Walter Bonatti

Walter Bonatti (Bergamo, 22 June 1930 – Rome, 13 September 2011) was an Italian mountain climber, explorer and journalist. He was noted for many achievements, including a solo climb of a new route on the south-west pillar of the Aiguille du Dru in August 1955, the first ever 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 and then promptly, after this achievement, this extraordinary man announced his retirement from professional climbing at the age of 35 and after only 17 years of climbing activity. He authored many mountaineering books and spent most of his life travelling off the beaten track as a reporter for the Italian magazine Epoca. He died on the 13 September 2011 of pancreatic cancer in Rome aged 81, and is survived by his wife, the former actress Rossana Podestà.

Famed for his climbing panache, he pioneered little known and technically difficult climbs in the Alps, Himalayas and Patagonia.