Cristina Castagna Explained

Cristina Castagna
Birth Date:23 December 1977
Birth Place:San Quirico, Valdagno, Italy
Death Place:Broad Peak, Pakistan-China
Other Names:El Grio
Known For:mountaineering
Occupation:nurse, mountaineer
Nationality:Italian

Cristina "El Grio" Castagna (23 December 1977  - 18 July 2009) was an Italian mountaineer and the first Italian woman to climb Makalu. She died in 2009 on Broad Peak, after reaching the summit.[1]

Early life

Castagna was born near San Quirico di Valdagno, near Vicenza.[2] Youngest of four children,[3] during her childhood, she began discovering mountains with her father and her uncle.[2] [4] After a technical degree she became a nurse[4] in the ER hospital in Vicenza, a job she kept for all her life.

During her childhood, Castagna was very active, so her father gave her the nickname "Grio" (Cricket).[5] She liked the nickname so much she kept it in her adult life ("El Grio") often in conjunction with "acchiappasogni" (dreamcatcher). She was also an avid reader and writer.[6] [7] After she became the first Italian woman to climb Makalu,[8] she began to appear on Italian national news[9] and newspapers. Nevertheless, she kept working as a nurse, climbing in her spare time, and initially at her own expense.

After a brief interest in volleyball, in her twenties she began climbing and ski mountaineering[2] with Club Alpino Italiano (CAI). Although she had several sponsors, and was a member of the Salewa AlpineXtrem team,[10] she never became a fully professional climber by status.[11] She also worked as a nurse with the Alpini, and was enrolled with the National Alpini Association[12] and Club Alpino Italiano.[13]

Climbing achievements

Castagna was the first Italian woman to climb Makalu and at the time of her death, remained the youngest Italian woman to climb an eight-thousander (Shishapangma) at 27 years. In 2003, during an expedition headed by Tarcisio Bellò along with Mario Vielmo], she met Giampaolo Casarotto, who would later be her climbing partner for many expeditions. The Mount Everest attempt ended at 7800m (25,600feet)

In 2004 she climbed again with Vielmo, this time to the summit of Shishapangma, along with Michele Fait.[2] In 2005 she climbed Gasherbrum II, alongside Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner[2] In 2006 she attempted to climb Lhotse,[14] again with [and [[Silvio Mondinelli]], Marco Confortola and Giampaolo Corona. However, cold weather and frostbite drove her back at 8120m (26,640feet). In 2008 came the successful Makalu attempt, with Casarotto. At 8000m (26,000feet) she was struck by the cold but met Waldemar Nicleviczand Irivan Burda who helped her. On 11 May she became the first Italian woman to reach the summit of Makalu, but suffered seriously frostbitten feet that would leave her in hospital for weeks.

In her last trip, she planned to climb both Broad Peak and Gasherbrum I along with Casarotto, but died during the descent after reaching the summit of Broad Peak.[1] The Italian press agency Ansa mentioned her death in the prominent events of 2009 for Italy.[15]

Broad Peak incident

Castagna and Giampaolo Casarotto planned to climb Broad Peak and Gasherbrum I in their 2009 expedition. Before leaving home, in a note later found by relatives, Castagna asked to be left on the mountains in case of severe accident.

The same day Fabrizio Zangrilli, Benedikt Böhm and Sebastian Haag from the Dynafit Gore-Tex-Team were climbing the mountain and spent a few stops with the Italian duo.[16] [17] On 18 July at 3 pm local time, Castagna and Casarotto reached the summit, despite severe weather conditions that had slowed the two climbers for nearly ten hours.[1] During the descent, at 7800m (25,600feet), Castagna slipped down, gaining momentum and stopping several metres below in a crevasse.[18] Giampaolo Casarotto eventually managed to reach and try to rescue her, to no avail.[19] [20] [21] [22] Her body is at 7800m (25,600feet), making recovery difficult for helicopters. The family, following her last will, decided to not attempt a recovery, thus avoiding risking other mountaineers' and porters' lives.[23]

Castagna was remembered during an Italian Senate meeting by Lega Nord senators Paolo Franco and Gianvittore Vaccari.[24] [25] [26] A month after Castagna's death, following an Italian expedition in Hindu Kush, Tarcisio Bellò solo-climbed an unnamed peak and named it after her.[27] [28]

Notable climbs

Humanitarian work

In 1999 Castagna served as a nurse in Valona during Italian government humanitarian mission "Missione Arcobaleno" in Albania.[28] [29] An eye hospital service, specialized in early cataract treatment, has since been created in Alepe, Ivory Coast to remember Castagna.[2] [28] [30]

Places and routes

Books

On 1, July 2010 CAI Valdagno and Recoaro Terme sections published a biography by Massimo Fontana, on Castagna's life and achievements.[2]

See also

References

  1. Web site: Giampaolo Casarotto accident report back in Italy . 30 July 2009 . 30 December 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131230232102/http://www.ilgiornaledivicenza.it/stories/Cronaca/73769__non_dimenticher_mai_pi_gli_occhi_sbarrati_di_cristina/ . dead .
  2. http://www.comune.valdagno.vi.it/a_271_IT_35353_1.html Massimo Fontana, Cristina Castagna, L'acchiappasogni, CAI Valdagno e CAI Recoaro Terme
  3. http://www.gazzetta.it/Sport_Vari/Altri_Sport/Alpinismo/21-07-2009/el-grio-riposa-karakorum-50823405198.shtml El Grio riposa sul Karakorum Valdagno piange Cristina
  4. Web site: Vicenza. Precipita in un crepaccio sul K3, è morta "el grio" Cristina Castagna . 29 July 2009 . 19 February 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120219171811/http://www.gazzettino.it/articolo.php?id=66542&sez=NORDEST&npl=N . dead .
  5. Web site: Non si conquista la vetta, ma se stessi . 28 July 2009 . 24 February 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120224113222/http://www.ilgiornaledivicenza.it/stories/Cronaca/71328__non_si_conquista_la_vetta_ma_se_stessi/ . dead .
  6. Web site: Cristina's death on ilsole24ore national newspaper . 2009-07-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090724121446/http://quotidianonet.ilsole24ore.com/2009/07/20/208112-precipita_crepaccio_muore.shtml . 2009-07-24 . dead.
  7. Web site: Premio Calastoria (in memoriam) . 2011-09-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303171621/http://www.valdagno.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=747:la-cerimonia-di-premiazione-del-12d-premio-qcalastoriaq&catid=87:iniziative-culturali&Itemid=64 . 2016-03-03 . dead .
  8. http://www.discoveryalps.it/3281 News.html First italian woman on Makalu
  9. http://video.corriere.it/cristina-castagna-grillo-ottomila/bc6670de-7515-11de-95fa-00144f02aabc Italian state interview from Corriere della Sera website
  10. http://salewa.net/uk/4/13/news.html?det=1601 Salewa note about Cristina Castagna death
  11. http://www.montagna.tv/node/1133 Cristina Castagna, la piccola vicentina che guarda il mondo dall'alto
  12. http://www.ana.it/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=7056 Era iscritta alla Sezione di Valdagno, Cristina Castagna morta sul Karakorum.
  13. http://www.caivaldagno.it/notiziari/cristina.htm Cai Valdagno
  14. http://www.cho-oyutrekking.com/news_events.php?id=38 Lhotse attempt with Confortola, Mondinelli, Casarotto
  15. http://www.ansa.it/web/notizie/photostory/primopiano/2009/12/20/visualizza_new.html_1648057460.html Ansa italian Photostory for 2009
  16. http://www.rosenheimer-nachrichten.de/zet_report_351_45366.html Zwei alpine Grenzgänger: Benedikt Böhm and Sebastian Haag on Broad Peak (in German)
  17. http://www.sueddeutsche.de/gesundheit/218/483661/text/ Wettlauf mit dem Tod: Benedikt Böhm and Sebastian Haag (in German)
  18. Web site: Broad Peak report . 2009-07-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090812113335/http://www.k2climb.net/news.php?id=18554 . 2009-08-12 . dead .
  19. http://www.ilgiornale.it/a.pic1?ID=368099 Muore Cristina Castagna
  20. https://archive.today/20120903154608/http://www.k2climb.net/news.php?id=18519 Cristina confirmed lost on Broad Peek
  21. http://www.ilgiornaledivicenza.it/storiesHome/71307_lho_vista_cadere_sulla_neve_e_scivolare_verso_le_roccette/ Giampaolo Casarotto on Cristina's death
  22. http://www.montagna.tv/?q=node/10693 Broad, la Castagna precipita dopo la cima
  23. http://www.ilgiornaledivicenza.it/stories/Cronaca/71327__rispetto_del_suo_volere_rimarr_sempre_lass/ Rispetto del suo volere Rimarrà sempre lassù
  24. http://www.stato-oggi.it/archives/00095593.html MONTANA:LEGO RICORDA IN SENATO SCALATA K2 E CRISTINA CASTAGNA
  25. http://www.senato.it/japp/bgt/showdoc/frame.jsp?tipodoc=Resaula&leg=16&id=00430461&part=doc_dc-ressten_rs-gentit_s55adcdk2-intervento_francopaololnp&parse=no Italian Senate meeting n.249 abstract: K2 and Castagna
  26. http://www.paolofranco.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=67:commemorazione-cristina-castagna&catid=9:anni-precedenti&Itemid=17 Commemorazione Cristina Castagna from Paolo Franco Site
  27. http://www.montagna.tv/?q=node/11024 Pakistan, una cima per la Castagna
  28. http://www.progettoalepe.org/cristina-castagna.html Castagna Biography on Progetto Alepe
  29. http://www.caivaldagno.it/notiziari/cristina.htm Italian Alpine Club page on Cristina
  30. http://www.progettoalepe.org/progetti/servizio-ottico-cristina-castagna.html Cristina Castagna Eye hospital service
  31. Web site: Climbing Center Cristina Castagna . 9 October 2010 . 22 July 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110722035743/http://www.ilgiornaledivicenza.it/stories/Cronaca/102446__un_dvd_per_la_spedizione_in_pakistan_nel_ricordo_di_cristina_castagna/ . dead .
  32. Web site: Climbing Center Cristina castagna . 30 September 2011 . 27 March 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120327220013/http://www.montagneesolidarieta.it/progetti/Gothulti.html . dead .
  33. Web site: Camminate sui monti nel nome di Castagna . 30 September 2011 . 15 October 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111015061637/http://www.ilgiornaledivicenza.it/stories/449_news/281133_camminatesui_montinel_nomedi_castagna/ . dead .
  34. http://www.muroduro.it/relazioni/index.php?option=com_sobi2&sobi2Task=sobi2Details&catid=12&sobi2Id=76&Itemid=1 Via Fragile Esistenza, topos by Muroduro
  35. http://www.rampegoni.it/file/vie/piccoledolomiti/Via%20Fragile%20Esistenza.pdf Via Fragile Esistenza, topos by Rampegoni

External links

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Cristina Castagna".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.