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The Sella group (Gruppo del Sella) is the big dolomite plateau between Val Gardena, Val Badia, Val di Fassa and Arabba; the four passes around it form the Sellaronda loop popular with cyclists and motorcyclists. Climbers mostly head for its southwest corner: the Sella Towers and the south face of Piz Ciavazes above Passo Sella, Sass Pordoi above Passo Pordoi, and two sport areas by the pass, Cansla and Città dei Sassi below Sassolungo.
This post puts the five areas together because they share the same passes, buses and car parks. It helps you decide which area suits your level, which months to go, and how to reach the passes without a car. Sassolungo opposite is in the Sassolungo post, Frea on Passo Gardena in the Frea post, and for a season-by-season and region-by-region comparison of Italian crags, see the series overview.
What kind of crag is it
| Area | Style | Size | Approach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sella Towers (Torri del Sella) | Mostly trad multi-pitch; sport multi-pitch on the south face of the 1st tower | 150 routes on UKC; four towers 140–330 m high, 6–15 pitches | About 20 min from Passo Sella |
| Piz Ciavazes south face | Trad multi-pitch, some bolted sport multi-pitch | 100 routes on UKC (possibly a display cap) | Roadside, on the Val di Fassa side of Passo Sella |
| Sass Pordoi | Trad multi-pitch | Via Maria on the south face is about 400 m | 45 min with the cable car or 1.5 h on foot |
| Cansla (Traumpfeiler) | Sport multi-pitch, technical slab | 48 routes on Planetmountain, 6a–8a, about 200 m high | 10 min from the car park |
| Città dei Sassi | Single-pitch sport and bouldering on boulders | About 175 routes (3a–7c) per the tourist board; 275 on theCrag; 339 on UKC | 5–20 min from the car park |
Sella Towers. UKC: "The Sella Towers are iconic in terms of Dolomite climbing". The 1st tower is the smallest and most popular; its sunny south face has short, accessible routes, but with "an increasing amount of polish". The 2nd tower's north face is steep with compact rock; the Messner route there features in his book The Seventh Grade, and the Kasnapoff route is a classic. The 3rd tower is the largest and has the Vinatzer route. Local guide Bruno Belligoli's overview says belays often have cemented rings, while protection in between is traditional pegs that you supplement with your own gear.
Piz Ciavazes. UKC calls the south face "one of the most impressive and accessible faces in the Dolomites" (Piz Ciavazes). The upper half is poor rock, so most routes stop at the mid-height Gamsband ledge (Cengia dei Camosci) and walk off along it, which makes for moderate-length multi-pitches. The best known are the Big and Little Micheluzzi and the Schubert.
Sass Pordoi. A 2,950 m summit above Passo Pordoi with a cable car to the top. vielunghe.com calls Tita Piaz's 1932 Via Maria "uno degli itinerari storici più celebri e ripetuti delle Dolomiti" (one of the most famous and most repeated historic routes in the Dolomites).
Cansla. Planetmountain says it is "synonymous with highly technical, multi-pitch dream routes", developed after Stefan Stuflesser and Carlo Grossrubatscher climbed the Traumpfeiler in 1984. "A winter's strength training is of little use here: technique is required." The Val Gardena tourist board says climbers should "feel comfortable in the 8th grade and in alpine terrain", and it's not suitable for families with children.
Città dei Sassi. A field of boulders left by a rockfall off Sassolungo; the Val Gardena tourist board says they reach 30 m and are especially good for families and beginners. CAI's Lo Scarpone counts 11 sectors with new lines every year and says it "resta una delle aree più frequentate della Val Gardena" (remains one of the busiest areas in Val Gardena). UKC calls it "undoubtedly one of the best sport and bouldering venues in the Dolomites"; a 2017 comment says many grades are "extremely underestimated".
Who it suits. The mix here is unusual: from one car park, beginners can climb 4a at Città dei Sassi, people with multi-pitch experience can go up the Sella Towers or Piz Ciavazes, and grade-7 slab specialists can head to Cansla. The bar for the trad multi-pitch is the same as on Sassolungo: you need to build belays, abseil and find the line yourself.
When to go
Mainly summer. Planetmountain says Cansla is at about 2,000 m and "climbing is possible in summer only"; CAI describes Città dei Sassi at 2,200 m as a summer-only crag. The Val Gardena tourist board gives May to October as the ideal months for sport climbing.
Pick by aspect. Aspects differ a lot between areas:
| Area | Aspect and conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sella 1st tower, south face | Sunny | UKC |
| Sella 2nd tower, Kasnapoff | N/NW, almost entirely in shade; pick a warm day | Scuola Guido Della Torre |
| Piz Ciavazes south face | SW, dries quickly (except the Buhl Direct); avoid the hottest midsummer days | UKC |
| Cansla | SW, early-afternoon sun, dries quickly even after heavy storms | Planetmountain |
| Città dei Sassi | All aspects, so you can move with the sun; a UKC comment says sector 2 often stays dry in rain | CAI, UKC |
Don't climb the Via Fedele after rain. The Via Fedele on the west face of Sass Pordoi is "tra le più note e frequentate del Gruppo" (among the best known and busiest in the group), but Sergio Ramella says to do it only late in the season after several dry days; in a storm it becomes a waterfall and "una trappola mortale" (a death trap).
Getting there
| Public transport | Driving | |
|---|---|---|
| From Val Gardena | Line 471 from Ortisei, Santa Cristina and Selva up to Passo Sella | A22, exit Chiusa/Klausen or Bolzano Nord, via Selva |
| From Val di Fassa | Trentino Trasporti B129 (Passo Sella) and B130 (Passo Pordoi) from Canazei | Via Canazei, forking at Bivio Passi Pordoi/Sella |
| Between the two passes | Line 472 Passo Sella–Pian Schiavaneis–Passo Pordoi | SS242 / SS48 |
| From Val Badia / Arabba | Line 472 Passo Pordoi–Arabba–Corvara | Via Arabba up to Passo Pordoi |
Public transport
On the South Tyrol side, südtirolmobil line 471 (PDF) ran from Ortisei via Selva up to Passo Sella from 7 June to 11 October 2026, about every 20 minutes during the day.
The Val di Fassa tourist board (APT) publishes combined timetables for both sides (checked October 2026):
- Canazei–Passo Sella (PDF): Trentino Trasporti B129 runs 27 June–9 September; South Tyrol line 472 runs between Bivio Passi Pordoi/Sella and Passo Sella from 7 June to 11 October. Stops include Pian Schiavaneis and Val Lasties, below Piz Ciavazes.
- Canazei–Passo Pordoi–Arabba–Corvara (PDF): Trentino Trasporti B130 about every 30 minutes, 27 June–9 September; line 472 continues from Passo Pordoi down to Arabba and Corvara.
- Passo Sella–Passo Pordoi (PDF): line 472 roughly hourly during the day.
The APT notes that these buses are not included in the Val di Fassa Guest Card. From mid-October to early June there are no buses to either pass.
Driving
Planetmountain for Cansla: leave the A22 at Bolzano Nord, drive up Val Gardena towards Passo Gardena/Passo Sella, and at the fork continue 200 m towards Passo Sella. Routes on Piz Ciavazes start from the Ciavazes parking area between Passo Sella and Pian Schiavaneis (Mountain Project).
There are plans to restrict traffic on the passes. Local site val-gardena.net (August 2026) says the trial restriction planned for Passo Gardena from 1 September 2026 became a digital monitoring test, and plans for Passo Sella and Pordoi aren't settled (second-hand: no original provincial notice found). Cycling events also close the passes on some summer days, so check that year's notices.
Parking
- Passo Sella: Planetmountain puts Cansla's large car park on the left of the road up to Passo Sella; theCrag says to park at the Passo Sella Dolomiti Mountain Resort for Città dei Sassi. A UKC comment from July 2025: "There's is no free road side parking".
- Passo Pordoi: vielunghe.com describes an "ampio parcheggio a pagamento" (large paid car park) by the cable car station.
- CAI warns that car parks at popular eastern Dolomites crags are almost all paid and may fill up in high season. None of the sources give rates.
Cable car
The Sass Pordoi cable car runs from Passo Pordoi to the summit; the operator lists the 2026 summer season as 14 May to 1 November, later than the pass buses and the Forcella Sassolungo lift, with closing half an hour earlier from 19 October (checked October 2026).
For the Via Maria you can ride up and walk down to the start, which vielunghe.com puts at 45 minutes; after the Spigolo Piaz you can ride down (Scuola Guido Della Torre).
Rules to know before you go
Protection on the classics. Scuola Guido Della Torre notes in its Kasnapoff description: "il IV/V in Dolomiti è verticale, esposto e poco chiodato" (grade IV/V in the Dolomites is vertical, exposed and sparsely pegged). Belays on the Sella Towers mostly have cemented rings (Belligoli), but you place nuts and cams in between, and the last Kasnapoff belays have to be built.
Descents. Most Piz Ciavazes routes walk off along the Gamsband; Fassa Guide mentions a short tunnel you crawl through and two spots that need a grade II downclimb or an abseil. Descents from the Sella Towers are mostly downclimbing plus one or two abseils.
Polish and a missing bolt. UKC says the 1st Sella tower is getting polished; Mountain Project says Piz Ciavazes "can be polished from years of climbing". At Città dei Sassi, theCrag flags Cucciolo on Sass della palestra: "Manca il primo chiodo" (the first bolt is missing).
Closures. As of October 2026, no closure or climbing ban was found for any of the five areas.
Rescue. On the South Tyrol side of Passo Sella it's Bergrettung / CNSAS Alto Adige, on the Trentino side Soccorso Alpino Trentino; both are reached on 112. Soccorso Alpino Trentino advises staying where you made the call if reception is poor.
Routes by level
YDS and V-grade conversions follow the Mountain Project international grade comparison chart and are approximate; "approx." marks grades the sources give without a/b/c (such as 4 or 5+). The original grade is the one that counts.
The four bands below cover French-graded routes: Città dei Sassi single pitches and the bolted sport multi-pitches at Cansla, the 1st Sella tower and Piz Ciavazes. UIAA-graded trad classics are in the last table.
Beginner: up to 6a (YDS 5.10a and below)
Almost all at Città dei Sassi. CAI says the Sasso della Palestra is suited to "muovere i primi passi sulla roccia" (first steps on rock); theCrag lists 11 routes there, 4a to 6c.
| Route | Grade | YDS | Length / pitches | Sector | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violetta | 4a | 5.4 | Città dei Sassi: Sass della palestra | theCrag three stars | |
| Pisolo | 4c | 5.6 | 15 m | Città dei Sassi: Sass della palestra | theCrag two stars |
| Brontolo | 5a | 5.7 | Città dei Sassi: Sass della palestra | theCrag two stars | |
| Piccolo fiore | 5c | 5.9 | Città dei Sassi: Sasso Renato | theCrag | |
| Giglio | 6a | 5.10a | Città dei Sassi: Sass della palestra | theCrag two stars | |
| La Saurida | 5c | 5.9 | Cansla: Wasserfall | Planetmountain; most of the Wasserfall sector is 6a |
Intermediate: 6a+ to 6c+ (YDS 5.10b–5.11c)
| Route | Grade | YDS | Length / pitches | Sector | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lungo il sentiero | 6b | 5.10c | Città dei Sassi: Sasso Renato | theCrag three stars | |
| Siforal | 6c | 5.11a/b | Città dei Sassi: Sass della palestra | theCrag two stars | |
| Dr. Scintilla | 6a+ | 5.10b | multi-pitch | Sella 1st tower, south face | Val Gardena tourist board |
| Delenda Carthago | 6b | 5.10c | 6 pitches | Sella 1st tower, south face | Val Gardena tourist board: "a beautiful classic" |
| Papa Giovanni Paolo II | 6b+ | 5.10d | 6 pitches | Piz Ciavazes south face | Mountain Project classics list, marked sport |
| L Cianton | 6a+ | 5.10b | 28 m | Cansla: Woodstockplatte | Planetmountain |
| Woodstock | 6c | 5.11a/b | Cansla: Woodstockplatte | Planetmountain |
Advanced: 7a to 7c+ (YDS 5.11d–5.13a)
Cansla's Traumpfeiler sector is concentrated in this band.
| Route | Grade | YDS | Length / pitches | Sector | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traumpfeiler | 6a+, 6c+, 6b, 7a | hardest 5.11d | 4 pitches | Cansla: Traumpfeiler | Planetmountain; the first route, 1984 |
| Traumschiff | 6c, 6c+, 6c, 6c+, 7a, 6c | hardest 5.11d | 6 pitches | Cansla: Traumpfeiler | Planetmountain |
| Amoklauf | 6a+, 7b, 6c, 6c+, 7a | hardest 5.12b | 5 pitches | Cansla: Traumpfeiler | Planetmountain |
| Kranebit | 7a | 5.11d | 40 m | Cansla: Woodstockplatte | Planetmountain |
| Icterus | 7a | 5.11d | multi-pitch | Sella 1st tower, south face | Val Gardena tourist board |
| The Bernards | 7b | 5.12b | multi-pitch | Sella 1st tower, south face | Val Gardena tourist board |
| Roberta 83 | 7a+ | 5.12a | 9 pitches | Piz Ciavazes south face | Val Gardena tourist board; Mountain Project marks it sport |
| Priz | 7b | 5.12b | multi-pitch | Piz Ciavazes south face | Val Gardena tourist board |
| Baci da Honolulu | 7b+ | 5.12c | multi-pitch | Piz Ciavazes south face | Val Gardena tourist board |
Expert: 8a and up (YDS 5.13b and up)
Planetmountain lists Cansla up to 8a; the Val Gardena tourist board says up to 8a+.
| Route | Grade | YDS | Length / pitches | Sector | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dai me to | 8a | 5.13b | Cansla: Traumpfeiler | Planetmountain | |
| Kante | 6c, 8a+, 7c, 6c | hardest 5.13c | 4 pitches | Cansla: Traumpfeiler | Planetmountain |
Trad and multi-pitch (UIAA grades)
The grade column is the route's main grade; single harder moves are in the notes.
| Route | Original grade | YDS | Length / pitches | Face | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Via dei Camini | III | 5.3 | multi-pitch | Sella 1st tower | Belligoli: good for a first multi-pitch |
| Via Trenker | IV | 5.4 | multi-pitch | Sella 1st tower | Belligoli: one move of V, "una grande classica" |
| Spigolo Steger | IV | 5.4 | multi-pitch | Sella 1st tower | Belligoli: one move of V-, very exposed |
| Diedro Kostner | IV- | 5.4 | 5 pitches | Sella 2nd tower | Belligoli; can follow on from the 1st tower |
| Via Kasnapoff | IV+ | 5.5 | 11 pitches, about 360 m | Sella 2nd tower, N face to NW ridge | Scuola Guido Della Torre: crux V-, 5 h, almost all in shade; Belligoli gives V-; 1913 |
| Via Messner | V+ | 5.7 | 7 pitches | Sella 2nd tower, N face | Belligoli: sustained V+; UKC: in The Seventh Grade |
| Via Jahn | IV- | 5.4 | 7 pitches | Sella 3rd tower | Belligoli: one move of IV, needs Dolomite experience |
| Via Vinatzer | V | 5.6 | 11 pitches | Sella 3rd tower, W face | Belligoli: "difficoltà continue" (sustained) |
| Piccola Micheluzzi | V | 5.6 | about 325 m, 9–10 pitches | Piz Ciavazes south face | Ramella: one move of V, 3–4 h, cemented belays; alpinist.it gives IV–IV+ with a V- crux; Mountain Project gives V+; 1928 |
| Rampenführe | V | 5.6 | 10 pitches | Piz Ciavazes south face | Mountain Project classics list |
| Via Micheluzzi (Big Micheluzzi) | VI | 5.9 | 380 m, 13 pitches | Piz Ciavazes south face | theCrag three stars; Fassa Guide: a traverse of about 90 m at V+/VI, 6 h; 1935 |
| Schubert (Route of Friendship) | VI+ | 5.10a | 7 pitches | Piz Ciavazes south face | Mountain Project classics list |
| Via Maria | IV+ | 5.5 | about 400 m | Sass Pordoi south face | vielunghe.com: IV+ obligatory too, route finding needed, very busy; Piaz 1932 |
| Spigolo Piaz | VI | 5.9 | about 400 m | Sass Pordoi south pillar | Scuola Guido Della Torre: V+ and A0, 4–6 h, two 60 m half ropes; 1933 |
Where to look things up
- UKC: Sella Towers, Piz Ciavazes, Città dei Sassi: English overviews, route counts, user comments (current parking and grade notes often show up here).
- Mountain Project: Piz Ciavazes: UIAA and YDS grades and pitch counts for the south-face classics.
- theCrag: Città dei Sassi: routes, stars and ascent counts per boulder.
- Planetmountain: Cansla: pitch grades in the Traumpfeiler, Wasserfall and Woodstockplatte sectors.
- Scuola Guido Della Torre, Sergio Ramella, vielunghe.com: pitch-by-pitch route descriptions in Italian.
- Buses and lifts: südtirolmobil timetables, the Val di Fassa APT pass-bus PDFs (see Public transport above), the Sass Pordoi cable car.
- Guidebooks: Grades and route counts here come mainly from online databases; the guidebook is the authority.
- The Dolomites: Rock Climbs and Via Ferrata (James Rushforth; Rockfax; 2nd edition 2019; English): chapters on Pordoi Pass (Sass Pordoi south face) and Sella Pass (Sass Pordoi northwest face, Piz Ciavazes, Sella Towers, Città dei Sassi); UKC says its Città dei Sassi sector layout comes from the 2014 edition. The publisher's page says it's out of stock; the full guide is on Rockfax Digital.
- Climbing in Val Gardena - Dolomites (Mauro Bernardi; Athesia; 2016; English): 70 selected alpine multi-pitches around Val Gardena, including the Sella (Mountain Project listing); recommended by the Val Gardena tourist board, ISBN 8868392259.
- Sportklettern in Südtirol (Thomas Hofer et al.; Vertical Life; 3rd edition 2023; German and Italian): 105 sport crags including Frea, Cansla-Traumpfeiler, Steinerne Stadt (Città dei Sassi) and Ciavazes (Panico listing).
- Planetmountain's Cansla page also lists Arrampicare intorno al Passo Sella (Stefan Stufflesser) and Val di Fassa Climbing (Renato Bernard, Gabriele Bonanno), sold in Val Gardena bookshops and newsagents; years and editions weren't found.
References
- UKC Logbook: Sella Towers
- UKC Logbook: Piz Ciavazes
- UKC Logbook: Citta dei Sassi (City of Rocks)
- Bruno Belligoli (Guida Alpina Dolomiti): Torri del Sella (in Italian)
- Scuola Guido Della Torre: Seconda Torre di Sella - via Kasnapoff (in Italian)
- Scuola Guido Della Torre: Sass Pordoi - via Spigolo Piaz (in Italian)
- Mountain Project: Piz Ciavazes
- Mountain Project: Classic Climbs for Piz Ciavazes
- Mountain Project: Kleine Micheluzzi
- theCrag: Via Micheluzzi
- Fassa Guide: Micheluzzi Climbing Route
- alpinist.it: Piccola Micheluzzi - Piz Ciavazes
- Sergio Ramella: Relazione via Piccola Micheluzzi (in Italian)
- Sergio Ramella: Via Fedele, Sass Pordoi (in Italian)
- vielunghe.com: Sass Pordoi – Via Maria (in Italian)
- Planetmountain: Cansla
- Planetmountain: Città dei Sassi
- Val Gardena tourist board: Sport Climbing in Val Gardena
- CAI Lo Scarpone: Fuga dal caldo: cinque falesie per arrampicare nelle Dolomiti orientali (in Italian)
- theCrag: Città dei Sassi
- theCrag: Sass della palestra
- theCrag: Sasso Renato
- südtirolmobil: Timetables
- südtirolmobil: Line 471 timetable (PDF)
- Val di Fassa APT: Canazei - Passo Sella - Val Gardena (PDF)
- Val di Fassa APT: Canazei - Passo Pordoi - Arabba - Corvara (PDF)
- Val di Fassa APT: Passo Sella - Pian Schiavaneis - Passo Pordoi (PDF)
- Trentino Trasporti: B130 Passo Pordoi - Canazei (PDF)
- Funivia Sass Pordoi: Info, orari e prezzi (in Italian)
- val-gardena.net: La limitazione del traffico al Passo Gardena (in Italian)
- Bergrettung Südtirol: Raising the alarm
- Soccorso Alpino Trentino: Per ogni emergenza chiama il 112 (in Italian)
- Rockfax: The Dolomites: Rock Climbs and Via Ferrata
- Mountain Project: Climbing in Val Gardena - Dolomites
- Panico: Vertical Life Sportklettern in Südtirol 2023 (in German)