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Alberto Magliano Finishes the 7 Summits

SUCCESS FOR ALBERTO MAGLIANO; THE FIRST NON  PROFESSIONAL ITALIAN ALPINIST TO CONCLUDE THE  ‘SEVEN SUMMITS’ CHALLENGE

“The last peak was particularly tiring.” Milan, 3rd July 2003. On the 22nd of June, 18.00 local time, Alberto Magliano summited Denali in Alaska and became the first non professional Italian alpinist - and the first alpinist after Reinhold Messner – to have successfully reached the ‘seven summits’, the highest peaks of each of the seven continents.

Magliano’s mission to climb the ‘seven summits’ began in 1998, when he conquered the first peak, the Aconcagua, in South America (Argentina, 6959 metres). This success was followed by the triumph of the African summit Kilimanjaro in 1999 (Tanzania, 5895 metres), Mount Everest (Tibet-Nepal, 8850 metres) and Vinson Massif (Antarctic, 4897 metres) both reached in 2002 and Kosciuszko (Australia, 2228 metres) and Elbrus (Caucaso, 5642 metres) summited at the beginning of 2003. On Sunday the 22nd June Magliano concluded the challenge with the final seventh summit: Denali, (Mount McKinley) in north America (Alaska, 6194 metres).

The most extraordinary aspect of this challenge is that Magliano, 57 years old, is not a professional alpinist but a highly qualified manager, now a consultant in the tourism sector who discovered alpinism at 36 years old. He began training in Valmalenco, part of the Italian region of Lombardy and has expanded his experiences all over the world fuelling his passion for the mountains in an aim to discover absolute freedom. 

“The concept of alpinism as a game and the possibility of destroying a myth excites me. It demonstrates that if the most normal person has enough determination, even if they have passed their life working behind a desk, they are able to climb the highest peaks of the planet and experience those indescribable sensations that are thought to be reserved only for the privileged few.” Magliano comments when talking about his success in alpinism. “For me alpinism is an extraordinary liberating activity, it is much more than a sport, and far from a career:  it’s a way of living, perhaps even a vision of the world.”

However, the challenge does not end here for Magliano, he also aims to summit an eighth peak in Oceania, the Pyramid Carstensz, (Indonesia, 4884 metres). This peak and that of Kosciuszko are both at the centre of a geographical controversy regarding the true seventh continent (Australia or Oceania). In fact only 60% of the alpinists that have completed the ‘seven summits’ have climbed both. Magliano has declared that he aims to reach this summit by the end of 2003.

and a personal message from ALBERTO: Good Morning to all the EverestNews.com Team, congratulations for your great site, basic meeting point for the people interested in Himalaya and in "big mountains".

I would like to inform you that I completed the Seven Summits, being the second Italian after Reinhold Messner to do it, the first italian not professional climber.

Following I list the summits joined with the details:

1)  Aconcagua
     Route: normal
     Summit day: 21st January 1998
     Solo
     Photo attached

2)  Kilimanjaro
     Marangu Route
     Summit day:   13th   December 1999
     I joined the summit with Michele Comi (Italy)
     Photo attached

3)  Everest
     South Col - SE Ridge
     Summit day: 25th May 2002
     Italian Exp. I joined the summit with Chuldim Nuru Sherpa.
     Photo attached

4)  Vinson massif
     Normal Route
     Summit day: 25th December 2002
     I joined the summit with Beno Kashakashvili (Georgia) and Simone Moro (Italy) Photo attached

5)  Kosciusko
     Thredbo route
     Summit day:5th March 2003
     Solo
     Photo attached

6)  Elbrus
     Normal Route
     Summit day: 11th May 2003
     I joined the summit with Plamen Shopski (Bulgaria)
     Photo attached

7)  Denali
     West Buttress
     Summit day: 22nd June 2003
    
Thanks
My best regards.

Alberto Magliano

Photos will be posted soon!

More on Alberto Magliano here...

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