An Audi executive who was also a mountain climber died after falling from a peak in Italy. People reported.
Fabrizio Longo, 62, died while advancing along a via ferrata, or protected climbing route, in the 3,800-metre-high Cima Payer mountain range between the Italian provinces of Brescia and Trento.
Despite being a “very expert and careful climber,” according to Flavio Roda, president of the Italian Winter Sports Federation, Longo lost his balance and fell from a height while hiking alone. It is unclear where Longo was on the mountain when he fell, but it does not appear he made it to the top of Cima Payer. A fellow climber “witnessed the incident” and called emergency services, who found Longo's body in a gorge 656 feet below the summit.
Roda described Longo's death as “a terrible loss for the federation, which has collaborated profitably with Longo for many years.” “We join his family and the Audi Italia team in this moment of great pain.”
“He had a great passion for the mountains and under his leadership Audi Italia merged its image with that of the Italian Winter Sports Federation,” the federation said.
Longo was born in Rimini, Italy, in 1962. After roles at Fiat and Lancia, he joined Audi in 2012. He became director of Audi Italia in 2013. Longo has documented his love of mountaineering on his social media profiles, sharing photos from a trip he took to the Anderta Alps, part of the Sesto Dolomites, just two weeks ago.