(also Ortler), a mountain massif in the southern Alps, in Italy and Switzerland. Maximum elevation, 3,899 m. The peripheral sections are composed primarily of mica and crystalline schist, and the axial zone is composed of limestone and dolomite. Hardwood and coniferous forests and subalpine shrubbery predominate to an elevation of 2,300 m. Higher up, there are alpine meadows. Approximately 60 glaciers are found on the peaks, which are covered with snow year-round. The region is a tourist and mountain-climbing resort.