| Jerzy Kukuczka | |
|---|---|
 Jerzy Kukuczka, standing on the left, 1980 |
|
| Born | 24 March 1948 Katowice Poland |
| Died | 24 October 1989 (aged 41) Lhotse, Nepal |
| Occupation | Mountaineer |
Jerzy Kukuczka (24 March 1948 – 24 October 1989), 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.
Eight-thousanders
Kukuczka's record shows why he is considered by many to be one of the best high-altitude climbers in history. He ascended all fourteen mountains in eight years, a shorter time than any climber before or since. In the process, Kukuczka established ten new routes and climbed four summits in winter. He was one of an elite group of Polish Himalayan mountaineers who specialised in winter ascents.
- 1979 — Lhotse - normal route
- 1980 — Mount Everest - new route
- 1981 — Makalu - new route, solo
- 1982 — Broad Peak - normal route, alpine style
- 1983 — Gasherbrum II - new route, alpine style
- 1983 — Gasherbrum I - new route, alpine style
- 1984 — Broad Peak - new route, alpine style
- 1985 — Dhaulagiri - first winter ascent
- 1985 — Cho Oyu - second winter ascent, new route
- 1985 — Nanga Parbat - new route
- 1986 — Kanchenjunga - first winter ascent
- 1986 — K2 - new route, alpine style
- 1986 — Manaslu - new route, alpine style
- 1987 — Annapurna I - first winter ascent
- 1987 — Shisha Pangma - new route, alpine style
Jerzy Kukuczka died attempting an alpine style climb of the unclimbed South Face of Lhotse in Nepal on 24 October 1989. Leading a pitch at an altitude of about 8200 m on a 6 mm second-hand rope he had picked up in a market in Kathmandu, the cord cut or snapped from a fall, plunging Kukuczka to his death.
Bibliography
Kukuczka, Jerzy (1992). My Vertical World: Climbing the 8000-Metre Peaks. Mountaineers Books. p. 189pp. ISBN 0-89886-344-9.
External links
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