Walther (Italianized Gualtiero) Laeng was an Italian alpine climber, skier, explorer, journalist, writer, and historian. His family was of Swiss origins, but moved to Brescia, Italy, before Walther's birth. He became an acrive member of the Club Alpino Italiano (C.A.I.) in 1903, and studied at the Polytecnic of Milan and Turin, where he obtained degrees in Chemistry and Mine Engineering. in 1910 he became the chief editor for the C.A.I. publications, where he supervised many of the Club's publications.  He also collaborated with the Italian Touring Club in the creation of the Guida d'Italia.