Marmolada

Marmolada
July 2004
Marmolada
Elevation	3,343 metres (10,968 ft)
Location	Italy
Range	Dolomites
Prominence	2,131 metres (6,991 ft) ranked 9th in the Alps
Coordinates	46°25′48″N 11°51′0″E / 46.43°N 11.85°E / 46.43; 11.85Coordinates: 46°25′48″N 11°51′0″E / 46.43°N 11.85°E / 46.43; 11.85
First ascent	September 28, 1864 by Paul Grohmann, Angelo Dimai, F. Dimai
Easiest route	rock/ice climb
Listing	Ultra

Marmolada (Ladin: Marmoleda, German: Marmolata) is a mountain in northeastern Italy (just east of Trento) and the highest mountain of the Dolomites (a section of the Alps).

The mountain is located about 100 kilometres north-northeast of Venice, 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 kilometres 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 (3,343 m), Punta Rocca (3,309 m), Punta Ombretta (3,230 m), Monte Serauta (3,069 m), and Pizzo Serauta (3,035 m). An aerial tramway goes to the top of Punta Rocca. During the ski season the Marmolada's main ski run is opened for skiers and snowboarders alike. Making it possible to ski down into the valley.

Paul Grohmann made the first ascent in 1864, along the north route.

Before World War I, the border between Austria and Italy ran over Marmolada, so it formed part of the front line during that conflict. Austrian 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. As glaciers retreat, soldiers' remains and belongings are occasionally discovered.

References

This article incorporates information from the revision as of September 23, 2005 of the equivalent article on the German Wikipedia.

External links

• Computer generated summit panoramas North South Index

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Marmolada