The Odle Group is a relatively small mountain chain located in the Dolomites of northern Italy. Alongside the Puez and Peitlerkofel groups, it is part of the Puez-Odle Nature Park.
The main feature of the Gruppo del Odle its steep and rugged peaks, the most memorable of which is Secёda (2,519 m / 8,264 ft).
There are 39 named mountains in Geislergruppe. The highest and the most prominent mountain is La Furchёta (3,025 m / 9,925 ft).
Outdoor writer from the Dolomites, Italy, and Karelia, Finland
The name of the Odle Group (Gruppo del Odle / Geislergruppe) means “needles” in the language of Ladins, the major ethnic group that historically lives in the five valleys at the center of the Dolomites.
The Ladins likely gave the group this name simply because the group’s major peaks look like a row of needles. In fact, they look so much like needles that it appears that you could use these peaks to sew up your hiking boots that are ten years old, but that you love and don’t want to throw away.
The Odle Group is one of the westernmost and northernmost groups in the Dolomites. It is located in the West Dolomites subregion in the province of South Tyrol in the Trentino-Alto Adige / Sudtirol region in Italy.
The exact boundaries of the group are clearly defined by three large valleys:
- South — Gardena Valley (Val Gardena)
- West — Eisack Valley (Eisacktal)
- North — Villnobtal / Val di Funes
- East — Roa-Scharte / Nives-Scharte Pass
But these are not the only mountains in the area. Gruppo del Odle also neighbors the Peitlerkofel Group to the north, as well as both the Schlern Group and the Langkofel to the south.
Read next my outdoor guide Odle Group on the website of the PeakVisor app — leading AR (augmented reality) app for mountain peaks identification with tens of other great features for outdoor enthusiasts.
Text: Ivan Kuznetsov
Cover photo: Altabadia.org
