Simone Moro
An Italian alpinist who repeatedly defies the deadliest season, claiming historic first winter ascents on the planet's highest peaks.
Born 1967 (age 59)·Italian mountaineer and alpinist·Birthday: October 27·Generation X
Biography
Simone Moro approaches mountains with the focus of a surgeon and the heart of a poet. From the Alps to the Himalayas, his career has been a deliberate pursuit of the most difficult conditions, specializing in winter expeditions where temperatures and winds reach unimaginable extremes. His historic first winter ascents of Shishapangma, Makalu, Gasherbrum II, and Nanga Parbat are feats of sheer will and meticulous planning, performed in a season that had defeated all previous attempts. Beyond his record-setting climbs, Moro is also a skilled helicopter rescue pilot in the Alps, often putting himself at risk to save others. His storytelling, whether in books or interviews, conveys not just the physical challenge but a profound philosophical respect for the mountains, marking him as a thinker as much as a doer in the world of high-altitude alpinism.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Simone was born in 1967, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Simone Was Born
The biggest hits of 1967
#1 Movie
The Jungle Book
Best Picture
In the Heat of the Night
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Simone's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1967Born
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1972Started school
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1980Became a teenager
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Could drive
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1985Could vote
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1988Turned 21
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1997Turned 30
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 40
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 50
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 59 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Achieved the first winter ascent of Nanga Parbat in 2016 with his team.
- Made the first winter ascent of Gasherbrum II in 2011, without supplemental oxygen.
- Has summitted Mount Everest four times, including a traverse from the north to south side in 2006.
Did You Know?
He is a certified helicopter pilot and has performed numerous high-altitude rescue missions.
Moro holds a degree in sports science from the University of Bologna.
He survived a major avalanche on Shishapangma in 2009 that claimed the life of his climbing partner.
“In the mountains, the only competition is with yourself, with your limits, with your fears.”
