Wojciech Kurtyka
Encyclopedia
Wojciech Kurtyka is a Polish
mountaineer
and rock climber, one of the pioneers of the alpine style
of climbing the biggest walls in the Greater Ranges
.
He lived in Wrocław up to 1974 when he moved to Kraków
. He graduated as engineer in electronics
(in 1973 at Wrocław University of Technology).
, free solo climbs
– and in Tatra Mountains, first free ascents, first ascents in winter and new routes established in winter.
Kurtyka became well known abroad in early 1973 after the first winter ascent of Trollveggen (Troll Wall) in Norway, the highest really vertical cliff
on the continent (4 men Polish team, see the list of climbs below).
He started in Greater Ranges in 1972, completing a little known – but important according to him – the first ascent of the wall of Akher Chogh in Hindu Kush
, in lightweight, alpine style ("as usual in the Alps"). In Himalayas he climbed since 1974. After participating in two big Polish national expeditions in 1974 and 1976 he gradually turns to the lightweight expeditions.
His teammates were such world-class Himalayan climbers as, among others, Alex MacIntyre (1977, 1978, 1980, 1981), Jerzy Kukuczka
(1981, 1983, 1984), Doug Scott
(1993, Nanga Parbat
attempt), Erhard Loretan
(1988, 1990, 1991, 1997), Reinhold Messner
(1982, Cho Oyu
winter attempt), Yasushi Yamanoi (2000, 2001, K2 and Latok
attempts).
The ideas of the minimal equipment and support even on the most difficult walls on highest peaks he included in philosophical concept of the "path of the mountain".
Kurtyka's and Robert Schauer's (Austrian) climb of the West face of Gasherbrum IV
in 1985 was selected by Climbing magazine as one of the 10 most impressive climbs of 20th century (including rock climbing, bouldering etc.).
Kurtyka is an author of impressive articles on climbing published in Polish and English.
He is also an inventor (at about 1980) of local Polish grading system
of free climbs, an opened scale, called Kurtyka scale or Krakowska scale.
Mountains of Norway
Alps
, Mont Blanc Massif
Interviews with, and broad articles on Wojciech Kurtyka
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
mountaineer
Mountaineer
-Sports:*Mountaineering, the sport, hobby or profession of walking, hiking, trekking and climbing up mountains, also known as alpinism-University athletic teams and mascots:*Appalachian State Mountaineers, the athletic teams of Appalachian State University...
and rock climber, one of the pioneers of the alpine style
Alpine style
Alpine style refers to mountaineering in a self-sufficient manner, thereby carrying all of one's food, shelter, equipment etc. as one climbs, as opposed to expedition style mountaineering which involves setting up a fixed line of stocked camps on the mountain which can be accessed at one's leisure...
of climbing the biggest walls in the Greater Ranges
Greater Ranges
The Greater Ranges comprise the high mountain ranges of Asia:*the Himalayas,*the Karakoram,*the Hindu Kush and Hindu Raj,*the Pamir Mountains,*the Tien Shan,*the Kunlun Shan,...
.
He lived in Wrocław up to 1974 when he moved to Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
. He graduated as engineer in electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
(in 1973 at Wrocław University of Technology).
Career
His climbs in Poland consist of a long list including – in crags, the hardest (of the time) free climbsFree climbing
Free climbing is a type of rock climbing in which the climber uses only hands, feet and other parts of the body to ascend, employing ropes and forms of climbing protection to prevent falls only....
, free solo climbs
Free solo climbing
Free solo climbing, also known as free soloing, is a form of free climbing where the climber forgoes ropes, harnesses and other protective gear while ascending and relies only on his or her physical strength, climbing ability, and psychological fortitude to avoid a fatal fall...
– and in Tatra Mountains, first free ascents, first ascents in winter and new routes established in winter.
Kurtyka became well known abroad in early 1973 after the first winter ascent of Trollveggen (Troll Wall) in Norway, the highest really vertical cliff
Cliff
In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...
on the continent (4 men Polish team, see the list of climbs below).
He started in Greater Ranges in 1972, completing a little known – but important according to him – the first ascent of the wall of Akher Chogh in Hindu Kush
Hindu Kush
The Hindu Kush is an mountain range that stretches between central Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. The highest point in the Hindu Kush is Tirich Mir in the Chitral region of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.It is the westernmost extension of the Pamir Mountains, the Karakoram Range, and is a...
, in lightweight, alpine style ("as usual in the Alps"). In Himalayas he climbed since 1974. After participating in two big Polish national expeditions in 1974 and 1976 he gradually turns to the lightweight expeditions.
His teammates were such world-class Himalayan climbers as, among others, Alex MacIntyre (1977, 1978, 1980, 1981), Jerzy Kukuczka
Jerzy Kukuczka
Jerzy Kukuczka , born in Katowice, Poland, was a Polish alpine and high-altitude climber. On 18 September 1987, he became the second man, after Reinhold Messner, to climb all fourteen eight-thousanders in the world....
(1981, 1983, 1984), Doug Scott
Doug Scott
Douglas Keith Scott CBE, known as Doug Scott , is an English mountaineer noted for the first ascent of the south-west face of Mount Everest on 24 September 1975. Scott and Dougal Haston were the first Britons to climb Everest during this expedition...
(1993, Nanga Parbat
Nanga Parbat
Nanga Parbat is the ninth highest mountain on Earth, the second highest mountain in Pakistan and among the eight-thousanders with a summit elevation of 8,126 meters...
attempt), Erhard Loretan
Erhard Loretan
Erhard Loretan was a Swiss mountain climber.Loretan was born in Bulle in the canton of Fribourg. He trained as a cabinet-maker and mountain guide and began his climbing career at the age of 11...
(1988, 1990, 1991, 1997), Reinhold Messner
Reinhold Messner
Reinhold Messner is an Italian mountaineer and explorer from Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol "whose astonishing feats on Everest and on peaks throughout the world have earned him the status of the greatest climber in history." He is renowned for making the first solo ascent of Mount Everest without...
(1982, Cho Oyu
Cho Oyu
Cho Oyu is the sixth highest mountain in the world at above sea level. Cho Oyu lies in the Himalayas and is 20 km west of Mount Everest, at the border between China and Nepal...
winter attempt), Yasushi Yamanoi (2000, 2001, K2 and Latok
Latok
Latok I was first climbed in 1979 by a Japanese expedition led by Naoki Takada; the first summit party comprised Sin'e Matsumi, Tsuneo Shigehiro, Yu Watanabe, and they were followed three days later by Hideo Muto, Jun'ichi Oku, and Kota Endo...
attempts).
The ideas of the minimal equipment and support even on the most difficult walls on highest peaks he included in philosophical concept of the "path of the mountain".
Kurtyka's and Robert Schauer's (Austrian) climb of the West face of Gasherbrum IV
Gasherbrum IV
Gasherbrum IV is the 17th highest mountain on Earth and the 6th highest in Pakistan. It is one of the peaks in the Gasherbrum massif.The Gasherbrums are a remote group of peaks located at the northeastern end of the Baltoro Glacier in the Karakoram range of the Himalaya. The massif contains three...
in 1985 was selected by Climbing magazine as one of the 10 most impressive climbs of 20th century (including rock climbing, bouldering etc.).
Kurtyka is an author of impressive articles on climbing published in Polish and English.
He is also an inventor (at about 1980) of local Polish grading system
Grade (climbing)
In rock climbing, mountaineering and other climbing disciplines, climbers give a climbing grade to a route that concisely describes the difficulty and danger of climbing the route...
of free climbs, an opened scale, called Kurtyka scale or Krakowska scale.
Rock climbing
- New routes up to 8a, 8a+ in Polish crags,
- free solo ascent of 7c+ route in 1985 - actually probably the hardest free solo climb in Poland
European mountains
High TatrasHigh Tatras
High Tatras or High Tatra are a mountain range on the borders between Slovakia and Poland. They are a part of the Tatra Mountains...
- 1970 – Mały Młynarz (Malý Mlynar in Slovak), NE face, new free route (which opens the grade higher than VI (in UIAA scale); commonly called Kurtykówka), with Michał Gabryel, Janusz KurczabJanusz KurczabJanusz Kurczab is a Polish Olympic fencer and mountain climber. He competed in the individual and team épée events at the 1960 Summer Olympics.-References:...
- 1972 – Kazalnica, Pająki route (route of the Slovak group "The Spiders"), first winter ascent, with Kazimierz Głazek, Marek Kęsicki
- 1973 – Kocioł Kazalnicy (Kazalnica Cwm, Kazalnica Sanctuary), Superściek (Super Sewer) route, 1st ascent (in winter), with Piotr Jasiński, Krzysztof Pankiewicz, Zbigniew Wach
- 1980 – Kazalnica, Kant Filara (The Edge of The Pillar), first free ascent (actually the hardest free route in Tatras), with Władysław Janowski
- Kazalnica, other first winter ascents and new routes, 1971, 1992
- 1991 – new routes up to 7c+ in limestone part of Tatras
Mountains of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
- 1973 – TrollryggenTrollryggenTrollryggen is a peak along the Trolltindene ridge along the Romsdalen valley. It is located in the municipality of Rauma in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The Rauma River and the highway lie just to the east of the ridge.....
, N face (Troll Wall), RomsdalRomsdalRomsdal is the name of a traditional district in the Norwegian county Møre og Romsdal, located between Nordmøre and Sunnmøre. The district of Romsdal comprises Aukra, Fræna, Midsund, Molde, Nesset, Rauma, Sandøy, and Vestnes. It is named for the valley of Romsdalen, which covers part of Rauma.The...
Valley, French route (French directissima), first winter ascent, with Marek Kęsicki, Ryszard Kowalewski, Tadeusz PiotrowskiTadeusz PiotrowskiTadeusz Piotrowski may refer to:* Tadeusz Piotrowski , mountaineer and writer, 1940-1986* Tadeusz Piotrowski , b. 1940, sociologist and author of books about Holocaust and the history of Poland...
(all Polish)
Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, Mont Blanc Massif
Mont Blanc Massif
The Mont Blanc massif is a mountain range in the western Alps. It is named after Mont Blanc, at 4,810.45 m the highest summit of the Alps. It is located in France , Italy , and Switzerland...
- 1971 – Aiguille Noire, W face, Vitali-Ratti route, first Polish ascent, with Janusz Kurczab
- 1973 – Petit Dru, W face, Directe Americaine, first Polish ascent, with Andrzej Tarnawski
- 1973 – Petit Dru, N face, new route in left part (Voie Petit Jean, to commemorate Jan Franczuk who died during the 1971 Kunyang Chhish expedition), with Jerzy Kukuczka and Marek Łukaszewski
- 1975 – Grandes JorassesGrandes JorassesThe Grandes Jorasses is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif.The first ascent of the highest peak of the mountain was by Horace Walker with guides Melchior Anderegg, Johann Jaun and Julien Grange on 30 June 1868...
, N face (Pointe Hélène, Polish route), new route, with Jerzy Kukuczka and Marek Łukaszewski
Great Ranges
- 1972 – Kohe Tez, 7015 m (Hindu KushHindu KushThe Hindu Kush is an mountain range that stretches between central Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. The highest point in the Hindu Kush is Tirich Mir in the Chitral region of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.It is the westernmost extension of the Pamir Mountains, the Karakoram Range, and is a...
, AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
), N ridge, new route, with Alicja Bednarz, Ryszard Kozioł (all Polish) - 1972 – Akher Chogh, 7025 m or 7017 m (Hindu Kush, Afghanistan), NW face, new route, with Jacek Rusiecki, Marek Kowalczyk, Piotr Jasiński (all Polish)
- 1974 – LhotseLhotseLhotse is the fourth highest mountain on Earth and is connected to Everest via the South Col. In addition to the main summit at 8,516 metres above sea level, Lhotse Middle is and Lhotse Shar is...
8511 m, member of the first winter (autumn to winter) expedition (Andrzej ZawadaAndrzej ZawadaAndrzej Zawada, born: Maria Andrzej Zawada, was a Polish Alpinist and Tatra mountains climber, pioneer of Polish Himalayism and winter Alpinism. Organiser and guide in numerous high-mountains expeditions...
, leader, and Andrzej HeinrichAndrzej HeinrichZygmunt Andrzej Heinrich was a famous Polish mountaineer. He died in an avalanche on the NW slopes of Mount Everest in 1989.- Tatra Mts and Alps :...
on Dec 27 reached height ca. 8250 m) - 1976 – K2K2K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest...
, 8611 m, East ridge, attempt (Kurtyka reached ca. 7900 m, the highest point reached by expedition ca. 8400 m (Eugeniusz Chrobak, Wojciech Wróż - this long route was finished to the summit in 1978 by American expedition led by James WhittakerJames WhittakerJames Whittaker was the second leader of the Shakers. He became leader following the death of Mother Ann Lee.-References:...
) - 1977 – Kohe Bandaka, 6868 m (Hindu Kush, Afghanistan), NE face, new route, with Alex MacIntyre and John Porter
- 1978 – ChangabangChangabangChangabang is a mountain in the Garhwal Himalaya of Uttarakhand, India. It is part of a group of peaks that form the northeast wall of the Nanda Devi Sanctuary. It is a particularly steep and rocky peak, and all routes on it are serious undertakings. It has been the site of many significant climbs...
, 6864 m (Garhwal Himalaya, India), S face direct, new route, with Alex MacIntyre, John Porter and Krzysztof Żurek (Polish) - 1981 – MakaluMakaluMakalu is the fifth highest mountain in the world at and is located southeast of Mount Everest, on the border between Nepal and China...
, 8481 m, West face, two attempts of direct new route (during the second, in autumn, they reached ca. 7900 m), with Jerzy Kukuczka, Alex MacIntyre (later Kukuczka reached the summit in solo climb via the variation of the normal route) - 1982 – Cho OyuCho OyuCho Oyu is the sixth highest mountain in the world at above sea level. Cho Oyu lies in the Himalayas and is 20 km west of Mount Everest, at the border between China and Nepal...
, winter attempt, with Reinhold MessnerReinhold MessnerReinhold Messner is an Italian mountaineer and explorer from Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol "whose astonishing feats on Everest and on peaks throughout the world have earned him the status of the greatest climber in history." He is renowned for making the first solo ascent of Mount Everest without... - 1985 – Gasherbrum IVGasherbrum IVGasherbrum IV is the 17th highest mountain on Earth and the 6th highest in Pakistan. It is one of the peaks in the Gasherbrum massif.The Gasherbrums are a remote group of peaks located at the northeastern end of the Baltoro Glacier in the Karakoram range of the Himalaya. The massif contains three...
, 7925 m (BaltoroBaltoro GlacierThe Baltoro Glacier, at 62 kilometers long, is one of the longest glaciers outside the polar regions. It is located in Baltistan, in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, and runs through part of the Karakoram mountain range. The Baltoro Muztagh lies to the north and east of the glacier, while...
, KarakoramKarakoramThe Karakoram, or Karakorum , is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, India and China, located in the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan , Ladakh , and Xinjiang region,...
), W face, first ascent, alpine style, (not to the summit), with Robert Schauer (Austrian) - 1988 – Trango (Nameless) Tower, 6239 m (Baltoro, Karakoram), E face, new route, with Erhard LoretanErhard LoretanErhard Loretan was a Swiss mountain climber.Loretan was born in Bulle in the canton of Fribourg. He trained as a cabinet-maker and mountain guide and began his climbing career at the age of 11...
- 1987-2000 – K2K2K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest...
, W face, several (4 or 5) attempts, up to 6650 m (1994) - 1993, 1997 – Nanga ParbatNanga ParbatNanga Parbat is the ninth highest mountain on Earth, the second highest mountain in Pakistan and among the eight-thousanders with a summit elevation of 8,126 meters...
, 8125 m, Mazeno Ridge, attempts - 1995 – Losar, 700 m high icefall above Namche BazaarNamche BazaarNamche Bazaar is a village and Village Development Committee in Solukhumbu District in the Sagarmatha Zone of north-eastern Nepal. It is located within the Khumbu area at , populating the sides of a hill...
, Nepal, 2nd ascent, with Maciej Rysula (Polish) - 2001 – Biacherahi Tower, Central, ca. 5700 m (Choktoi Glacier, Karakoram, S face, new route (Japanese-Polish Picnic), with Taeko and Yasushi Yamanoi (during attempts to Latok ILatokLatok I was first climbed in 1979 by a Japanese expedition led by Naoki Takada; the first summit party comprised Sin'e Matsumi, Tsuneo Shigehiro, Yu Watanabe, and they were followed three days later by Hideo Muto, Jun'ichi Oku, and Kota Endo...
N buttress)
Eight-thousanders
- 1980 – DhaulagiriDhaulagiriDhaulagiri is Earth's seventh highest mountain at ; one of fourteen over eight thousand metres. Dhaulagiri was first climbed May 13, 1960 by a Swiss/Austrian expedition....
- East face, new route, alpine styleAlpine styleAlpine style refers to mountaineering in a self-sufficient manner, thereby carrying all of one's food, shelter, equipment etc. as one climbs, as opposed to expedition style mountaineering which involves setting up a fixed line of stocked camps on the mountain which can be accessed at one's leisure...
(not to the summit), with René Ghilini (Swiss), Alex MacIntyre and Ludwik Wilczyński (Polish) - 1982 – Broad PeakBroad PeakBroad Peak , is the 12th highest mountain on Earth, with an elevation of 8,051 meters . The literal translation of "Broad Peak" to Faichan Kangri is not accepted among the Balti people.- Geography :...
- normal route, alpine style, with Jerzy Kukuczka - 1983 – Gasherbrum IGasherbrum IGasherbrum I , also known as Hidden Peak or K5, is the 11th highest peak on Earth, located on the Pakistan-China border in Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan and Xinjiang region of China. Gasherbrum I is part of the Gasherbrum massif, located in the Karakoram region of the Himalaya...
, Gasherbrum IIGasherbrum IIGasherbrum II , also known as K4, is the 13th highest mountain on Earth, located on the border of Gilgit-Baltistan province, Pakistan and Xinjiang, China...
- two new routes, alpine style, with Jerzy Kukuczka (Polish Alex MacIntyre Memorial Expedition) - 1984 – Broad PeakBroad PeakBroad Peak , is the 12th highest mountain on Earth, with an elevation of 8,051 meters . The literal translation of "Broad Peak" to Faichan Kangri is not accepted among the Balti people.- Geography :...
- Traverse of all three Broad Peak summits, North (new route), Middle (or Central) and Main, alpine styleAlpine styleAlpine style refers to mountaineering in a self-sufficient manner, thereby carrying all of one's food, shelter, equipment etc. as one climbs, as opposed to expedition style mountaineering which involves setting up a fixed line of stocked camps on the mountain which can be accessed at one's leisure...
, with Jerzy Kukuczka - 1990 – Cho OyuCho OyuCho Oyu is the sixth highest mountain in the world at above sea level. Cho Oyu lies in the Himalayas and is 20 km west of Mount Everest, at the border between China and Nepal...
- SW face, new route, alpine styleAlpine styleAlpine style refers to mountaineering in a self-sufficient manner, thereby carrying all of one's food, shelter, equipment etc. as one climbs, as opposed to expedition style mountaineering which involves setting up a fixed line of stocked camps on the mountain which can be accessed at one's leisure...
, with Erhard Loretan and Jean TroilletJean TroilletJean Troillet was born 10 March 1948 at Orsieres and lives at La Fouly in Valais.Of Swiss and Canadian nationality, he obtained his mountain guide qualifications in 1969. He has climbed ten peaks of more than 8000 metres, all in alpine style and without oxygen.Troillet climbed Everest in 1986... - 1990 – Shisha Pangma, central summit 8008 m, S face, new route, alpine styleAlpine styleAlpine style refers to mountaineering in a self-sufficient manner, thereby carrying all of one's food, shelter, equipment etc. as one climbs, as opposed to expedition style mountaineering which involves setting up a fixed line of stocked camps on the mountain which can be accessed at one's leisure...
, with Erhard Loretan and Jean Troillet
Own Articles in English
- The Gasherbrums Are Lonely, Mountain, No. 97, May/June 1984
- The Abseil and the Ascent, The Art of Abseiling into the Hell, The Himalayan Journal, Vol. 42, 1985
- The Shining Wall of Gasherbrum IV, American Alpine JournalAmerican Alpine JournalThe American Alpine Journal is an annual magazine published by the American Alpine Club. Its mission is "to document and communicate mountain exploration."...
(AAJ), 1986 (Vol. 28), pp. 1–5 - The Path of the Mountain, Alpinism, Vol. 1, 1986
- Broad Peak North Ridge, Climbing, No. 94, February 1986
- The Art of Suffering, Mountain, No. 121, May/June 1988
- The East Face of Trango’s Nameless Tower, AAJ 1989, pp. 45–49
- Trango Extremes, Mountain, No. 127, May/June 1989, pp. 22–27
- New Routes, Cho Oyu and Shisha Pangma, AAJ 1991, pp. 14–18
- The Polish Syndrome, Mountain Review, No. 5, November/December 1993, pp. 36–47
- The Polish Syndrome, [as a chapter in:] Chris BoningtonChris BoningtonSir Christian John Storey Bonington, CVO, CBE, DL is a British mountaineer.His career has included nineteen expeditions to the Himalayas, including four to Mount Everest and the first ascent of the south face of Annapurna.-Early life and expeditions:Educated at University College School in...
, Audrey Salkeld (editors), Great Climbs: a celebration of world mountaineering, Publ. Mitchell Beazley, London 1994; Chris Bonington, Audrey Salkeld (editors), Heroic climbs: a celebration of world mountaineering, The Mountaineers, Seattle 1994 - The Shining Wall, Alpinist, No. 2, Spring 2003
- Losar, Alpinist, No. 4, Autumn 2003
Other sources
- Marek Brniak, Troll Wall in Winter, Summit, October 1976 (and Climber&Rambler, March 1976)
- John Porter, Bandaka and Changabang, AAJ 1979; Changabang South Buttress, Climbing, No 55, 1979; South Side Story, Mountain, No. 65, January/February 1979
- Alex MacIntyre, Dhaulagiri’s East Face, AAJ 1981; Broken English, Mountain, No. 77, January/February 1981
- Biacherahi Central, High, No. 234, May 2002 (Mountain Info, edited by Lindsay Griffin, with info from climbers, p. 67-68, with topo of the massif)
Interviews with, and broad articles on Wojciech Kurtyka
- Nicholas O’Connell, Beyond Risk. Conversations with Climbers, chapter X, The Mountaineers, Seattle 1993
- Greg ChildGreg ChildGreg Child is an Australian-born rock climber, mountaineer, author and filmmaker.He is a writer for "Outside magazine" and has authored several books: "Thin Air: Encounters in the Himalayas", "Mixed Emotions: Mountaineering Writings of Greg Child", "Postcards from the Ledge", "Over the Edge" and...
, Between the Hammer and the Anvil. The Art of Suffering, Climbing, No. 115, Aug/Sept 1989, pp. 78–86 [in the set of three articles, "profiles of three Polish superstars", Kurtyka, Wanda RutkiewiczWanda RutkiewiczWanda Rutkiewicz was a Polish mountain climber. She was the first woman to successfully summit K2.-Early life:Rutkiewicz was born in Plungė, Lithuania...
and Jerzy KukuczkaJerzy KukuczkaJerzy Kukuczka , born in Katowice, Poland, was a Polish alpine and high-altitude climber. On 18 September 1987, he became the second man, after Reinhold Messner, to climb all fourteen eight-thousanders in the world....
, up to p. 93]
External links
- Wojciech Kurtyka climbing profile on climbandmore.com , with detailed list of ascents of 1970-2003, including rock climbs (access on March 22, 2010)
- American Alpine Journal, internet access , with search engine (access on March 22, 2010)
- Wojciech Kurtyka climbing profile on bergfieber.de , with clear review of Himalayan ascents of 1977-2003 (access on March 22, 2010)
- Karakorum, Biacherahi 2001, Kurtyka on nyka.home.pl , with topo (access on March 22, 2010)