Mountaineer plunges 1,000ft to her death in front of horrified friends after slipping during climb in Italy

A mountain climber plunged 1,000 feet to her death after slipping into a rocky ravine in front of her shocked friends.

Monica Reginato, 55, from Castelfranco, slipped and fell 300 meters from Cortina d’Ampezzo, on the Sorapiss mountain in the Dolomites, in the northern Italian region of Veneto, on Saturday, April 20.

She had hiked with three of her friends and had all the safety gear, including crampons, but that wasn’t enough to prevent disaster.

Reginato, along with her friends, had reportedly been carrying skis on her back when she fell.

Emergency services were called to the scene around 3:30 p.m.

Reginato was walking with her friends before the tragic accident occurred. Her friends were reportedly treated for shock after the fall. The photo shows the spot where her body was found

A helicopter and medical personnel arrived on the scene, but could only confirm that Reginato died instantly.

She was reportedly an experienced mountain climber who had taught at a mountain school for twenty years.

Reginato had reportedly fallen hundreds of meters into the gully, requiring rescuers to use a 20-metre winch to retrieve her body.

Images of Reginato show her smiling and laughing as she hangs from boulders wearing helmets and safety equipment.

The mountain sports school paid tribute to Reginato on social media after her death, the mountain school reported Il Dolomiti.

It read: ‘Dear Monica, a few hours ago you left for a new and long journey, the most mysterious of all journeys.

‘After many years of loving the snow and the rocks, you have chosen the environment most dear to you to live another adventure, this time the last one that is staggering to say the least.

‘After a sleepless night, we still cannot understand what happened, we are lost and confused, but as soon as we close our eyes, your serene look and your smile appear in the darkness.

‘We already know that it will be extremely difficult. Your enthusiasm was an inspiration to us all, your vitality gave us strength and your optimism lit up every room as soon as you crossed the threshold.

‘You have given so much to our group: you are a volunteer instructor, you have held the hands of dozens of students, conveyed to them the passion for the high countries and taught caution and preparation as essential requirements for any outing.

‘We will miss you, but you will be missed even more by your family to whom we extend our thoughts of condolence and closeness – Dear Monica: Have a safe journey’.

The climber had volunteered at a mountaineering school, which paid tribute to her after her death. It read: ‘Your enthusiasm was an inspiration to us all, your vitality gave us strength and your optimism lit up every room as soon as you crossed the threshold.’

Local media said her friends were being treated for shock.

According to Treviso TodayReginato’s funeral will take place on Wednesday at 3:30 pm in the cathedral of Castelfranco Veneto.

Before she died Saturday, Reginato had climbed the Coglians and Guslon mountains in Carnia and Alpago in the past month alone.

At the end of the funeral ceremony, on Wednesday afternoon, her body will be buried in the cemetery of Castelfranco Veneto.

It comes after an experienced climber, 42, died after falling into the 4,000-foot crater of Mount St. Helens in Washington state earlier this month.

The body of Roscoe ‘Rocky’ Shorey was discovered after he fell into the hole when a plank of snow he was standing on apparently broke.

A fitness influencer also died after falling into a ravine while filming a video of him and his friends exploring an abandoned ghost town in Italy.

The group explored an old mountain village that was abandoned after a serious flood in the 1970s.

As the trio stood on a balcony without a railing, the tattooed influencer suddenly slipped and fell into a deep and rocky ravine.

Fire teams from the Melito Porto Salvo detachment and the SAF unit rushed to the scene, but it was too late.