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Lorenzo Mazzoleni

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Lorenzo Mazzoleni
Personal information
NicknameAleghér
BornDecember 15, 1966
Lecco, Italy
DiedJuly 29, 1996 (aged 29)
K2
Resting placeK2
Monument(s)Amici di Lorenzo Association, Namaste di Bulciago
Occupation(s)Chef, alpine guide
Years active1980—1996
Sport
SportAlpine Mountaineering
ClubRagni della Grignetta

Lorenzo "Aleghér" Mazzoleni (Lecco, December 15, 1966 – K2, July 29, 1996) was an Italian mountaineer. At the time of his death on K2 at age 29, he was considered one of the most promising Italian climbers of his generation.[1][2][3]

Biography

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Considered a climbing prodigy,[4][5] Mazzoleni began climbing at age ten, when he signed up for youth mountaineering courses at the Italian Alpine Club in Lecco. He soon was climbing in the nearby Lombardy foothills.[6]

In 1980, at age 14, Mazzoleni climbed his first 4,000 m peak, Gran Paradiso.[7] A t 18, he joined his local mountaineering club, the "Grignetta Spiders" (in Italian: Ragni della Grignetta), a section of the Italian Alpine Club in his hometown of Lecco, dedicated to international mountaineering.

Climbing abroad

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In 1986, aged 19, he travelled to Patagonia with the Spiders mountaineering group, where they made a first ascent on the West face of Monte Sarmiento, in the Terra del Fuego.[8][9] The team reached the summit on December 24, 1986.[10]

Two years later at age 21, Mazzoleni climbed his first eight-thousander, Cho Oyu.[11] That year, he led his first expedition to Mount Everest, for a summit attempt via the north face.[11] The team reached a high point of 7,500 m before turning back due to poor weather.[12]

In 1990, Mazzoleni made three successful first winter ascents: two direct routes on Cima Busazza, and a direct ascent of the South-West face of the Croz dell'Altissimo.[13] That year he made his second attempt on Mount Everest, where he reached the south summit (8,750 m) before turning back due to high winds.[14]

Mazzoleni returned to the Himalayas in 1991, where he was part of an expedition led by Casimiro Ferrari[15] to climb the as-yet unclimbed west face of Makalu.[11] The team managed to reach 7,300 m before turning back due to high winds.[16]

In 1992, he made the first winter ascent of the central pillar of Monte Civetta. Alongside Marco Anghileri, Mazzoleni would make the first repeat and first winter ascent of the Marino Stenico route (VI+, A4) in five days. Then the pair would then make the first repeat and first winter ascent of the Via delgi Amici on Sasso Cavallo.[17]

Later that year, he made his third attempt to climb Mount Everest. He was successful, reaching the summit on September 28, 1992.[11] He was 25 years old. The successful summit led Mazzoleni on a goal to climb the remainder of the Seven Summits.

In 1993, Mazzoleni returned to South America, where he summitted Aconcagua, the tallest peak on the continent in winter. Climbing via the Messner route,[18] Mazzoleni and climbing partner Simone Moro were trapped for five days in a bivoauc, fearing they would die. The pair filmed a "epitaph" video as conditions deteriorated. Eventually the weather cleared and they descended safely. Mazzoleni immediately started dancing upon reaching base camp.[19]

Two years later he reached the highest summit in North America in 1995, when he summitted Denali.

K2, the destination of Mazzoleni's last climb

K2 expedition

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In 1996, his mountaineering club the Grignetta Spiders led an expedition to K2 for the fiftieth anniversary of the group. On July 29, he reached the summit.[20] As he was descending from the mountain, Mazzoleni fell to his death from the Shoulder (8,000 m).[21] The circumstances which Mazzoleni fell are unknown, as he was behind his climbing companions when the accident occurred. The next day, his body was spotted by a member of his climbing team on a serac above 8,000 m.[22]

Due to the difficulty of terrain and altitude of where he was found, he could not be reached by his expedition team[23] and his body remains on the mountain.[24]

Memorials

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Mazzoleni was known for making close connections with the people in the communities around the mountains where he travelled to on his expeditions, taking thousands of photographs.[25] After his death, two foundations were established in Mazzoleni's memory: the "Amici di Lorenzo", which opened a clinic in Pakistan,[26][27] and "Namaste di Bulciago", which opened a school in Nepal and supports the local community.[6][28] In 2008, the Ragni della Grignetta awarded the Cassin Award for Culture to the Amici di Lorenzo for their efforts to care for children in Askole.[29] The organizations remain operational. Mazzoleni's photographs have been shown in a number of commemorative exhibitions after his passing.[30]

In 2013, reports appeared in Italy suggesting that a search expedition was being undertaken to find Mazzoleni's body and return it to his family.[31][32] In response, his family issued a statement requesting that Mazzoleni should remain in his final resting place.[33]

On July 19, 2024, Mazzoleni's backpack was found on K2, by an all-female Italian expedition 28 years after he fell to his death on the mountain.[34] The backpack was brought to K2's Gilkey Memorial.[4] No trace of Mazzoleni's body has been found.[35]

References

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  1. ^ "Ritrovato sul K2 lo zaino di Lorenzo Mazzoleni: il fortissimo alpinista lecchese morì nel 1996 durante la discesa dalla seconda montagna più alta del mondo". il Dolomiti (in Italian). 2024-07-22. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  2. ^ "Lorenzo Mazzoleni, ritrovato sul K2 lo zaino dell'alpinista 29enne scomparso 28 anni fa". www.ilmessaggero.it (in Italian). 2024-07-22. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  3. ^ "Sul K2 è stato ritrovato lo zaino di Lorenzo Mazzoleni, scomparso 28 anni fa". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  4. ^ a b Zerilli, Silvia (2024-07-20). "Dopo 28 anni, ritrovato sul K2 lo zaino di Lorenzo Mazzoleni". RaiNews (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  5. ^ redazione (2021-07-29). "Lorenzo Mazzoleni, il ragazzo prodigio". MOUNT LIVE (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  6. ^ a b "LORENZO MAZZOLENI/25 ANNI FA LA SCOMPARSA SUL K2 DELL'ALPINISTA LECCHESE". Lecco News - Quotidiano di Lecco - Notizie dell’ultima ora di Lecco, lago di Como, Resegone, Valsassina, Brianza. Eventi, traffico (in Italian). 2021-07-30. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  7. ^ Spreafico, Desirée (2016-05-27). "Mazzoleni, l'evento per ricordarlo. Lorenzo rivive nei cuori dei lecchesi". Lecco Notizie (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  8. ^ "The North Face of Monte Sarmiento and the 1986 first ascent by the Ragni di Lecco". PlanetMountain.com. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  9. ^ "Patagonia's Sarmiento West summit climbed alpine style by Hernán Rodríguez, Cristobal Señoret, Nicolas Secul". PlanetMountain.com. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  10. ^ Lecco, Ragni di (2014-07-04). "SARMIENTO 1986". Gruppo Ragni della Grignetta (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  11. ^ a b c d "The Himalayan Database Online". The Himalayan Database. Ann Arbor, Michigan.
  12. ^ "AAC Publications - Asia, Tibet, Everest Attempts from the North". publications.americanalpineclub.org. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  13. ^ www.angeloelli.it http://www.angeloelli.it/alpinisti/file/Mazzoleni%20Lorenzo.html. Retrieved 2024-07-30. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ^ "AAC Publications - Asia, Nepal, Everest, First Ascent by a Married Couple and First Yugoslav Woman". publications.americanalpineclub.org. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  15. ^ Ripamonti, Serafino (2024-06-18). "Casimiro Ferrari, l'ultimo re della Patagonia". Montagna.TV (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  16. ^ "AAC Publications - Asia, Nepal, Makalu, West Face Attempt". publications.americanalpineclub.org. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  17. ^ Ripamonti, Serafino (2024-03-14). "Dieci anni senza Marco Anghileri, alpinista fortissimo e uomo amato da tutti". Montagna.TV (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  18. ^ Lecco, Ragni di (2014-01-16). "Storia dei Ragni di Lecco". Gruppo Ragni della Grignetta (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  19. ^ Leccoonline (2016-05-27). "Lecco: a vent'anni dalla tragica scomparsa Mazzoleni rivive nelle parole dei suoi amici". Leccoonline (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  20. ^ "AAC Publications - Asia, Pakistan, K2, Ascent and Tragedy". publications.americanalpineclub.org. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  21. ^ Leonardo Bizzarro (1 August 1996). "LORENZO È LASSÙ LA SUA TOMBA TRA LE NEVI DEL K2".
  22. ^ Sottocornola, Sara (2013-07-12). "K2, Agostino Da Polenza cerca il corpo di Lorenzo Mazzoleni". Montagna.TV (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  23. ^ Redazione (2008-08-04). "Verza: quella notte di 12 anni fa sul K2". Montagna.TV (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  24. ^ "L'amico di Lorenzo Mazzoleni, l'alpinista morto sul K2: "La gioia della vetta, poi la tragedia"". Milano Fanpage (in Italian). 2024-07-23. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  25. ^ "A RICORDO DI LORENZO MAZZOLENI MOSTRA A PALAZZO DELLE PAURE. GIOVEDÌ L'INAUGURAZIONE". Lecco News - Quotidiano di Lecco - Notizie dell’ultima ora di Lecco, lago di Como, Resegone, Valsassina, Brianza. Eventi, traffico (in Italian). 2016-07-12. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  26. ^ Franci, Caterina (2015-12-09). "Via alla mostra "Baltì" in ricordo di Lorenzo Mazzoleni". Lecco Notizie (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  27. ^ Comunicazione (2024-07-24). "GIOVANI, CURIOSI E PIENI DI SPERANZA". Gruppo Ragni della Grignetta (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  28. ^ Lecco, Ragni di (2015-05-05). "NEPAL raccolta fondi". Gruppo Ragni della Grignetta (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  29. ^ Lecco, Ragni di (2008-11-29). "30-11-2008 Premio Cassin 2008 a Matteo della Bordella e all'Associazione Amici di Lorenzo". Gruppo Ragni della Grignetta (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  30. ^ Leccoonline (2016-07-14). "Lecco: le foto dell'alpinista Lorenzo Mazzoleni a Palazzo delle Paure, a 20 anni da quel tragico K2". Leccoonline (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  31. ^ Sottocornola, Sara (2013-07-12). "K2, Agostino Da Polenza cerca il corpo di Lorenzo Mazzoleni". Montagna.TV (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  32. ^ Brivio, Andrea (2013-07-12). "Ricerche sul K2 per ritrovare il corpo di Lorenzo Mazzoleni". Lecco Notizie (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  33. ^ Sottocornola, Sara (2013-07-15). "K2, ricerca di Lorenzo Mazzoleni: precisazioni e volontà". Montagna.TV (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  34. ^ "Ritrovato sul K2 lo zaino di Lorenzo Mazzoleni, l'alpinista 29enne scomparso 28 anni fa dopo aver raggiunto la vetta". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 2024-07-21. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  35. ^ "K2: ritrovato lo zaino di Lorenzo Mazzoleni morto nel 1996 durante la discesa dalla vetta". MountainBlog (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-07-30.
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