Mauro PENASA

Born in Biella in 1958, Mauro is an engineer whose life has been shaped by the mountains. He began mountaineering in 1977, moved into rock climbing, and eventually returned to alpinism with renewed depth and experience. Although rooted in the Alps, his passion for travel took him far beyond Europe. With his wife, he climbed extensively in Peru’s Cordillera Huayhuash and Blanca and in Bolivia, reaching numerous high summits. He explored the great ranges of North America, completing five routes on El Capitan, and travelled to Greenland. He climbed Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro, ventured through remote areas of Namibia and South Africa, summited Tirich Mir in the Hindu Kush, and attempted the east ridge of Kongur in China. He crossed the Australian outback twice, driving 28,000 kilometres, and climbed major volcanoes in Java, Bali and Borneo.

In 1987 he helped welcome international climbers to the Biella Assembly that gave birth to Mountain Wilderness, an event he felt deeply. A member of the Italian Academic Alpine Club (CAAI) since 1988, he has contributed many articles to its Annuario, becoming editor‑in‑chief in 2001. He served 5 years as President of the CAAI’s Gruppo Occidentale (Western Group) and is now CAAI’s General President, supporting small teams of mountaineers, especially younger climbers, and collaborating on projects of Mountain Wilderness’s Asian Desk.

Mauro is also a National Instructor of Mountaineering and of Free Climbing for the Italian Alpine Club, and since 2002 has directed the “Guido Machetto” National School of Mountaineering and Free Climbing in Biella. He embraces a minimalist approach: small groups, limited support, and reduced impact. While critical of the commercial drift affecting trekking and mountaineering, he recognises the diversity of situations on the ground and believes that meaningful solutions can emerge only through thoughtful cooperation among all stakeholders.