Info > Honorary members > RICCARDO CASSIN

Born in S. Vito al Tagliamento (Udine) on 2 January 1909, he was little more than a boy when he moved to Lecco in search of work, after the death of his father. In Grignetta he began to climb, at first on easy itineraries, but he soon left these behind for new routes on the Lecce Mountains and in the Dolomites. 

In 1934 he climbed, with Vitali and Pozzi, a new route on the southeast face of the Piccolissima Lavaredo and the following year an absolute masterpiece: the exposed and aesthetic southeast edge of Torre Trieste, with Ratti, followed by the north face of the West Summit of Lavaredo always with Vittorio Ratti.

In 1937, in a new setting, the wild Val Bondasca, he carried out what became known as the triptych of the North by Cassin. The objective was the unclimbed northeast wall of Pizzo Badile that was conquered in 3 days. 

1938 is linked to the third North. After the Dolomites and the most arduous one in the central Alps, it was the turn of the majestic and cold North wall of the Grandes Jorasses. With his partners Esposito and Tizzoni the feat on the Sperone Walker is memorable. 

After the war Cassin was bitterly disappointed to be excluded from the expedition to K2. This was partly alleviated when he led the Italian expedition to the unclimbed wall of Gasherbrum IV. 

Riccardo Cassin’s wise direction was fundamental for another great success of Italian alpinism. In 1961 in the expedition called "Città di Lecco", Riccardo Cassin with his pupils Alippi, Airoldi, Canali, Perego and Zucchi reached the summit of the highest mountain in North America: Mount McKinley (6178 m), along the south face.