Renato Casarotto

Last August the body of the famous italian mountaineer Renato Casarotto was found in the De Filippi glacier, K2.

September 2003

We received the following letter from the editor of the Italian climbing magazine Rivista della Montagna. It takes us all back in time, as mountaineers and as people. Almost a sign of how important it is to remember. In August the De Filippi glacier, located at the foot of K2, the second highest mountain in the world, brought to the surface the body of Renato Casarotto. Born in 1948, Casarotto was one of the strongest mountaineers of his time. He died on 16 July 1986 whilst returning to Base Camp from his final K2 solo attempt. At the time his body disappeared into a deep crevasse. At the start of August, immediately after his body was found, a group of Kazakh climbers transported the remains to the stony Gilkey Memorial, where all those who have fallen victim to K2 since the second World War are buried. Renato Casarotto was one of my closest friends. I have some extraordinary memories of him: of his futuristic climbs, but also of his great humanity. As soon as I heard about the retrieval, I re-read his last letter. He had written to me from K2 Base Camp, and I received it the very same day his mother told me of his death. It was an incredible blow. I have kept that blue sheet of paper amongst my most treasured possessions. Renato wrote to me about his attempt on the SSE Spur: "The route is tremendously difficult and has tested me to the limit. It is one of the hardest routes in the Himalayas and the Karakorum. I hope to be the first to climb it." I would like to thank my Kazakh friends for the respect and attention they showed when burying Renato at the Gilkey Memorial. by Roberto Mantovani