FRANÇOIS CAZZANELLI

Born:31.01.90 ITALIA

"In the mountains I feel totally at ease with myself! The vastness of the peaks makes me feel free and carefree and it is when I reach this level of well-being that I can express myself at my best!"

Bio

My name is François Cazzanelli, I was born in Aosta on January 31, 1990. I grew up in Cervinia, in Valtournenche, where I still live, at the foot of one of the symbolic mountains of world mountaineering: the Matterhorn! The surnames Cazzanelli, on the part of my father, and Maquignaz, on my mother's part, have been linked for more than a century to the profession of Alpine Guide and Alpinism. It goes without saying that my path could only follow in the footsteps traced by my ancestors for five generations. Since 2012 I have been a member of the historic and renowned Società Guide Del Cervino. I was part of the "High Mountain Military Section of the Army Sports Center of Courmayeur", of the Italian ski mountaineering team and currently I continue to compete in the most important international long distance competitions. As a mountaineer I have participated in fifteen extra-European expeditions from Nepal to China, from Alaska to Antarctica, up to Argentine Patagonia. And for each one I have a story to tell, like when in 2018, I climbed the summit of Everest as a guide and only a few days later, I reached the summit of Lhotse, the fourth peak in the world, together with Marco Camandona and of course without oxygen aid. Or, when at the beginning of 2019 I accompanied my friend and entrepreneur Sergio Cirio to the top of Mount Vinson in Antarctica; or when in the same year, in 2019 in Nepal I reached the summit of Manaslu, the eighth highest mountain in the world with its 8,163 meters, I signed the speed record: from base camp, summit and back to base camp in 17 hours and 43 minutes, covering 44 km, 3280 meters of ascent and descent and taking all the equipment with me. There are also many adventures in the local mountains such as the concatenation, in the coldest season, of all the peaks of the continuous ridge that unites some of the main mountain massifs of Valtournenche: the Furggen chain, the Matterhorn, the Grandes Murailles and the Petites Murailles; the opening of "Incroyable", a new route that runs centrally on the Red Pillar of Brouillard (Mont Blanc) with Matteo Della Bordella and Francesco Ratti; the record for the chaining in speed of the 4 peaks of the Matterhorn (Hörnli, Furgen, Zmutt and Leone) paired with Andreas Steindl; and the opening of a new route on the Matterhorn, called "Diretta allo Scudo". You will find the other stories on my blog. Now I earn my living as an Alpine Guide that I practice all year round; when I see happiness in the eyes of those who accompany me in the mountains, the satisfaction is immense whether it is an easy excursion or one of the great classics of the Alps. My activity as a mountaineer and athlete is supported by my sponsors who allow me to continue to chase my dreams.

Interview

1) Who is your favorite climbing partner and why?
My favorite climbing partner is Francesco Ratti. In recent years it is with him that I have carried out the most important projects. We are both Matterhorn Guides, we live nearby and are linked by a deep friendship. In the mountains we have the same way of seeing and evaluating things and we have extreme confidence in each other. All these qualities in common make us a very close team!
2) Which is the first La Sportiva shoes/boot you used?
Boot Nepal Top, shoes Miura.
3) What is your favorite climbing/mountaineering book?
“Freedom Climbers: The Golden Age of Polish Climbing” by Bernadette MacDonald. An extraordinary book that talks about Polish mountaineering in the Himalayas in the 80-90s.
4) What is the mountain you would like to see at least one time in your life?
K2.
5) Do you support cultural or charity projects?
Yes! I am ambassador of a small Aosta Valley non-profit organization called Sanonani (which in Nepali means little child). Sanonani has been running an orphanage on the outskirts of Kathmandu for years and at the same time organizes many other solidarity projects for Nepalese children.
6) What's in the air?
For good luck I never say my goals in advance ... I like to reach the result first and then communicate it. I just tell you to stay connected because you will see some good ones ;-) ...

Highlights

2003 First time on the Matterhorn with my dad
2003 Via Gogna - Cerruti on the Naso di Zmutt north face of the Matterhorn
2018 Summit of Everest and Lhotse
2018 Linking of all 4 Matterhorn ridges in 16 hours and 34 minutes
2020 First chain of the main massifs of Valtournenche: Furggen - Cervino - Grandes Murailles - Petites Murailles
2022 Nanga Parbat, Broad Peak and K2 summit

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