Learning about a great Italian alpinist: Fabio Stedile
Born in 1961, Alpine Guide at 21 and at 24 he had already ascended the 8.481m of Mt. Makalù in the Himalayas.
He passed away while descending from Cerro Torre in 1994, under never well explained circumstances.
Funds were raised in Italy among his friends and family and in El Chaltèn the first aid hospital was built “Comisión de auxilio F. Stedile”.
Born in 1961, Alpine Guide at 21 and at 24 he had already ascended the 8.481m of Mt. Makalù in the Himalayas.
Fabio Stedile
Postcard sent from Fabio from Cerro Torre where he writes: “Words are not necessary, I can find the answer at a glance. It’s my way to express myself, searching for a mental balance, the freedom to be up there, the joy of living, the beauty of void, the harmony with the wall, feeling it alive under my hands and discovering its small secrets”…
ITA
Fabio Stedile nasce a Rovereto l’8 agosto 1961 e diventa guida alpina, istruttore delle guide alpine, istruttore di volo libero e istruttore nazionale del CAI. Cade mortalmente per la ceduta di un ancoraggio il 28 ottobre 1994 mentre scende le ultime corde doppie dopo un tentativo con Mauro Mabboni alla via del Compressore al Cerro Torre.
Quel 28 ottobre i due erano saliti molto veloci lungo la via, il tempo era buono, ma la temperatura piuttosto elevata staccava di continuo dal fungo sommitale grossi pezzi di neve e ghiaccio rendendo la salita pericolosa. Quindi la decisione di fermarsi e riscendere in corda doppia. Proprio in questa fase avvenne l’incidente: al termine di una calata Fabio si trovava sulla sosta, in attesa che il compagno lo raggiungesse, quando il cordino di sosta al quale era assicurato si ruppe provocandone la caduta. Il giorno dopo il suo corpo fu ritrovato sul ghiacciaio ai piedi del Torre da alcuni alpinisti trentini, Mauro Giovanazzi, Fabio Leoni, Ermanno Salvaterra, impegnati su un’altra parete della cima e avvisati da Mauro Mabboni. Il Cerro Torre insieme alla salita di un Ottomila, che Fabio aveva effettuato ancora nel 1985, a soli 24 anni, quando con Sergio Martini, Almo Giambisi e Fausto De Stefani aveva raggiunto la vetta del Makalu, era uno dei suoi sogni di alpinista.
ENG
A memorial video for his 25 years since he passed away was produced by Italian national TV RAI
https://www.rainews.it/tgr/trento/video/2019/10/tnt-Fabio-Stedile-sat-trento-cerro-torre-4d157943-7e38-473e-bcec-59fcacfb00f8.html?wt_mc=2.social.fb.redtgrtaatn_tnt-Fabio-Stedile-sat-trento-cerro-torre.&wt
I am posing this cache together with my 80 yr old father, today 31st of Dec 2019 after having hiked from El Chaltèn to the base of Fitz Roy and on to the base of Cerro Torre before heading back to the village (30kms), while my mum 77 stayed in town to visit the Egger chapel, with the names of the people to be remembered there. Pretty intense day, both physically as well as emotionally: joy for being here with my well-preserved 2 aged parents (I’m 44), with the exciting sight of these imposing mountains which I’ve read about since I was a child, but sorrow for the tragedy carried by the Cerro Torre.
Fabio and I share the same great grandfather, and to me he has always been an inspiration. I love adventure just like he did and whenever I’m outdoors I think about him. Surely when I compete in adventure races, climb, ski, hike I am sharing the same feelings, probably like you who are reading this.
In the pic me and my super 80 year old father.
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Thank you and for all: enjoy outdoors and life :-)