Walter Bonatti (born 22 June 1930) is an Italian born climber who set new standards in post-war Alpine climbing.
Bonatti was born in Bergamo, Lombardy.
Famed for his climbing panache, he pioneered little known and technically difficult climbs in the Alps, Himalaya and Patagonia. Among his notable climbs are a solo climb of a new route on the south-west pillar of the Aiguille du Dru in August 1955 and the first solo winter ascent of the Matterhorn...
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Walter Bonatti (born 22 June 1930) is an Italian born climber who set new standards in post-war Alpine climbing.
Bonatti was born in Bergamo, Lombardy.
Famed for his climbing panache, he pioneered little known and technically difficult climbs in the Alps, Himalaya and Patagonia. Among his notable climbs are a solo climb of a new route on the south-west pillar of the Aiguille du Dru in August 1955 and the first solo winter ascent of the Matterhorn north face in 1965. At the age of 21, Bonatti in 1951 made the first ascent of The Grand Capucin, an extraordinary red granite pinnacle in the Mont Blanc massif, from 20 to 23 July. This was the climb that brought him to public notice. At age eighteen, Bonatti had made the fourth ascent of the formidable North Face of the Grandes Jorasses with very poor equipment over a period of two days.
Bonatti was at the center of a climbing controversy regarding the first ascent of K2 by Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni. Along with Hunza climber,...
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