Riccardo Cassin

Riccardo Cassin (1909 to 2009) was an Italian mountaineer, developer of mountaineering equipment and author, and an important figure in the history of rock climbing, alpine climbing and big wall climbing. He was born into a peasant family at San Vito al Tagliamento in Friuli. His father Valentino emigrated to Canada when Cassin was three and died there in a mining accident in 1913. Cassin left school at 12 to work for a blacksmith and in 1926, aged 17, moved to Lecco, where he found work at a steel plant. His first love was boxing, but he became fascinated by the mountains that tower over Lake Como and Lake Garda. In 1940 he married Irma, with whom he had three sons.