Mario Merelli, the famous mountaineer from Bergamo known for climbing many eight-thousanders, including Everest, Makalu, Kangchenjunga, Gasherbrum I, Shisha Pangma, Annapurna, Broad Peak, Lhotse and Dhaulagiri, died this morning in the mountains of Valbodione.
This morning he was climbing towards Pizzo Scais (a peak of over 3,000m in the Orobie Alps) when, in circumstances yet to be established (but in any case caused by a boulder coming loose), he fell into the gully. His companions immediately alerted the rescue services, who, however, once on the scene, could do nothing but confirm his death.
Mario Merelli was a well-known figure in the world of mountaineering and contributed to several newspapers and magazines, recounting his exploits around the world. Mario had also supported charitable projects, above all the construction of a hospital in Nepal, in the Dolpo district, a very poor area where infant mortality is extremely high, reaching almost 50% in the first year of life.
Merelli has passed away at just 49, leaving a void around him; the whole Bergamo area and the mountaineering world are in mourning and remember this great Italian mountaineer.
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