Audi Executive Dies After Falling Off 10,000-Foot Mountain During Climb

An Audi executive and avid mountain climber has died after falling during a recent climb at Cima Payer, a mountain located in Italy. 

The Italian Winter Sports Federation announced on its website that Fabrizio Longo died at the age of 62 after falling while walking along a “via ferrata,” or protected climbing route, towards the peak of the mountain on Saturday, Aug. 31. 

Italian Winter Sports Federation President Flavio Roda said in a statement that Longo’s death was “a terrible loss for the federation, which has collaborated profitably with Longo for years,” adding, “We join his family in this moment of great pain and the staff of Audi Italia.”

The federation noted that Longo — described as “a very expert and careful mountaineer” — had been on the climb solo at the mountain, which boasts a peak of over 3,000 meters (10,000 ft.) located between the Italian provinces of Brescia and Trento.

Another mountaineer “witnessed the incident” and called it in, prompting rescuers from Pinzolo Alpine Rescue station to head to the location by helicopter, per the federation’s statement. Once they got to the “site in hovering,” they identified Longo’s body 200 meters (656 ft.) below the summit, and the medical team certified his death.

Local Italian news site Il Messaggero reported that Longo’s body was later recovered by a helicopter from the Guardia di Finanza, or local law enforcement agency, and transferred to Carisolo, Italy.

The Italian Winter Sports Federation statement shared that Longo, who was born in Rimini, Italy, in 1962, has been director of Audi Italia since 2013.

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“He had a great passion for the mountains, and, under his leadership, Audi Italia linked its image to that of the Italian Winter Sports Federation,” the organization said.

Longo also held positions at Fiat and Lancia before joining Audi in 2012. His Facebook profile reflected his love for mountaineering, and his last post, shared two weeks before the incident, showed off the Anderta Alps, an area part of the Sesto Dolomites in Italy.