Walter Bonatti Has Passed Away ...
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Walter Bonatti Has Passed Away ...
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What an incredible climber and person of good character.
I only have one book of his ... The Mountains of My Life ... but, it sure does encompass what he brought to the table.
What an incredible climber and person of good character.
I only have one book of his ... The Mountains of My Life ... but, it sure does encompass what he brought to the table.
As if none of us have ever come back with a cool, quasi-epic story instead of being victim to tragic rockfall, a fatal stumble, a heart attack, an embolism, a lightning strike, a bear attack, collapsing cornice, some psycho with an axe, a falling tree, carbon monoxide, even falling asleep at the wheel getting to a mountain. If you can't accept the fact that sometimes "s**t happens", then you live with the illusion that your epic genius and profound wilderness intelligence has put you in total and complete control of yourself, your partners, and the mountain. How mystified you'll be when "s**t happens" to you! - FM
- bonehead
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Re: Walter Bonatti Has Passed Away ...
Imagine the gear and clothing available in his day. Today we would shake our heads in wonderment at his primitive equipment.
Makes his great achievements even more remarkable.
Makes his great achievements even more remarkable.
- crestone14ers
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Re: Walter Bonatti Has Passed Away ...
I used a lot of that gear early on, still have a very thick and boiled wool Dachstein expedition sweater/anorak, wool knickers and a few old packs like a Sacs Millet day pack that's been on about four hundred plus rock climbing and mountaineering routes.bonehead wrote:Imagine the gear and clothing available in his day. Today we would shake our heads in wonderment at his primitive equipment.
Makes his great achievements even more remarkable.
May Bonatti Rest in Peace!
- Jim Davies
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Re: Walter Bonatti Has Passed Away ...
Bonatti was definitely an all-time great, who got screwed over by his teammates on K2 and later walked away from mountaineering at the top of his game. His biography is an excellent read. RIP.
Climbing at altitude is like hitting your head against a brick wall — it's great when you stop. -- Chris Darwin
I'm pretty tired. I think I'll go home now. -- Forrest Gump
I'm pretty tired. I think I'll go home now. -- Forrest Gump
- bonehead
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Re: Walter Bonatti Has Passed Away ...
Me too, but the knickers no longer seem to fit!crestone14ers wrote:Dachstein expedition sweater/anorak, wool knickers
May Bonatti Rest in Peace!
- Johnson
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Re: Walter Bonatti Has Passed Away ...
Too bad he didn't get the recognition he deserved earlier in his life. I think I will plan on wearing knickers at least once next season. RIP.
Re: Walter Bonatti Has Passed Away ...
Some people see no more in climbing mountains than an escape from the harsh realities of modern times. This is not only uninformed but unfair. I don’t deny that there can be an element of escapism in mountaineering, but this should never overshadow its real essence, which is not escape but victory over your own human frailty.
-Walter Bonatti
“There are two kinds of climbers: those who climb because their heart sings when they’re in the mountains, and all the rest.” - Alex Lowe
"There have been joys too great to describe in words, and there have been griefs upon which I cannot dare to dwell; and with those in mind I say, 'Climb if you will, but remember that courage and strength are nought without prudence, and that a momentary negligence may destroy the happiness of a lifetime. Do nothing in haste, look well to each step, and from the beginning think what may be the end.'" - Edward Whymper
"There have been joys too great to describe in words, and there have been griefs upon which I cannot dare to dwell; and with those in mind I say, 'Climb if you will, but remember that courage and strength are nought without prudence, and that a momentary negligence may destroy the happiness of a lifetime. Do nothing in haste, look well to each step, and from the beginning think what may be the end.'" - Edward Whymper
- 14erFred
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Re: Walter Bonatti Has Passed Away ...
Some classic quotes from Walter Bonatti (WB), who was truly a "class act" in the world of alpinism:
"One of the attractions of climbing is that we remove ourselves from the incredibly complex world with a whole series of very vague objectives and enter the very simplistic world of climbing.” -- WB
"If in normal conditions it is skill, which counts, in such extreme situations, it is the spirit, which saves." -- WB
"The mountains have rules. They are harsh rules, but they are there, and if you keep to them you are safe. A mountain is not like men. A mountain is sincere. The weapons to conquer it exist inside you, inside your soul." -- WB
"Climbing is not a battle with the elements, nor against the law of gravity. It's a battle against oneself." -- WB
“I don’t deny that there can be an element of escapism in mountaineering, but this should never overshadow its real essence, which is not escape but victory over your own human frailty.” -- WB
"Mountains are the means, the man is the end. The goal is not to reach the tops of mountains, but to improve the man." -- WB
"I climb mountains because I am afraid of them, and conquest of fear is one of man's greatest needs." -- WB
“It is to conquer fear that one becomes a climber. The climber experiences life to its extreme limits. A climber is not a crazy man. He is not trying to get himself killed. He knows what life is worth. He is in love with living.” -- WB
May his spirit rest in peace.
"One of the attractions of climbing is that we remove ourselves from the incredibly complex world with a whole series of very vague objectives and enter the very simplistic world of climbing.” -- WB
"If in normal conditions it is skill, which counts, in such extreme situations, it is the spirit, which saves." -- WB
"The mountains have rules. They are harsh rules, but they are there, and if you keep to them you are safe. A mountain is not like men. A mountain is sincere. The weapons to conquer it exist inside you, inside your soul." -- WB
"Climbing is not a battle with the elements, nor against the law of gravity. It's a battle against oneself." -- WB
“I don’t deny that there can be an element of escapism in mountaineering, but this should never overshadow its real essence, which is not escape but victory over your own human frailty.” -- WB
"Mountains are the means, the man is the end. The goal is not to reach the tops of mountains, but to improve the man." -- WB
"I climb mountains because I am afraid of them, and conquest of fear is one of man's greatest needs." -- WB
“It is to conquer fear that one becomes a climber. The climber experiences life to its extreme limits. A climber is not a crazy man. He is not trying to get himself killed. He knows what life is worth. He is in love with living.” -- WB
May his spirit rest in peace.
"Live as on a mountain." -- Marcus Aurelius
- Dancesatmoonrise
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Re: Walter Bonatti Has Passed Away ...
Wow, Fred, some incredible quotes. Thanks for posting.
-
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Re: Walter Bonatti Has Passed Away ...
My LR3 is Bonatti Grey. Now I know.
- colorado yooper
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