LHOTSE DOWN MAN JACKET

• Iconic vintage appeal jacket
• Double front closure with zip and customized snap buttons
• Big double waist pocket
• Customization with vintage embroidered patches

Fabric 1 : Nylon 210T semi-dull WR PFC FREE 100% PA 65 gsm

Fabric 2 : Poly Oxford WR PFC FREE 100% PL 180 gsm Filling: Down 80/20 300 gr

Mario “Zenin” Conti . Born in 1944. Member of the Ragni di Lecco. At the age of 31 he was already considered a nationally famous mountaineer when in 1975 the CAI and the Italian Government, through a commission, selected him among the best Italian mountaineers to attempt to resolve one of the biggest mountaineering problems still open: the south face of the Himalayan giant Lhotse. The expedition was led by Riccardo Cassin from Lecco, who could count on other mountaineers of formidable talent in his team, including Reinhold Messner. Three thousand meters of vertical face with rock passages up to the sixth grade made the south face of Lhotse a face as fearsome as it was fascinating for “Zenin”. Once there, however, the weather conditions disappointed expectations. “Zenin” and the entire team found themselves facing a face overloaded with snow that continually unleashed enormous avalanches. Taking advantage of the brief windows of clear weather, the expedition manages to equip the wall up to Camp 3 and reach an altitude of 7,500 meters. A loud roar in the middle of the night surprises Mario and Messner, tent mates. The base camp, where they are, is overwhelmed by an avalanche that broke away from the South face. Everyone manages to get out of their tent unharmed but unfortunately much of the equipment and food was destroyed or lost. A second avalanche in the following days wipes out Camp 3. Once everyone has gathered at the base camp, in a climate of strong tension, the final decision is to abandon the mountain and give up the summit given the adverse conditions. Lhotse 1975 will still remain an expedition worthy of praise given that the South face of Lhotse remained untouched for another 15 years. It will certainly remain in the memory of all those who followed it closely and with apprehension but above all it will be a precious and important life lesson for the "Zenin". He will return to his home mountains with the certainty that giving up is not synonymous with defeat but is a hope for the next conquest. His subsequent mountaineering feats, from Pizzo Badile to Cerro Torre, can only be a confirmation of this.