The unique composition of dolomite rock makes it highly susceptible to frost weathering, which fractures the stone into steep, needle-like pinnacles over millennia.

This phenomenon, locally known as "enrosadira," occurs because the high concentrations of calcium and magnesium carbonate reflect the low-angle light of dusk.

Translating to "iron paths," these networks of steel cables and ladders allowed Italian and Austro-Hungarian troops to navigate treacherous cliffs during the White War.

As the highest peak in the range, Marmolada features the region's largest glacier, which historically housed a vast "ice city" built by soldiers during World War I.