Walter Bonatti has died: the Italian mountaineer, explorer and journalist was famous for having taken part in the first Italian expedition to K2.
He died on September 13 in Rome after a sudden illness, at the age of 81. Walter devoted his life to mountaineering, earning a place in history and in the hearts of all Italian mountaineers.
A strong, determined character guided him step by step through major feats: the first ascent of the east face of the Grand Capucin on Mont Blanc, along with other ascents in which he opened new routes. His first great feats were also marked by misfortune. During an ascent on Mont Blanc, a snowstorm pinned Bonatti and other members of his roped party to the face, forcing them into an 18-hour bivouac in wind and snow. The mountaineer was forced to keep climbing another 500 m to reach the summit and then descend to get help. He and his partner would survive, but the other climbers who were ascending in parallel would lose their lives after taking a different route.
But the most famous episode was the climb of K2 during the first Italian expedition.
After going down to fetch the oxygen cylinders that his companions had left further down, Bonatti discovered that they had set up camp 250 m higher. Exhausted by the effort and stopped by the darkness, Bonatti and his companion Mahdi were forced to spend the night without a tent or any other shelter at an altitude of 8,000 m, at a temperature of -50°.
On their return, a legal case and a controversy over the events arose, with accusations aimed at putting the blame on the mountaineer Bonatti; years later, however, it emerged that the correct version was the one told by Bonatti.
Of that episode he wrote: “That night on K2, between July 30 and 31, 1954, I was supposed to die. The fact that I survived instead depended on me alone… ”.
This event led him to continue his feats solo, still achieving excellent results. Once he had said goodbye to his mountaineering career, Walter began a new adventure as a reporter and explorer. His important achievements earned him the titles of Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic and Officer of the French Legion of Honour.
His death is a blow to the whole mountaineering world and to all mountain lovers. In farewell, it is worth recalling one of his most moving quotes:
“The mountains taught me not to cheat, to be honest with myself and with what I was doing. Practised in a certain way, they are undoubtedly a tough school, sometimes even a cruel one, but sincere in a way that everyday life is not always.”
Goodbye, Walter.
No comments yet