1954 Italian Karakoram expedition controversy

rdf:langString 1954 Italian Karakoram expedition controversy

rdf:langString tresaggi

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rdf:langString Compagnoni

rdf:langString Crop of image of Lacedelli to show just his face

rdf:langString Lacedelli

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rdf:langString note

rdf:langString Photographs taken on summit of K2

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rdf:langString Compagnoni summit K2.jpg

rdf:langString Lacedelli summit K2 crop of face.png

rdf:langString Lacedelli summit K2 improved resolution.png

rdf:langString Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli reached the summit of K2 for the first time on the 1954 Italian Karakoram expedition to K2 but for over fifty years the 1954 Italian Karakoram expedition controversy dragged on concerning whether the official report written by the expedition's leader, Ardito Desio, gave a true picture of the expedition. That the climbers did indeed reach the summit was never in dispute. Initially there were complaints from one of the members of the expedition, Walter Bonatti, about how he felt the report overlooked the importance of his and Amir Mahdi's roles in enabling the climb to be successful. Bonatti also complained about how he and Mahdi had been treated by the climbers who went on to reach the summit. Later Bonatti argued that the lead climbers' supplemental oxygen would not have run out before they had reached the summit, contrary to what they had stated. As the years went by there was increasing support for Bonatti's claims and criticism of the Italian mountaineering authority, the Club Alpino Italiano (CAI), for its failure to deal with the matter. In 2007, after Desio had died, the CAI at last published a revised official account of the climb which generally found in favour of Bonatti's version of events. However, the CAI was then criticised for going too far in an attempt to placate Bonatti and his supporters.