Sorapiss, also referred to as Sorapis or Punta Sorapiss, is a mountain in the

Dolomites The Dolomites ( it, Dolomiti ; Ladin: ''Dolomites''; german: Dolomiten ; vec, Dołomiti : fur, Dolomitis), also known as the Dolomite Mountains, Dolomite Alps or Dolomitic Alps, are a mountain range located in northeastern Italy. They form pa ...

within the

Veneto it, Veneto (man) it, Veneta (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = ...

region of northern Italy. Situated in the ''comune'' of Cortina d'Ampezzo, it has an elevation of . In its vicinity is a mountain pass of the same name, as well as Sorapiss Lake (Lago di Sorapiss), at the foot of the mountain. The mountain range is part of the "Natural Park of the Ampezzo Dolomites".Natural Park of the Ampezzo Dolomites
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Description

Sorapiss, with its huge perpendicular faces, forms part of the mountainous backdrop to the resort town of Cortina, situated roughly to the southeast of the town. The limestone

dolomite Dolomite may refer to: *Dolomite (mineral), a carbonate mineral *Dolomite (rock), also known as dolostone, a sedimentary carbonate rock *Dolomite, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community *Dolomite, California, United States, an unincor ...

formations, which are irregular, rugged and sharp-edged peaks, are part of the

Eastern Alps Eastern Alps is the name given to the eastern half of the Alps, usually defined as the area east of a line from Lake Constance and the Alpine Rhine valley up to the Splügen Pass at the Alpine divide and down the Liro River to Lake Como in t ...

. The

Cristallo Cristallo is a glass which is totally clear (like rock crystal), without the slight yellow or greenish color originating from iron oxide impurities. This effect is achieved through small additions of manganese oxide.R. W. Douglas: ''A history of ...

group lies to the north past the Passo Tre Croci, and its southern neighbour is the

Antelao Monte Antelao (Cadorino dialect: Nantelòu) is the highest mountain in the eastern Dolomites (a section of the Alps) in northeastern Italy, southeast of the town of Cortina d'Ampezzo, in the region of Cadore. The Monte Antelao is an ultra-promi ...

. A path to Sorapiss starts at Passo Tre Croci and continues along an easy slope, reaching the refuge at the base of the Sorapiss range, close to Lago di Sorapiss, which is at an elevation of . The elevation of Sorapiss is . The mountain has three ridges: a central ridge, a southern ridge, which is the part of the mountain that can be seen from Cortina, and, beyond a high pass and little to the west, a northern ridge that culminates in the skiing area of

Mount Faloria Mount Faloria is a mountain in the Alps of northern Italy, located in the Dolomites near Cortina d'Ampezzo. It has an altitude of and lies in close proximity to Sorapiss. It hosted the men's giant slalom event of the 1956 Winter Olympics, ...

. There are three glaciers on the mountain's slopes, although these have been melting considerably in recent years. Lago Sorapiss, at the foot of the mountain, is a glacial lake at an elevation .

History

There are three refuges in the vicinity: Rifugio Tondi di Faloria at , Rifugio Alfonso Vandelli at and Rifugio San Marco. Rifugio Alfonso Vandelli was built by Austrians in 1891 on the banks of Lago di Sorapiss. In 1895 it was destroyed by an avalanche, but was rebuilt the following year in a more sheltered spot. At the end of World War I in 1918, Cortina d'Ampezzo became part of the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to an institutional referendum to abandon the monarchy and f ...

(1918) and the refuge became the property of the CAI ( Club Alpino Italiano) of Venice. In 1924, thanks to a donation by Cesare Luigi Luzzati, a new refuge was built. A fire destroyed it completely in 1959, and it was again reconstructed; the current shelter was opened on 18 September 1966 and was named after the president of the CAI of Venice, Alfonso Vandelli.

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 any ...

made the

first ascent In mountaineering, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books) is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain or the first to follow a particular climbing route. First mountain ascents are notable because they en ...

of the mountain in September 1864, taking 8 hours and 30 minutes. There are at least two routes to the summit: the Grohmann-Weg, which crosses the mountain's west flank, joining the S. Vito route near the summit, and the Muller-Weg, which traverses the east glacier and ascends direct over the precipices on the northeast side.

Flora

The flora on Sorapiss includes '' Festucetum pulchellae'' (slopes), '' Euphrasio-Globularietum'' (base), and '' Drabetum hoppeanae'' (on the range).

Legend

There is a legend associated with the name of Sorapiss, which in local dialect means "above the waterfall". A "peace-loving" king named Sorapiss turned himself into a rocky mountain during a course of unexpected events. A witch had bewitched the king's impulsive daughter Misurina by promising her a magical mirror as a reward for providing shade to her house. This was honoured by her doting father, who turned himself into a mountain. At a later date, Misurina, demonstrating a sense of gratitude towards her father, cried and shed tears which formed the Lago di Sorapiss at the foot of the large cliff of Sorapiss, the immobilized form of her father.

References

Sources

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External links

* {{Cortina d'Ampezzo Mountains of the Alps Alpine three-thousanders Dolomites Mountains of Veneto Geography of Cortina d'Ampezzo