The company supplied the first nylon ropes in the history of mountaineering to the expedition led by Ardito Desio
Gottifredi Maffioli, the company that is today a leader in the nautical rope sector, celebrates this important milestone by proudly recalling the crucial role its innovative nylon ropes played in this epic achievement in 1954.
Today, 31 July 2024, marks the 70th anniversary of the historic conquest of K2, the second highest mountain in the world, by the Italian mountaineering expedition led by Ardito Desio.
Exactly 70 years ago, mountaineers Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli reached the summit of K2 for the first time using nylon ropes supplied by Gottifredi Maffioli. This material represented a revolution in the world of mountaineering, replacing the traditional hemp ropes used until then.
The President of Gottifredi Maffioli, Pierangelo Maffioli, emphasises: ‘The novelty was that the ropes were made of nylon, a true discovery. The climb was so successful that our company decided to use K2 as its symbol, and to this day this remains our business card’. Indeed, this success led Gottifredi Maffioli to include the profile of K2 and the Italian flag in its company logo, celebrating the innovation and pioneering spirit that has always distinguished the company founded in 1926.
A piece of that historic rope, brought back from the summit of K2 in 1977 by a Japanese expedition, was later delivered to the Novara company by Ardito Desio himself, in a letter in which he again thanked the company, in his words for having ‘(…) taken care with such zeal of the manufacture of the ropes to which our climbers entrusted their lives during their journeys from one camp to another and which so effectively contributed to victory in the ascent of the world’s second highest peak, K2.
This piece of rope is still on display at the company’s headquarters in Novara, as a tangible symbol of an innovation that marked the history of mountaineering.
To celebrate this anniversary, the company has recently updated its logo, keeping the iconography of K2 and the Italian flag on the summit central, testifying to an indissoluble link with one of the greatest mountaineering feats of all time.
Gottifredi Maffioli is proud to commemorate this special anniversary as an example of the spirit that continues to guide the company on its path of growth in all the sectors in which it operates, from boating to industry.
From the summit of K2 to the world’s oldest trophy, the America’s Cup
Gottifredi Maffioli’s entry into the yachting industry came in 1983 with the first Italian America’s Cup campaign, Azzurra. Since then, the company has taken part in every edition of the Cup, supplying both Moro di Venezia and Luna Rossa, until victory in 2003 and 2007 with Alinghi and 2010 and 2013 with Oracle Team USA.
In just a few weeks the 37th edition of the prestigious trophy, featuring the AC75 flying monohulls, will start in Barcelona. Gottifredi Maffioli will be on the starting line with the four European teams: INEOS Britannia, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, Alinghi Red Bull Racing and Orient Express.
Accuracy and customisation are the key words in a competition in which, as Luigi Maffioli, technical director of Gottifredi Maffioli, says: ‘It seems that traditional tops are disappearing, but textiles have by no means disappeared, on the contrary, they have become even more fundamental.’
The America’s Cup has always been a development laboratory for innovative solutions that later made their way to the world of racing and then to general yachting, demonstrating the company’s ability to guarantee precision and technical excellence.
