A REVOLUTIONARY mountaineer who invented the five-fingered climbing shoe has plunged to his death after falling from a peak in Italy.
Married dad and mountain sports enthusiast Robert Fliri, 48, had been descending an ice wall at Tyrolean peak with two friends in Val di Mazia, Italy.
NewsflashRobert Fliri, who invented the five-fingered climbing shoe, has died[/caption]
NewsflashThe “five fingers” shoe was invented by Robert Fliri[/caption]
NewsflashThe married dad died in South Tyrol, Italy[/caption]
But he slipped whilst descending the 10,000-foot-high Punta d’Oberettes, falling more than 300 metres (984 feet) as his horrified pals watched on.
Rescuers spotted his body in a remote position and needed a helicopter to get him out and fly to a nearby hospital in Malles.
Married dad Fliri made a fortune from his FiveFingers climbing shoes created while he was still a student at design school.
He went into partnership with manufacturing firm Virbram who now sell the toe-hugging shoes for £130 each.
Fliri once said: “I am a son of the mountain, I was a lumberjack, and I have spent long periods on the farm of my grandparents.
“I have always sought more contact with nature, and so, a little at a time, I started walking barefoot, even in the mountains.”
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