I was on the subway on my way to work when I got the news. One of the world’s legendary mountaineers and climbing leaders has passed away. Walter Bonatti died on September 13, 2011. He was 81.

He was progressive in his climbs, often in the midst of controversy, and often lucky to survive. His routes range from the Alps to the Himalayas during its Golden Age.

Here is a selection of informed stories marking and celebrating the great Italian alpinist’s life and accomplishments:

• “Exploits, Now Not So Daring,” Op Ed in the New York Times by David Roberts
• “The Loss of a Giant: Goodbye Walter Bonatti,” Alpinist Newswire
• “In Memoriam: Walter Bonatti,” Inclined, the Blog of the American Alpine Club
• “Walter Bonatti, goodbye,” PlanetMountain.com
• “Walter Bonatti, thoughts and memories from the world of alpinistm,” PlanetMountain.com

While he is part of numerous stories of climbing, he wrote his own account of them too. Here is a link to his book, The Mountains of My Life.

Thank you for your inspiration, Walter Bonatti.