Marmolada
3,343 m
Italy
Also known as Мармолада, Marmolata, +1Also known as
Мармолада · Marmolata · Punta Penia
- Elevation
- 3,343 m
- Prominence
- 2,131 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2Sources differ: PD- (Tourentipp (2 of 6, crevassed glacier and steep bare ice)) · EE (Val di Fassa tourism (Capanna Punta Penia access))
The traditional normal route: from the Fedaia reservoir up to Pian dei Fiacconi (about 2,630 m), across the crevassed Marmolada Glacier, up a cable-protected rock gully (II) onto the north ridge and over the summit snowfield to Punta Penia. About 1,300 m of ascent. Seriously affected by the 2022 serac collapse; check current status locally before attempting.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 5.1 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,326 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 3,343 m
- Time Up
- 5h 06m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 3h 22m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Start at the Fedaia reservoir (about 2,055–2,075 m) below Passo Fedaia. The basket lift to Pian dei Fiacconi has not run reliably for years, so walk up path 606 to Pian dei Fiacconi (about 2,630 m) in about 1½ hours. From there, cross ice-smoothed slabs south along cairns to the edge of the Marmolada Glacier. Climb the glacier along its left (eastern) side, keeping away from the steeper broken zone, then trend right (west) beneath the rocky spurs of Punta Rocca to the rock rib that runs north from Punta Penia. At about 3,000 m a cable-protected gully (I–II), initially slanting right, leads up the rib; above, follow the snow ridge south onto the moderately steep summit snowfield and past the Capanna Punta Penia hut to the summit cross (3,343 m). Allow 2–2½ hours from Pian dei Fiacconi and about 4 hours from Fedaia; descend the same way in about 3 hours. The glacier is crevassed and steep enough that a slip on bare ice can turn into a long slide; rope up and use crampons. On 3 July 2022 a serac and ice avalanche from below Punta Rocca, on the north side, killed 11 people near this route during a heatwave. The red zone was lifted in November 2022, but the Pian dei Fiacconi and Capanna al Ghiacciaio huts remained out of use pending relocation, an 'attention area' that can be reactivated during prolonged heat was established, and some guidebooks still describe the route as closed. Ask the Canazei or Val di Fassa mountain guides and the municipality about current conditions and ordinances before going, and avoid the north side during hot spells.
Start
Lago di Fedaia2,042 m
- Basket lift Fedaia – Pian dei Fiacconi: operation not guaranteed since 2012; assume you will walk
- Summer buses from Canazei to Passo Fedaia / Lago di Fedaia.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lago di Fedaia → Punta Penia | 5.1 | 1,326 | 24 | 5h 06m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Lago di Fedaia2,042 m
- Feature: Pian dei Fiacconi2,622 m
Former hut and top station of the basket lift
- Hut: Capanna Punta Penia3,258 m
not on route line
- Summit: Punta Penia3,343 m
Key Passages
- Marmolada Glacier (crevasses)
- Cable-protected gully on the north rib (II)
- Summit snow ridge
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 60%Overview
The highest mountain of the Dolomites (Punta Penia, 3,343 m) and the only one with a sizeable glacier, the 'Queen of the Dolomites'. Reached either by a short crevassed glacier route from Lago di Fedaia or by the historic West Ridge via ferrata; the north side was the scene of the fatal serac collapse of July 2022.
Marmolada rises between the Val di Fassa in Trentino and the Agordino in the Veneto, east of Canazei. Its two faces could hardly be more different: to the south a wall of pale limestone, one of the great rock-climbing faces of the Alps; to the north a gentle, shrinking glacier above the Fedaia reservoir and pass. The ridge carries several summits, of which Punta Penia (3,343 m) is the highest and Punta Rocca (3,309 m) is reached by cable car from Malga Ciapela for skiing. A small hut, the Capanna Punta Penia, stands just below the summit cross.
The summit can be reached two ways without serious climbing. The traditional normal route crosses the north glacier from Pian dei Fiacconi and climbs a cable-protected gully onto the summit ridge: short, technically easy, but crevassed. The West Ridge via ferrata from the Val Contrin is longer and more exposed, often icy, and became the main route after 2022. Combining the two as a traverse is the classic outing.
The glacier has lost much of its area and thickness in recent decades. On 3 July 2022, during a heatwave, a large serac and ice avalanche broke away below Punta Rocca and killed 11 people on the north side. Access was closed and then reopened in November 2022 with lasting caveats: the north-side huts are out of use and the authorities can close the area again during prolonged heat. Treat the glacier with respect and check the current situation locally.
Climbing Notes
For the glacier route you need basic glacier skills (roped travel, crevasse rescue), crampons and an ice axe, and a via ferrata set for the protected gully; the ascent is about 1,300 m from Lago di Fedaia and can be done in a day. The West Ridge via ferrata needs solid via ferrata experience, a head for exposure and fitness for about 1,800 m of ascent from Alba di Canazei, usually split with a night at Rifugio Contrin; carry crampons and an ice axe, because shaded sections of the ferrata are often iced even in summer.
Avoid the north side during hot spells and on warm afternoons, start early, and check the latest conditions and any municipal ordinances with the mountain guides of the Val di Fassa or the Canazei municipality. Many visitors hire a guide for the traverse (ferrata up, glacier down). Thunderstorms are frequent on summer afternoons and the summit ridge offers no shelter other than the small Capanna Punta Penia, which must be booked.
The best period is July to early September. In spring the north side is a popular ski-mountaineering ascent from Fedaia.
History
The first ascent of Punta Penia was made in 1864 by the Viennese pioneer Paul Grohmann with the Cortina guides Angelo and Fulgenzio Dimai, by the north side. The west ridge was first climbed on 17 June 1872 by Francis Fox Tuckett with Christian Lauener and Santo Siorpaes, and climbed again more directly in 1898 by Eugen Dittmann, Luigi Rizzi and Hans Seyffert as a prelude to equipping it as one of the first via ferratas in the Dolomites. During the First World War the Marmolada lay on the Austro-Italian front, and Austrian troops dug a network of tunnels and shelters in the glacier, the so-called 'city of ice'. Rifugio Contrin, planned by the Nuremberg section of the German and Austrian Alpine Club and built in 1909, was destroyed in the war and later rebuilt by the Italian alpine troops' association. On 3 July 2022 a serac collapse on the north side killed 11 mountaineers.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Possible
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; ski area on Punta Rocca, summit routes for experts only
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Ski-mountaineering on the north side for experienced parties
- Apr
- Spring ski-mountaineering from Fedaia
- May
- Late ski tours; ferrata snowbound
- Jun
- Snow and ice on the ferrata; Capanna Punta Penia usually opens around 20 June
- Jul
- Main season; avoid the north glacier during heatwaves
- Aug
- Main season; crevasses more open, afternoon storms
- Sep
- Quieter; huts close mid to late September; bare ice on the glacier
- Oct
- Huts closed; early snow and verglas on the ferrata
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Capanna Punta Penia (summit hut, very small, open roughly mid-June to mid-September): book by phone (+39 0462 601117). Rifugio Contrin (Val Contrin, about 100 places): book directly with the hut.
- Fees
- Hut overnight fees at Rifugio Contrin and Capanna Punta Penia
- Parking at Lago di Fedaia and in the Canazei area may be paid in summer
- Rules
- Access to the north side can be restricted by ordinance of the Municipality of Canazei; in 2022 the area was closed after the serac collapse and reopened in November 2022 with an 'attention area' that may be reactivated during prolonged high temperatures
- Rifugio Pian dei Fiacconi and Capanna al Ghiacciaio on the north side have been out of use since 2022 pending relocation
- Getting There
Canazei (Val di Fassa); Malga Ciapela and Rocca Pietore on the Veneto side
Innsbruck (INN), Verona (VRN) or Venice (VCE)
- Car: A22 Brenner motorway to Ora/Auer or Bolzano, then via the Val di Fassa to Canazei; continue on the SS641 to Lago di Fedaia for the glacier route, or park at Alba di Canazei for the Val Contrin
- Bus: Trentino Trasporti services along the Val di Fassa to Canazei and Alba; seasonal buses to Passo Fedaia
- Funivia Marmolada from Malga Ciapela to Punta Rocca serves skiers and sightseers; it is not a normal route to Punta Penia
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
2- 2,016 m
Rifugio ContrinHutStaffed
100 beds · Summer (staffed); check dates with the hut
- 3,340 m
Capanna Punta PeniaHutStaffedBooking required
About mid/late June to mid/late September, weather permitting; no winter room