Mountain Climbers Perish From 11,000-Foot Fall in Dolomites

Two Italian mountain climbers have died after falling nearly 11,000 feet from the Dolomite Mountains, Planet Mountain reported.

Francesco Favilli, 44, and Filippo Zanin, 36, were climbing the south face of the Marmolada via Don Quixote pass on Sept. 3 when they suddenly fell to their deaths. Their bodies were recovered early the next morning by members of the Mountain Rescue team. The outlet reported that the reason for their deaths “has yet to be ascertained,” but noted that “Favilli and Zanin were extremely competent, well-known, and loved in the climbing community .”

Both men were employed with shoe manufacturer Scarpa. Favilli served as Brand Manager of the mountaineering division, while Zanin worked in marketing. The company’s president, Sandro Parisotto, told Shoe Intelligence that Favilli and Zanin’s deaths have left a tremendous void at Scarpa and spoke to the pair’s brotherly bond and their shared love for mountaineering. expressed his condolences to the men's familie.

Favilli and Zanin were well-heeled mountaineers throughout all seasons. They were experienced in high-mountain alpinism, ski mountaineering, cragging, and multi-pitch routes, having climbed everywhere from the Alps to South Africa’s Rocklands. News of their deaths rocked the mountain climbing community . “For both of them,” Planet Mountain wrote, “the mountains, in all their various facets, represented a sort of life compass. Today it feels like it has lost its north.”