Lawrence Grassi, iconic Canadian Rockies guide, subject of new book

The first complete biography about a legendaryCanmore mountain climber, guideand trailblazerhas just been published.

Lawrence Grassi, born Lorenzo, immigrated to Canada from Italy in 1912 and eventually settled in the Bow Valley in 1916to work as a coal miner.

Buthe devoted much of his spare time to mountain climbing and carving out trails, such asthe originalsteps that take visitors tothe aquamarinewater of Grassi Lakes and many more pathsaroundLake O'Haraand Lake Louise.

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"There are stories about himcarrying a whole stove up to a camp that a couple of strapping young men hadn't been able to bring," said ElioCosta, who wroteLawrence Grassi: From Piedmont to the Rocky Mountains with Gabriele Scardellato.

A 'self-contained' man

Grassi was"not necessarily introverted, but self-contained," said Scardellato."[He] never lived a very luxurious life. Quite the opposite. He lived in a very simple cabin."

Grassi lived alone, never married,never returned toItaly and, according to Costa,the mountaineer stopped writing his family overseasaltogether.

"I think he was a closed man, in terms of emotions," he said."In my view, this sort of generous giving of himself to the mountains and allowing people to enjoy the mountains in the way which he did,was theway he expressed his emotions."

There are two lakes, a trail, a mountain and a school named afterGrassi.