Sella group

The Sella group (German: Sellagruppe, Ladin: Mëisules or L Sela) is a plateau-shaped massif in the Dolomites mountains of northern Italy. The Sella lies north of the Marmolada and east of the Langkofel. The highest peak is Piz Boè at 3,151 m (10,338 ft) above sea level.

The Sella lies between the four Ladin valleys of Badia, Gherdëina, Fascia, and Fodom and is divided between the provinces of South Tyrol, Trentino and Belluno. It can be driven around by car crossing the Campolongo Pass, Pordoi Pass, Sella Pass, and Gardena Pass. In winter it is possible to ski around the entire massif using the Sella Ronda ski lift carousel. Also each winter the alpine touring ski Sellaronda Skimarathon race is held, which leads around the entire Sella and covers 42 km of mountain trails. The same trails can be mastered by Mountain bike during the summer.

Other peaks in the massif are the Piz Pisciadù 2,985 m (9,793 ft), the Boèseekofel 2,910 m (9,550 ft), the four Sellatürme 2,696 m (8,845 ft), Sass Pordoi 2,952 m (9,685 ft), whose summit can be reached by funicular from Pordoi Pass, and Brunecker Turm 2,495 m (8,186 ft). During winter the summit is the starting point for many alpine ski tours, of which the most famous are the descent through the Val Mesdì and the descent from the Pordoischarte.

Climate

The plateau of the Sella Group is characterized by a tundra climate with average temperatures above 0 °C only during the summer months. Average data at the weather station on Piz Pisciadù at 2,985 m (9,793 ft) measured between 2004 and 2020 shows that the average temperature in summer lies around +3 °C and +5 °C, while in winter it ranges between -8 and -10 °C.

Climate data for Piz Pisciadù (period: 2004–2020; altitude: 2,985 m)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	4.6 (40.3)	5.8 (42.4)	5.6 (42.1)	9.5 (49.1)	13.2 (55.8)	16.1 (61.0)	16.0 (60.8)	16.8 (62.2)	12.4 (54.3)	11.9 (53.4)	7.4 (45.3)	6.5 (43.7)	16.8 (62.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−7.1 (19.2)	−7.3 (18.9)	−5.1 (22.8)	−1.5 (29.3)	1.4 (34.5)	5.9 (42.6)	8.3 (46.9)	8.1 (46.6)	4.4 (39.9)	1.2 (34.2)	−2.7 (27.1)	−5.9 (21.4)	0.0 (32.0)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−9.8 (14.4)	−10.2 (13.6)	−8.2 (17.2)	−4.6 (23.7)	−1.5 (29.3)	2.9 (37.2)	5.1 (41.2)	5.2 (41.4)	1.8 (35.2)	−1.2 (29.8)	−5.0 (23.0)	−8.4 (16.9)	−2.8 (27.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−12.4 (9.7)	−12.8 (9.0)	−10.9 (12.4)	−7.2 (19.0)	−4.1 (24.6)	0.3 (32.5)	2.4 (36.3)	2.6 (36.7)	−0.6 (30.9)	−3.5 (25.7)	−7.3 (18.9)	−10.9 (12.4)	−5.4 (22.3)
Record low °C (°F)	−25.1 (−13.2)	−28.0 (−18.4)	−24.5 (−12.1)	−19.1 (−2.4)	−13.8 (7.2)	−11.8 (10.8)	−6.4 (20.5)	−7.1 (19.2)	−11.3 (11.7)	−17.1 (1.2)	−22.5 (−8.5)	−26.2 (−15.2)	−28.0 (−18.4)
Source: Landeswetterdienst Südtirol^[1]