Giusto Gervasutti
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Giusto Gervasutti (17 April 1909 – 16 September 1946) was an Italian
mountain climber Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become mounta ...
,
Alpini The Alpini are the Italian Army's specialist mountain infantry. Part of the army's infantry corps, the speciality distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II. Currently the active Alpini units are organized in two operati ...
officer and
skier Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International ...
.


Biography

Gervasutti, also known as "Il Fortissimo" ("the strongest"), was born in
Cervignano del Friuli Cervignano del Friuli (, locally ; ) is a (municipality) in the Regional decentralization entity of Udine, in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. It is the most important town of Bassa Friulana. It lies at about from the Laguna di Grado and at about ...
. He started climbing at the age of 16 years. In 1931, he moved to
Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
to study at the local
university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
. Together with other well known climbers of the time he climbed the most difficult and sought-after faces in the Western Alps. His first notable success was the first repetition of Karl Brendelet's and Hermann Schaller's difficult climb on the south ridge route of the
Aiguille Noire de Peuterey The Aiguille Noire de Peuterey (3,773 m) is a mountain of the Mont Blanc massif in Italy, forming part of the Peuterey ridge to the summit of Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (, ) is a mountain in the Alps, rising above sea level, located right at th ...
one year after them. Further he completed some first ascents of reliefs in the
Dauphiné Alps The Dauphiné Alps () are a group of mountain ranges in Southeastern France, west of the main chain of the Alps. Mountain ranges within the Dauphiné Alps include the Massif des Écrins in Écrins National Park, Belledonne, Le Taillefer range ...
, for example the North West of the Pic d'Olan and the North West of the
Ailefroide The Ailefroide (3,954 m) is a mountain in the Massif des Écrins in the French Alps, and is the third highest peak in the Dauphiné Alps after the Barre des Écrins and La Meije. It lies at the south-western end of the Mont Pelvoux– Pic San ...
. During a visit in
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
in 1934, he climbed some five-thousanders. In 1936, he made the first winter solo ascent of the Hörnli ridge of the
Matterhorn The , ; ; ; or ; ; . is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the Main chain of the Alps, main watershed and border between Italy and Switzerland. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the Pennine Alps, ...
. Also notable would be his ascent on the south west edge of the Picco Gugliermina, which he mastered together with Gabriele Boccalatte in 1938. His masterpiece was the first ascent of the difficult east wall of the
Grandes Jorasses The Grandes Jorasses (; 4,208 m; 13,806 ft) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif, on the boundary between Haute-Savoie in France and Aosta Valley in Italy. The first ascent of the highest peak of the mountain (''Pointe Walker'') was by H ...
, together with Giuseppe Gagliardone in 1942, while he served as a military officer in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.Storia dell'alpinismo: Giusto Gervasutti
, February 15, 2012.
Gervasutti was member of the
Ski Club Torino Skis are runners, attached to the user's feet, designed to glide over snow. Typically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partially secured heel. For climbing slopes, ski skins can ...
. Due to an injury at the third
Trofeo Mezzalama The Mezzalama Trophy (, , a.k.a. ''white marathon''Paula Wiesinger Paula (Paola) Rosa Wiesinger later Steger (27 February 1907 – 12 June 2001) was a pioneering Italian alpine skier and mountain climber who competed at one edition of Winter Olympics and three editions of the FIS Alpine World Ski Championship ...
, who was invited to view the race, took his military uniform, covered her face with sunglasses and his cap, and took part instead of him, but the cheat was discovered at a check point of the race.''Paula Wiesinger''
, FemBio.


Death

Gervasutti died in a mountaineering accident on the
Mont Blanc du Tacul Mont Blanc du Tacul (4,248 m) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif of the French Alps situated midway between the Aiguille du Midi and Mont Blanc. The official first ascent of Mont Blanc du Tacul was by a guideless party comprising Charles H ...
, when he was accompanied by Gagliardone. They were on the way back, because they had to abort the ascent on the north east wall, when the double rope pinched. During the attempt to set it free, Gervasutti fell headlong into a gap. The spur was named after him.


References


External links

*
История альпинизма в лицах: Giusto Gervasutti
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gervasutti, Giusto People from Cervignano del Friuli Sportspeople from the Province of Udine Italian military patrol (sport) runners Italian mountain climbers Mountaineering deaths Sport deaths in Italy Italian military personnel of World War II Alpini 1909 births 1946 deaths Accidental deaths from falls