HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Leonardo Emilio Comici (21 February 1901 – 19 October 1940) was an Italian mountain climber and caver. He made numerous ascents in the
Eastern Alps Eastern Alps is the name given to the eastern half of the Alps, usually defined as the area east of a line from Lake Constance and the Alpine Rhine valley up to the Splügen Pass at the Alpine divide and down the Liro River to Lake Como in t ...
, particularly in the
Dolomites The Dolomites ( it, Dolomiti ; Ladin: ''Dolomites''; german: Dolomiten ; vec, Dołomiti : fur, Dolomitis), also known as the Dolomite Mountains, Dolomite Alps or Dolomitic Alps, are a mountain range located in northeastern Italy. They form pa ...
(where he made over 200
first ascent In mountaineering, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books) is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain or the first to follow a particular climbing route. First mountain ascents are notable because they en ...
s during his career) and in the
Julian Alps The Julian Alps ( sl, Julijske Alpe, it, Alpi Giulie, , ) are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretch from northeastern Italy to Slovenia, where they rise to 2,864 m at Mount Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia. A large p ...
. Comici was nicknamed the "Angel of the Dolomites". In the 1930s and 1940s Comici and other climbers (including
Riccardo Cassin Riccardo Cassin (2 January 19096 August 2009) was an Italian mountaineer, developer of mountaineering equipment and author, and an important figure in the history of rock climbing. Life Born into a peasant family at San Vito al Tagliamento in ...
, Raffaele Carlesso and Alvise Andrich) represented the Italian answer to the achievements of German climbers. Comici perfected the
Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
n technique of mountain climbing, and began the era of "sixth grade" climbing (at that time the highest
climbing grade In rock climbing, mountaineering, and other climbing disciplines, climbers give a grade to a climbing route or boulder problem, intended to describe concisely the difficulty and danger of climbing it. Different types of climbing (such as spo ...
considered humanly surmountable). He was the inventor and proponent of using multi-step aid ladders, solid belays, the use of a trail/tag line, and hanging bivouacs, contributing greatly to the techniques of big wall climbing.


Biography

Emilio Comici was the son of Antonio Comici and Regina Cartago. A
longshoreman A stevedore (), also called a longshoreman, a docker or a dockworker, is a waterfront manual laborer who is involved in loading and unloading ships, trucks, trains or airplanes. After the shipping container revolution of the 1960s, the number o ...
in his youth, he began mountain climbing after
caving Caving – also known as spelunking in the United States and Canada and potholing in the United Kingdom and Ireland – is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology i ...
for ten years (1918-1927), following the
Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into prov ...
tradition of mountaineering represented by Napoleone Cozzi and
Julius Kugy Julius Kugy (19 July 1858 – 5 February 1944) was a mountaineer, writer, botanist, humanist, lawyer and officer of Slovenian descent. He wrote mostly in German. He is renowned for his travelogues from opening up the Julian Alps, in which he refle ...
. As a caver, Comici set a world depth record of near Trieste. He began climbing at the suggestion of friends from the Trieste chapter of the
Italian Alpine Club The Club Alpino Italiano is the senior Italian alpine club which stages climbing competitions, operates alpine huts, marks and maintains paths, and is active in protecting the Alpine environment. It was founded in Turin in 1863 by the then finan ...
, gaining his first experience in the nearby
Val Rosandra The Rosandra Valley ( it, Val Rosandra, sl, Dolina Glinščice) is a valley centered on the Rosandra River (Slovene: ') in the municipality of Dolina in the Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, between the city of Trieste and the border wit ...
. In 1932 Comici moved to
Lake Misurina Lake Misurina ( it, Lago di Misurina; Cadorino dialect: ''Lago de Meśorìna'') is the largest natural lake of the Cadore and it is 1,754  m above sea level, near Auronzo di Cadore (Belluno). The lake's perimeter is 2.6 km long, whi ...
in the municipality of
Auronzo di Cadore Auronzo di Cadore is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Belluno (Cadore) in the Italian region of Veneto, located about north of Venice and about northeast of Belluno. While Auronzo is geographically only from the Austrian border, i ...
, where he opened a climbing school. Comici's students included
Riccardo Cassin Riccardo Cassin (2 January 19096 August 2009) was an Italian mountaineer, developer of mountaineering equipment and author, and an important figure in the history of rock climbing. Life Born into a peasant family at San Vito al Tagliamento in ...
, later a prominent climber. From 1938 to 1940 he served as ''
podestà Podestà (, English: Potestate, Podesta) was the name given to the holder of the highest civil office in the government of the cities of Central and Northern Italy during the Late Middle Ages. Sometimes, it meant the chief magistrate of a city ...
'' (mayor) of
Sëlva Sëlva (; it, Selva di Val Gardena ; german: Wolkenstein in Gröden ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Val Gardena in South Tyrol, northern Italy, located about east of the city of Bolzano. The Ladin place name derives from the Latin word ...
in
Val Gardena Val Gardena (; german: Gröden ; lld, Gherdëina ) is a valley in Northern Italy, in the Dolomites of South Tyrol. It is best known as a tourist skiing, rock climbing, and woodcarving area. Geography The valley's main river is the Derjon, a ...
, where he also directed the ski school. He was a supporter of the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini, which promoted him by sending him on lecture tours. He died in an accidental fall caused by a frayed rope on the training cliffs of the Sëlva climbing area in Val Gardena. For a long time the precise circumstances were not reported by the Fascist authorities, who did not want to cast a shadow on the famous figure of Comici. In addition to his talents as a climber, Comici is remembered for his aesthetic concept of climbing, perceiving it as a means of self-expression through harmonious movement. It was Comici who originated the concept of climbing ''direttissima'' routes, following the path a drop of water would take down the mountain. Comici's book ''Alpinismo Eroico'' employs rhetoric characteristic of the era in which it was written. The Rifugio Zsigmondy-Comici, or Zsigmondyhütte, in the
Sexten Dolomites The Sexten Dolomites ( it, Dolomiti di Sesto; german: Sextener Dolomiten) is a mountain range and a nature reserve in South Tyrol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtiro ...
is named for Comici and
Emil Zsigmondy Emil Zsigmondy (11 August 1861 – 6 August 1885) was an Austrian physician and mountaineer. Life Zsigmondy's parents were Hungarians: Adolf Zsigmondy, born in Pozsony, and Irma von Szakmáry, born in Martonvásár. Zsigmondy was an excellent ...
. The Rifugio Emilio Comici and the Campanile Comici, both in the
Langkofel Group The Langkofel Group ( lld, Saslonch, it, Gruppo del Sassolungo) is a massif in the (western) Dolomites of the Italian Alps. It separates Val Gardena, Gröden (to the north) and the Fassa valley (to the south), as well as the Sella (Dolomites), S ...
, are also named for Comici. A wooden monument memorializes Comici at the foot of the wall in Vallunga where he died.


Ascents


North face of Cima Grande

From 13 to 14 August 1933 Comici and the brothers Angelo and Giuseppe Dimai made the
first ascent In mountaineering, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books) is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain or the first to follow a particular climbing route. First mountain ascents are notable because they en ...
of the north face of the
Cima Grande di Lavaredo The Tre Cime di Lavaredo (; ), also called the Drei Zinnen (; ), are three distinctive battlement-like peaks, in the Sexten Dolomites of northeastern Italy. They are probably one of the best-known mountain groups in the Alps. The three peaks, ...
, thus opening the eponymous ''Via Comici-Dimai'' (Comici-Dimai Route) or Comici route.''A History of Mountain Climbing'' (Frison-Roche and Jouty), pp. 148-149, 158. In this climb of 400 meters, they used rope, 150 meters of cord, 90 hooks, climbing slings, 40
carabiner A carabiner or karabiner () is a specialized type of shackle, a metal loop with a spring-loaded gate used to quickly and reversibly connect components, most notably in safety-critical systems. The word is a shortened form of ''Karabinerhaken'' ...
s and 80 pitons.''A History of Mountain Climbing'' (Frison-Roche and Jouty), p. 320. There had been several previous failed attempts on the face by other climbers. However, the technique used by Comici's party, and specifically their use of pitons, became the subject of debate among mountaineers. In September 1937, Comici repeated his route as a solo climber in just 3.5 hours.''A History of Mountain Climbing'' (Frison-Roche and Jouty), pp. 132, 302. The route was then rated at a difficulty of VI. Today, the rating is VI/A0 (
UIAA The International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation, commonly known by its French name Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme (UIAA, lit. ''International Union of Alpine Clubs''), was founded in August 1932 in Chamonix, Franc ...
) or in free climbing VII (UIAA).


Other ascents

* ''Via Comici'' - Summit of Riofreddo - 8 August 1928 -
First ascent In mountaineering, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books) is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain or the first to follow a particular climbing route. First mountain ascents are notable because they en ...
with Giordano Bruno Fabjan, north face * ''Via Comici-Fabjan'' - Tre Sorelle - 26–27 August 1929 - First ascent with Giordano Bruno Fabjan, VI north face. Considered the first Italian sixth grade climb. * ''Via Comici-Benedetti'' - Monte Civetta - 4–5 August 1931 - First ascent with Giulio Benedetti, , VI, A2 northwest face * ''Via Comici-Cassin'' - Zuccone Campelli - 28 May 1933 - First ascent with
Riccardo Cassin Riccardo Cassin (2 January 19096 August 2009) was an Italian mountaineer, developer of mountaineering equipment and author, and an important figure in the history of rock climbing. Life Born into a peasant family at San Vito al Tagliamento in ...
, Mario Dell'Oro "Boga", Mary Varale and Mario Spreafico "Umett", , IV west face * ''Yellow Edge'' - Cima Piccola di Lavaredo - 8–9 September 1933 - First ascent with Mary Varale and Renato Zanutti, , VI+ southeast edge * ''Via Comici'' - Punta of
Frida ''Frida'' is a 2002 American biographical drama film directed by Julie Taymor which depicts the professional and private life of the surrealist Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Starring Salma Hayek in an Academy Award–nominated portrayal as K ...
- 2 August 1934 - Ascent with Giordano Bruno Fabjan, Vittorio Cottafavi and Gianfranco Pompei, , V, VI east face * ''Via Comici'' - Torre Piccola of Falzarego - 10 August 1934 - First ascent with Mary Varale and Sandro Del Torso, , V south edge * ''Via Comici-Del Torso-Zanutti'' - Torre Comici - July 1936 - First ascent with Sandro Del Torso and Renato Zanutti, , V, VI east face * ''Via Comici'' - ito di Dio- 8–9 September 1936 - frst ascent with Piero Mazzorana and Sandro Del Torso, , VI north face * ''Via Comici-Dimai'' -
Cima Grande di Lavaredo The Tre Cime di Lavaredo (; ), also called the Drei Zinnen (; ), are three distinctive battlement-like peaks, in the Sexten Dolomites of northeastern Italy. They are probably one of the best-known mountain groups in the Alps. The three peaks, ...
- 2 September 1937 - Solo ascent in 3.5 hours, north face * ''Via Comici'' - "Salami" in the Sassolungo ("Campanile Comici") - 28–29 August 1940 - First ascent with Severino Casara, , VI north face


References


Bibliography

* * * * * *Smart, David (2020). Emilio Comici: Angel of the Dolomites: Passion, Pitons, Politics and the First Big Walls.


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Comici, Emilio 1901 births 1940 deaths Alpine guides Cavers Italian mountain climbers Mayors of places in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol Mountaineering deaths Sportspeople from Trieste Sport deaths in Italy