* Computer generated summit panorama
NorthSouth

Marmolada on Hike.uno
{{Authority control Marmolada World Heritage Sites in Italy Dolomites Mountain ranges of Italy Highest points of Italian regions Three-thousanders of Italy Alpine three-thousanders