Cristina Castagna

Cristina Castagna
Born	23 December 1977(1977-12-23) San Quirico, Valdagno, Italy
Died	18 July 2009(2009-07-18) (aged 31) Broad Peak, Pakistan-China
Nationality	Italian
Other names	El Grio
Occupation	nurse,mountaineer
Known for	mountaineering

Cristina "El Grio" Castagna (23 December 1977 – 18 July 2009) was an Italian mountaineer and the first Italian woman on Makalu.

Castagna was born in San Quirico di Valdagno.^[1] She died in 2009 on Broad Peak, after a successful summit attempt.^[2]

The Broad Peak incident

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

The Broad Peak attempt came first. The same day Fabrizio Zangrilli,^[3] Benedikt Böhm and Sebastian Haag^[4][5] from Dynafit Gore-Tex-Team were climbing the mountain and spent a few stops with the Italian duo. On 18 July at 3 PM local time, Castagna and Casarotto managed to reach the summit safely, despite severe weather conditions that had slowed the two climbers for nearly ten hours before they reached the summit.^[2]

During the descent, at 7,800 metres (25,600 ft), Castagna slipped down, gaining momentum and stopping several metres below in a crevasse.^[6] Giampaolo Casarotto eventually managed to reach and try to rescue her with no avail.^{[2][7][8][9][10]}

The same day more than 30 people were attempting to reach the summit^[11] and no summit were initially confirmed.^[12]
She rests at 7,800 metres (25,600 ft), making recovering difficult also for helicopters. The family, following her last will, decided to not attempt a recovery, thus avoiding to risk other mountainers and porters lives.^[13]
Castagna's death had great resonancy on Italian media; she was remembered during a senate of Parliament of Italy meeting^[14][15] by Lega Nord senators Paolo Franco^[16] e Gianvittore Vaccari. A month after Castagna death, following an Italian expedition in Hindu Kush, Tarcisio Bellò solo-climbed an unnamed peak and named it after Castagna^[17][18]

Early life

Cristina was born near San Quirico di Valdagno, near Vicenza. Youngest of four children,^[19] during her childhood, she began discovering mountains with her father and her uncle.^[1][20] After a technical degree she became an nurse^[20] in the ER hospital in Vicenza, a job she kept for all her life.

After a brief interest into Volleyball, in her twenties she began climbing and ski mountaineering^[1] with CAI. A few years later, she would be heading to the North Col.^[1]

"El Grio", the dreamcatcher cricket

During childood Cristina was a lively girl, always in motion, so her father gave her the nickname "Grio"^[21] (Cricket). 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.^[2][22][23] Following the Makalu feat,^[24] she began to appear on Italian national news^[25] and newspapapers. Nevertheless she kept working as a nurse, climbing in her spare time, and initially at her own expense. Although she had several sponsors, (notably she was in Salewa AlpineXtrem team^[26]) she never became fully a professional climber by status.^[27] She also cooperated as alpini nurse and was enrolled to the National Alpini Association^[28] and to CAI.^[29]
After her death, Jorge Egocheaga, Iñaki Ochoa's climbing mate, revealed her role in his rescue on the Dhaulagiri glacier.^{[30][31][32][33]}

Climbing achievements

She was the first Italian woman on Makalu, Nepal, and at 27, the youngest Italian woman on a eight-thousander (the Shishapangma, Tibet) at the time of her death.

In 2003, during an expedition headed by Tarcisio Bellò along with Mario Vielmo, where she met Giampaolo Casarotto, who would later be her climbing partner for many expedition. The Everest attempt ended at 7,800 metres (25,600 ft)

In 2004 she would climb again with Vielmo, this time on the Shishapangma, along with Michele Fait.^[1] In 2005 she was on the Gasherbrum II, where she clibmed with Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner^[1] In 2006 she made another an unlucky attempt to the Lhotse^[34], again with Giampaolo Casarotto and Silvio "Gnaro" Mondinelli, Marco Confortola and Giampaolo Corona; cold weather drove her back causing a frostbite problem at 8,120 metres (26,640 ft). In 2008 it comes the successful Makalu attempt: with Casarotto. At 8,000 metres (26,000 ft) she was struck by the cold but met Waldemar Niclevicz and Irivan Burda who helped her. On the 11 May she was the first Italian woman on Makalu^[18] 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 with Giampaolo Casarotto, but she died after the successful Broad Peak attempt.^[2] The Italian press agency Ansa mentioned her death in the prominent events of 2009 for Italy^[35]

Notable climbs

• • Aconcagua, Argentina, 2003
  • Shishapangma, Tibet, 2004, at 27 the youngest Italian woman on a eight thousander
  • Gasherbrum II, Karakoram, Himalaya, 2005
  • Lhotse, Nepal, 2006 (missed the summit)
  • Dhaulagiri, Nepal, 2007
  • Makalu, Nepal-Tibet, 2008, first Italian woman on Makalu^[24]
  • Broad Peak, Pakistan-China, 2009^[2]

Humanitarian work

In 1999 Cristina served as a nurse in Valona during Italian government humanitarian mission "Missione Arcobaleno" in Albania.^[18][36] An Eye hospital service, specialized in early Cataract treatment, has since been created in Alepe, Ivory Coast to remember Castagna^[1][18][37]

Places and routes

• Cristina Castagna peak, 5.311 metres (17.42 ft) Hindu Kush, first ascent by Tarcisio Bellò, August 10, 2009^[17]
• Cristina Castagna eye service, Alepè, Ivory Coast, an eye hospital.^[37]
• Cristina Castagna mountaneering Center, Gothulti, Pakistan,^[38][39][40] in progress.
• Via Fragile Esistenza (route in memory of Cristina)^[41][42], Campanile di Scagina, Piccole Dolomiti, Veneto, Italy. By Mario Brighente, Simone Gianesini, Bottegal, Gino Dal Cero,2009

Books

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

See also

• Nives Meroi
• Edurne Pasaban
• Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner
• Iñaki Ochoa de Olza
• Broad Peak

External links

• Cristina Castagna official page
• the ill-fated summit attempt
• Cristina's loss on Italian media and Reinhold Messner's view on the accident
• Veneti in the world: Amor di montagna, quando l'alpinismo diventa poesia (from Regione Veneto regional pages)
• ANA website (National Alpini Association)
• La nueva espana interviews Rosa Fernández, on Broad Peek at the moment of the accident
• La Stampa, Alberto Papuzzi: the last love words
• Basti, Beni und Cristina Castagna auf dem Vorgipfel des Broad Peak (in german)
• Sportivissimo, Luigi Centorno on Cristina Castagna
• Bepi Magrin on Cristina Castagna

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} Massimo Fontana, Cristina Castagna, L'acchiappasogni,CAI Valdagno e CAI Recoaro Terme
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Giampaolo Casarotto accident report back in Italy
3. ^ Fabrizio Zangrili K2, Broad Peak & Latok II Rescue : Summer 2009 Wrap Up
4. ^ Zwei alpine Grenzgänger: Benedikt Böhm and Sebastian Haag on Broad Peak (in German)
5. ^ Wettlauf mit dem Tod: Benedikt Böhm and Sebastian Haag (in German)
6. ^ Broad Peak report
7. ^ Muore Cristina Castagna
8. ^ Cristina confirmed lost on Broad Peek
9. ^ Giampaolo Casarotto on Cristina's death
10. ^ Broad, la Castagna precipita dopo la cima
11. ^ Rosa Fernandez De Rubio, spanish climber on the Broad Peek
12. ^ Cristina Castagna died on Broad Peak
13. ^ Rispetto del suo volere Rimarrà sempre lassù
14. ^ MONTAGNA:LEGA RICORDA IN SENATO SCALATA K2 E CRISTINA CASTAGNA
15. ^ Italian Senate meeting n.249 abstract: K2 and Castagna
16. ^ Commemorazione Cristina Castagna from Paolo Franco Site
17. ^ ^{a b} Pakistan, una cima per la Castagna
18. ^ ^{a b c d} Castagna Biography on Progetto Alepe
19. ^ El Grio riposa sul Karakorum Valdagno piange Cristina
20. ^ ^{a b} Vicenza. Precipita in un crepaccio sul K3, è morta "el grio" Cristina Castagna
21. ^ Non si conquista la vetta, ma se stessi
22. ^ Cristina's death on ilsole24ore national newspaper
23. ^ Premio Calastoria (in memoriam)
24. ^ ^{a b} First italian woman on Makalu
25. ^ Italian state interview from Corriere della Sera website
26. ^ Salewa note about Cristina Castagna death
27. ^ Cristina Castagna, la piccola vicentina che guarda il mondo dall'alto
28. ^ Era iscritta alla Sezione di Valdagno, Cristina Castagna morta sul Karakorum.
29. ^ Cai Valdagno
30. ^ Va por ti, Iñaki, por Miss Go y por Cristina: Jorge Egocheaga remembers Cristina (in Spanish)
31. ^ K2, vetta a sorpresa per Egocheaga: Jorge Egocheaga on Cristina during his attempt to K2 summit
32. ^ Egocheaga, feliz en la montaña y con sus gentes (in Spanish)
33. ^ Jorge Egocheaga ALPINISTA Y MEDICO : "La muerte de un ser querido es más dura que la propia muerte"
34. ^ Lhotse attempt with Confortola, Mondinelli, Casarotto
35. ^ Ansa italian Photostory for 2009
36. ^ Italian Alpine Club page on Cristina
37. ^ ^{a b} Cristina Castagna Eye hospital service
38. ^ Climbing Center Cristina Castagna
39. ^ Climbing Center Cristina castagna
40. ^ Camminate sui monti nel nome di Castagna
41. ^ Via Fragile Esistenza, topos by Muroduro
42. ^ Via Fragile Esistenza, topos by Rampegoni

Persondata
Name	Castagna, Cristina
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	23 December 1977
Place of birth	San Quirico, Valdagno, Italy
Date of death	18 July 2009
Place of death	Broad Peak, Pakistan-China