Walter Bonatti, in The Great Days of the Mountains—a work that can be regarded as a sequel to My Mountains—brought his career to a close after the astonishing achievement of the first winter solo ascent of the direct route on the north face of the Matterhorn. Leaving behind the words “Farewell to alpinism,” he took his leave of the vertical world of rock and ice. During his active years, the southeast face of Mont Blanc was almost a home ground to which he returned time and again. It was also the setting of the tragic disaster on the Central Pillar of Freney.
More than a decade after Bonatti’s era, there was a Japanese alpinist who became deeply captivated by this same mountain region: Mitsunori Shigi.
When speaking of the three great north faces of the Alps, climbers such as Tsuneo Hasegawa and Masatsugu Konishi of the Sangaku Doshikai are widely known, and Shigi’s name may not carry the same recognition. Yet he was, it seems, an unparalleled alpinist—drawn irresistibly to Mont Blanc and ultimately lost on Kongur.
This book is a record and collection of writings compiled after his death by his wife Akiko, who climbed alongside him on routes such as the Brenva Face of Mont Blanc and the north face of the Matterhorn in winter.
As Bonatti himself wrote of the Brenva Face:
“This wall does not demand acrobatics with etriers or pulley systems… It is a proud and fascinating face where rock and ice exist in harmony. It evokes the alpinism of the nineteenth century…”
In that sense, from a modern perspective, it may be considered a classical route.
Reading this book alongside Bonatti’s own works, one cannot help but be overwhelmed by the substance and intensity of the climbing records.
As a book, its structure—interweaving the husband’s climbing accounts with Akiko’s narration—can at times feel somewhat difficult to follow. Yet it vividly portrays their meeting in the mountains, their shared passion for climbing, the emotions of a wife awaiting her husband’s safe return, and their life in Chamonix.
Selected Notable Ascents from the Book
- Winter 1976: First winter solo ascent of the Major Route, Brenva Face, Mont Blanc (Mitsunori)
- Winter 1976: First winter solo ascent of the Poire Route, Brenva Face, Mont Blanc (Mitsunori)
- Winter 1978: Winter ascent of the north face of the Matterhorn (Mitsunori & Akiko — first by a woman)
- Winter 1979: First winter ascent of the Grand Couloir, Brenva Face, Mont Blanc (Mitsunori & Akiko)
- Winter 1980: First winter solo ascent of the Central Pillar of Freney (Mitsunori)
- Winter 1981: Third winter ascent of the Bonatti–Zappelli Route on the north face of the Peuterey Ridge (Mitsunori & Akiko)
- 1981: Disappeared on the North Ridge of Kongur, Xinjiang, China (Mitsunori)
Highlights from the Book
Major Route — Solo Ascent
After a disagreement with Masaru Morita over changing plans—from a winter traverse linking the Peuterey Ridge and Freney Central Pillar to a different route on the Dru—Shigi refused to rope up. Frustrated, he turned instead to a long-contemplated solo ascent of the Brenva Face.
This was the first attempt at a winter solo ascent on the Brenva. Carefully watching snow conditions, he made repeated trips from Chamonix before launching his third attempt. Avoiding avalanches and collapsing seracs, he climbed relentlessly upward. Crossing the Sentinel Rouge and traversing the Grand Couloir, he gained the Major Route.
After surmounting rock ridges and ice walls, he faced a massive overhanging serac like the prow of a ship. Negotiating a difficult traverse beneath it, he cut steps, used his tools, even tunneled through ice, and finally emerged onto the summit ridge of Mont Blanc. Had the ice beneath him failed, all would have been lost.
Winter Ascent of the Matterhorn North Face
Climbed as a couple, this marked the first ascent of the face by a woman. A Polish women’s team, supported by helicopter, was also attempting the climb, aiming for the same distinction. Meanwhile, three climbers from the Sangaku Doshikai were closing in behind.
After two grueling bivouacs, they completed the ascent. The Polish team, however, was forced to abandon their attempt due to frostbite and exhaustion, and was rescued by helicopter just 100 meters below the summit.
Grand Couloir — First Winter Ascent
This couloir, running directly to the summit of Mont Blanc between the Sentinel Rouge and the Major Route, had long been considered too dangerous due to avalanches and threatening seracs. Yet it represented Shigi’s ultimate objective.
Despite understandable concern, Akiko agreed to accompany him. Moving swiftly by headlamp in the frozen January air, they found firm snow and no avalanche activity. At the narrow throat of the couloir, hard gray ice made footing precarious.
After overcoming the most difficult section, lenticular clouds signaled worsening weather. They pushed upward, eventually bivouacking at the base of an upper rock band as snow began to fall. The next morning, traversing beneath seracs, they reached gentler slopes and completed the climb.
Later, when this ascent was described as a “Russian roulette,” Shigi rejected the characterization, insisting that careful timing and judgment made such climbs possible.
Central Pillar of Freney — First Winter Solo Ascent
After repeated failed attempts in severe storms during the winter of 1979, Shigi returned the following February. Fixing ropes and carrying loads in stages, he climbed cautiously, prioritizing absolute security.
During the ascent, he witnessed a massive avalanche in a nearby couloir—rucksacks and even a climber were swept away before his eyes. Unable to intervene, he continued upward.
He endured numbness, exhaustion, and exposed bivouacs, even as rescue helicopters searched the area. Near the Chandelle, he found an old piton—perhaps a relic of past tragedies.
The crux pitch demanded a desperate mix of aid and free climbing. After a long struggle, he broke through the hardest section and, confident of success, pressed on to the summit of Mont Blanc in fierce winds.
Bonatti–Zappelli Route, Peuterey Ridge — Third Winter Ascent
Attempting a never-before-tried linkup from the Peuterey Ridge to the “Ice Ribbon” of Freney, the couple climbed the north face via a long, complex approach.
After difficult mixed climbing and bivouacs, they reached the ridge. There, faced with dangerously unstable snow conditions, they abandoned the continuation. Though the dream of a grand traverse was lost, they achieved the third winter ascent of the route.
https://hifuka-otibohiroi.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/71fe31c0160bec2d3c0332f23af435a0.jpg
It is, of course, speculation—but one cannot help feeling that had Mitsunori Shigi not perished on Kongur, he might have continued to accomplish even greater climbs, whether solo or together with his wife.
From Walter Bonatti, My Mountains
From Yasuyuki Komori, Rock Faces of Europe