You don’t meet the likes of Oreste Forno every day of the week. A quite extraordinary talent. Mountaineer, author, documentary filmmaker – and finally, wait for it – keeper of dams!. 65 now, his has been a life genuinely lived to the full. Oreste represents one seriously-original individual who, in fluctuating cycles over the years, has somehow constantly re-invented himself, always thriving on new challenges. “I’ve always been on the lookout for new experiences which I generally find highly-satisfying” he understates.

Anyone who absorbs themselves in mountain affairs will be familiar with the enterprises that have made Oreste an internationally celebrated figure. Following a period working in the USA, he decided to drop everything and move to the Himalayas where he remained for 8 years. There he took on the highest mountains on the planet, making several ascents of over 8000m, regularly in the role of expedition leader. “It was one of the most priceless phases of my entire life, I was very privileged,” he confesses “ I was able to accompany vast numbers of climbers to the summits, whilst spending some defining years in a genuinely spiritual environment, where Man can get close to that most intimate and profound part of the planet, indeed… its very soul”.

Oreste’s life has been one of constant revolution. Having fully exploited his time in the Himalayas he returned to Italy, determined to pass his experiences on to others. Books were to be his chosen vehicle. 21 titles would be published in due course. Novels, essays, autobiographical matters and collections of photographs. One of his mworks- about dam-keeping - Guardiano di dighe. Il lavoro più bello del mondo (Bellavite Editore, Missaglia, 2012) - achieved considerable success. It tells much about himself, his reflections, and of projects undertaken during lengthy solitary periods up at Moledana, in Val dei Ratti at just under 1000m. No surprise then that to meet him you have to take on the road that snakes up from Verceia, climbing through the all-embracing Val dei Ratti. The reservoir is contained by a 37m high dam wall holding 100,000 c.m of water. In this veritable retreat, Oreste plots his challenges to come. “At 65 I’m still conscious of new demands and experiences. I’m not far from home, at Monastero di Berbenno, reading and writing like mad and of course I oversee the dam. Any spare time is devoted to nature: I’m completing a lengthy work about Val dei Ratti which should be published soon. In the meantime I’m compiling video material for a documentary on Alpine wildlife.”

Oreste talks enthusiastically about his latest subjects. “I’m captivated by the return of the bear to Alpine areas. Whenever I can I head for Trentino to observe them in their natural habitat. They are closely monitored and I can take whatever photographs/film that I require. An extraordinary beast and unquestionably one of my favourites, living alone and no threat at all. Back in the day it would be spotted here in Val dei Ratti. Its return, along with that of the wolf, represents a fantastic opportunity, a real gift from nature itself.”
And so say all of us, Oreste