| Sella Nevea | |
|---|---|
Sella Nevea from Mt Canin |
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| Location | Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy |
| Nearest city | Udine |
| Vertical | m |
| Top elevation | 2300 m |
| Base elevation | 1190 m |
| Skiable area | km² |
| Lift capacity | skiers/hr |
Sella Nevea (Slovene: Na Žlebeh, also Nevejski preval) is a high mountain pass and ski resort in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northeast Italy. Sella Nevea is a località of the comune of Chiusaforte, in the province of Udine.
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Sella Nevea is a pass in the Julian Alps, between the mountains of Jôf di Montasio and Mount Canin. It lies on the road between Tarvisio and Chiusaforte, via Cave del Predil (German: Raibl, Slovene: Rabelj). Sella Nevea is on the main alpine watershed and divides the basin of Mediterranean Sea from the Black Sea. Ten km away lies the picturesque and uncontaminated Raibl Lake (also known as Lago di Cave del Predil or Lago del Predil), used for canoeing, wind-surfing, and other water sports.
For most of history Sella Nevea was an agricultural area. It was the scene of a battle in World War I.
Sella Nevea started its modern development in 1970, when the first ski plants were built. Projected to be a heaven for winter sports, Sella Nevea developments suffered from a drastic step back, when the location was deemed at risk, after a series of avalanches struck it in 1976.
In 1980, the company that managed the ski plants went bankrupt, and the business was guaranteed by the regional government. In the 90s, Sella Nevea ski plants fell under the control of Promotur, a state-owned but independent company, which took in charge of all five main regional ski resorts.
In the 90s Sella Nevea suffered from neglect that caused it to lose popularity. Promotur said repeatedly that despite the potential of the location, nothing could have been done.
In 2002, the preventive measures against avalanches were completed. In the meantime, the location grew in importance as a ski racing training camp. It acquired a reputation for uncrowded slopes.
In 2005, it was announced that Sella Nevea will receive substantial funds to replace obsolete ski equipment, and for construction of a cableway that will connect it to the Bovec ski resort, one of the largest winter ski resorts in Slovenia. The cross-border link of the two resorts was completed in December 2009. It is now possible to ski on both resorts. Because both Italy and Slovenia are members of the European Schengen area, skiers are able to freely cross the border between Italy and Slovenia, effectively merging the Sella Nevea and Bovec ski resorts into one large ski resort covering both sides of the Canin mountain.
Sella Nevea offers facilities and equipment for winter sports, such as alpine ski, cross-country ski, snowboarding, and ice skating. The abundance of untouched space is particularly advantageous for off-slope downhill skiing. In the summer, the location is used as a base for mountain trekking and rock climbing.