Glacier collapse in the Dolomites
A massive section of glacier broke away at Punta Rocco, killing at least 7 mountaineering tourists on July 3, 2022. The glacier broke off along a 200-meter stretch and thundered down into the valley as an avalanche traveling at up to 300 kilometers per hour. The unusually high temperatures on the glacier in the days beforehand appear to have caused the collapse. Italian media are describing it as the greatest disaster of its kind in the Alps.
The search for other missing people is proving difficult: although drones can theoretically locate people buried under the debris quickly, further collapses make recovery work extremely risky. The drones are also checking whether the terrain is accessible to rescue workers at all. At least two further glacier collapses have been reported since the major one.
Marmolata Gruppe in den Dolomiten
Date: 30/09/2026
Rescue operations prove difficult
Italy in shock
The disaster has shocked Italy. Even experienced mountain guides had not expected such a massive glacier collapse. The disaster has caught the popular summer and winter tourist region unprepared. Until now, the Dolomites had been considered a safe holiday destination for outdoor sports enthusiasts. The implications were being considered almost immediately after the disaster.
Glacier collapse apparently caused by high temperatures
In the days before the glacier collapse, temperatures of 10 degrees were recorded on the glacier—temperatures normally seen only in August. Meltwater directly against the rock is thought to have triggered the collapse. The ice detached from the rock at the very bottom. The Marmolada Glacier had seen extremely little snowfall in recent winters, leaving no snow to protect it from the high temperatures.
Mountain tours in the Marmolada Group
The Marmolada Group in the Dolomites is considered a premier destination for high-altitude mountaineering by outdoor enthusiasts. While skiing on the Marmolada Glacier in winter has been increasingly restricted in recent decades under pressure from environmentalists, mountain hiking and climbing on the glaciated trails around Canazei remain very popular in summer.
ML
Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18012
