13 September 2011(2011-09-13) (aged 81) Rome, Lazio, Italy
Climbing career
Type of climber
Mountaineer
Known for
Solo climb of Aiguille du Dru
First ascents
Gasherbrum IV
Major ascents
List of mountaineering achievements
Updated on 18 March 2013
Walter Bonatti (Italian pronunciation:[ˈvalterboˈnatti]; 22 June 1930 – 13 September 2011) was an Italian mountaineer, alpinist, explorer and journalist.[1][2][3] He was noted for many climbing achievements, including a solo climb of a new alpine climbing route on the south-west pillar of the Aiguille du Dru in August 1955, the first ascent of Gasherbrum IV in 1958, and, in 1965, the first solo climb in winter of the North face of the Matterhorn on the mountain's centenary year of its first ascent. Immediately after his solo climb on the Matterhorn, Bonatti announced his retirement from professional climbing at the age of 35, and after 17 years of climbing activity. He authored many mountaineering books and spent the remainder of his career travelling off the beaten track as a reporter for the Italian magazine Epoca.
He died on 13 September 2011 of pancreatic cancer[4] in Rome aged 81,[5] and was survived by his life partner, the actress Rossana Podestà.
Famed for his climbing panache, he also pioneered little-known and technically difficult climbs in the Alps, Himalayas, and Patagonia. In 2009, Bonatti was awarded the first-ever Piolet d'Or Lifetime Achievement Award. He is widely considered as being one of the greatest climbers in history.
^Walter Bonatti: Ground-breaking mountaineer who played a crucial role in the first ascent of K2
^Walter Bonatti, légende de l'alpinisme italien, est mort - L'alpiniste, écrivain et journaliste Walter Bonatti a signé quelques-unes des ascensions les plus audacieuses et complexes des années 50 et 60
^Walter Bonatti, alpiniste italien. Il est mort d'un cancer, le 13 septembre, à Rome, à l'âge de 81 ans
^Cazzullo, Aldo (11 September 2011). "L' attrice e lo scalatore: trent' anni con Walter dopo un incontro al buio" (in Italian). Corriere Della Sera. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
^"E' morto il Ragno Bonatti, mito dell' alpinismo mondiale". lecconotizie.com. 14 September 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
WalterBonatti (Italian pronunciation: [ˈvalter boˈnatti]; 22 June 1930 – 13 September 2011) was an Italian mountaineer, alpinist, explorer and journalist...
alleged that WalterBonatti had used some of the oxygen supply intended for the summit, causing it to run out on summit day. WalterBonatti disputed this...
heroes, WalterBonatti accused Lacedelli and Compagnoni of having abandoned him and Amir Mehdi to an open bivouac just below high camp. In 1954, Bonatti was...
1981), former Italian footballer Roberta Bonatti (born 1997), Italian female boxer, athlete WalterBonatti (1930–2011), Italian mountain climber This...
WalterBonatti, about how he felt the report overlooked the importance of his and Amir Mahdi's roles in enabling the climb to be successful. Bonatti also...
and as solo–of the great north faces of the Alps by pioneers such as WalterBonatti, Riccardo Cassin and Gaston Rebuffat. The subsequent era, which is still...
expedition, Amir Mehdi and WalterBonatti were stranded by Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli, who wanted to prevent Bonatti from reaching the summit...
which largely confirmed the claims another member of the expedition, WalterBonatti, had been making for over fifty years. K2 is on the border between China...
IV is a venerated challenge among mountaineers. 1958 First ascent by WalterBonatti and Carlo Mauri on an Italian expedition led by Riccardo Cassin via...
milestones in big-wall climbing including WalterBonatti's groundbreaking 1955 solo ascent of the eponymous Bonatti Pillar and Catherine Destivelle's 1991...
climbers such as Emilio Comici and Riccardo Cassin, and in the 1950s by WalterBonatti, before reaching Yosemite where it was led in the 1950s to 1970s by...
popularity of the sport in the natural environment. Early pioneers included WalterBonatti, Riccardo Cassin, Hermann Buhl, and Gaston Rébuffat, who were followed...
including by French alpinist Catherine Destivelle, and Italian alpinist WalterBonatti. Rope-solo climbing techniques have also been used on big wall climbing...
a part of the 1953 American expedition. Also on the expedition were WalterBonatti and Pakistani Hunza porter Amir Mehdi, who both proved vital to the...
1955, the Italian climber WalterBonatti climbed a difficult solo route on the south-west pillar of the Petit Dru (the Bonatti Pillar); this route – like...
contemporary luminaries as Kurt Diemberger, Marcus Schmuck, Heinrich Harrer, WalterBonatti and Gaston Rébuffat.[citation needed] He was also an idol and hero of...
Zdzitowiecki [pl] (Poland) Unclimbed in winter Gasherbrum IV 7925 m 1958 by WalterBonatti and Carlo Mauri (Italy) Unclimbed in winter Gasherbrum V 7147 m 2014...
notte Aladdin television film 2013 K2 - La montagna degli italiani WalterBonatti television film 2018 Liberi sognatori Giuseppe Francese episode: "Delitto...
solo ascent was made in five hours by Dieter Marchart on 22 July 1959. WalterBonatti climbed the "North Face Direct" solo on 18-22 February 1965. The same...
oxygen. Cesare Maestri conquered the Cerro Torre in Patagonia in 1959. WalterBonatti is considered one of the best alpinists in Europe in 1950s, realizing...
of extreme alpine routes, pioneer of extreme skiing and BASE jumping WalterBonatti (1930–2011) Italy, mountaineer and writer, solo new routes on Aiguille...
later, a helicopter landed three survivors at Courmayeur; among them WalterBonatti and Mazeaud. About the 1961 disaster, Mazeaud wrote: "Sitting on my...
Artyukhin, Russian colonel, engineer, and astronaut (d. 1998) 1930 – WalterBonatti, Italian journalist and mountaineer (d. 2011) 1931 – Ruby Garrard Woodson...
ground for mountaineers such as Riccardo Cassin, Emilio Comici and WalterBonatti. A small mountain shelter, Bivacco Ferrario, is located on its peak...
(Yakushi A284) WalterBonatti, The Mountains of My Life, 2001 WalterBonatti, Processo al K2, 1985, (Yakushi B453), ( edition) WalterBonatti, K2. La verità...
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