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Jerzy Kukuczka

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Jerzy Kukuczka
Jerzy Kukuczka on Mount Everest, 1980
Personal information
NationalityPolish
Born(1948-03-24)24 March 1948
Poland Katowice, Poland
Died24 October 1989(1989-10-24) (aged 41)
Nepal Lhotse, Nepal
WebsiteVirtual Museum of Jerzy Kukuczka
Climbing career
Known for
First ascents
Gasherbrum II East, Biarchedi, Manaslu East, Yebokalgan Ri, Shishapangma West
Major ascentsFour winter ascents on the eight-thousanders
Kukuczka on a mural in Katowice
Street art of Kukuczka in Bogucice, the district of Katowice where he grew up and lived, unveiled in 2019.[1]

Józef Jerzy Kukuczka (Polish: [ˈju.zɛf ˈjɛ.ʐɨ kuˈkut͡ʂ.ka]; 24 March 1948 – 24 October 1989) was a Polish mountaineer who is widely regarded one of the greatest high-altitude climbers in history.[2][3][4] In 1987, he became the second man (after Reinhold Messner) to climb all fourteen eight-thousanders in the world; a feat which took him less than 8 years to accomplish. He climbed all, except Lhotse, by new routes or in winter. He is the only person to have climbed two eight-thousanders in one winter and his ascents of Cho Oyu, Kangchenjunga and Annapurna were first winter ascents.[5][6] His ascent of K2 was made in alpine style with Tadeusz Piotrowski, that route (the so-called "Polish Line") has not had a second ascent in over 35 years.

Reinhold Messner, upon hearing that Kukuczka had completed all fourteen 8000ers, wrote to him: "you are not second you are great",[7] a line which is reproduced as the epigraph of Kukuczka book[8] and the Polish translation forms the title of a biography published in 2021.[9] He died in 1989 while attempting to climb the south face of Lhotse.[10]

Life and career

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He was born in 1948 in Katowice, his family was ethnically Silesian Goral.[11] He practiced weightlifting in high school and began climbing mountains at the age of 17.[12] He was a trained electrician by profession.[13] In 1965, he became a member of the Mariusz Zaruski Tatra Scouting Club in Katowice. In 1966, he joined the Katowice Alpine Club and completed a climbing course in the Tatra Mountains.[14] After climbing in the Tatras, he progressed rapidly to the Alps, Alaska and the Himalayas.[3]

He climbed his first eight-thousander, Lhotse, in 1979.[15] The following year, he reached the summit of Mount Everest by way of a new south pillar route.[16] In 1985, he made first winter ascents on Dhaulagiri and Cho Oyu within three weeks.[17] In 1986, he made the first winter ascent of the world's third highest mountain, Kangchenjunga, together with Krzysztof Wielicki.[18] The same year, Kukuczka made one of the greatest achievements in his career by establishing a new route on the unclimbed south face of K2, which he and Tadeusz Piotrowski ascended alpine-style after overcoming extreme difficulties and staying in four bivies during the ascent alone. Their accomplishment "pushed the boundaries of Himalayan mountaineering to new heights" with Kukuczka regarding this as the "most challenging climb he had ever undertaken at altitude".[12]

Throughout his career, he ascended all fourteen eight-thousanders in seven years, 11 months and 14 days, a feat he achieved on 18 September 1987. He held the world record for shortest time span to summit the eight-thousanders for nearly 27 years until May 2014, when Kim Chang-ho beat his mark by one month and eight days.[19] Unlike many other prominent high-altitude climbers of his time, the routes Kukuczka chose on the Himalayan giants were usually original, many of them first ascents and often done in the grip of winter wind and cold.[20] During his career, Kukuczka established ten new routes on the eight-thousanders (still a record) and climbed four in winter. He was one of an elite group of Polish Himalayan mountaineers called Ice Warriors, who specialized in winter ascents.[21] In 1987, he was named Man of the Year in Poland after the completion of the "Crown of the Himalayas".[3]

In an era in Poland where even the most basic foods were scarce, Kukuczka was able to successfully mount and equip numerous expeditions to far-flung mountain ranges. Usually pressed for cash and equipment, he painted factory chimneys by rope access (industrial climbing) to earn precious złotys to finance his mountaineering dreams.[20]

Rivalry with Reinhold Messner

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In the 1980s, journalists frequently described the progress of Messner and Kukuczka's climbs as a "race to complete the grand slam in climbing," but both climbers stated they did not like the description or even the implication they were competing. Ultimately, Kukuczka completed his sweep of all of the world's eight-thousanders in the winter of 1986-87, but not before Messner finished his grand slam by scaling Manaslu and Lhotse in the autumn of 1986.[16] Kukuczka accomplished this feat in less than eight years, which is twice faster than Messner though.[12][17] He also established 10 new routes on eight-thousanders compared to Messner's six.[12] On the other hand, Messner climbed all eight-thousanders without supplementary oxygen; Kukuczka didn't use supplementary oxygen on any eigth-thousander except Mount Everest.[17]

Timeline of ascents above 8,000m

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Year Location Mountain Route Comments
1979 Nepal Lhotse West Face Normal Route
1980 Nepal Mount Everest South Pillar New Route[22][8]
1981 Nepal Makalu Variation to Makalu La/North-West Ridge New Route, Alpine style, Solo
1982 Pakistan Broad Peak West Spur Normal Route, Alpine style
1983 Pakistan Gasherbrum II South-East Spur New Route, Alpine style
1983 Pakistan Gasherbrum I South-West Face New Route, Alpine style
1984 Pakistan Broad Peak Traverse of North, Middle, Rocky and Main Summits New Route, Alpine style
1985 Nepal Dhaulagiri North-East Spur Normal Route, First Winter Ascent[23][24]
1985 Nepal Cho Oyu South-East Pillar Second Winter Ascent
1985 Pakistan Nanga Parbat South-East Pillar New Route[25]
1986 Nepal Kanchenjunga South-West Face Normal Route, First Winter Ascent[18][8]
1986 Pakistan K2 South Face New Route, Alpine style[26]
1986 Nepal Manaslu North-East Face New Route, Alpine style
1987 Nepal Annapurna I North Face Normal Route, First Winter Ascent[27]
1987 China Shishapangma West Ridge New Route, Alpine style, Ski Descent
1988 Nepal Annapurna East South Face New Route, Alpine style

He climbed all summits, except for Mount Everest, without the use of supplemental oxygen.

Death

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Kukuczka died while attempting to climb the unclimbed South Face of Lhotse in Nepal on 24 October 1989.[28] He was leading a pitch at an altitude of about 8,200 metres (26,900 ft) on a 6 mm secondhand rope he had picked up in a market in Kathmandu. According to Ryszard Pawłowski, Kukuczka's climbing partner, the main single rope used by the team was too jammed to be used and the climbers decided to use transport rope instead. When Kukuczka lost his footing and fell, the cord was either cut or it snapped, plunging him around 2,000 metres to his death. His body was never found.[29]

Personal life

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Kukuczka married Cecylia (née Ogrodzińska) with whom he had two sons, Maciej and Wojciech.[30] His younger son, Wojciech, also climbed Mount Everest just like his father.[31] Kukuczka was a Catholic.[32]

Selected awards and honours

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Commemoration

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In the hamlet of Wilcze in Istebna in the highlander's summer house Jerzy Kukuczka, there is the Memorial Chamber of Jerzy Kukuczka, created in 1996 by Cecylia Kukuczka (Jerzy's wife). Commemorative plaques devoted to the memory of Kukuczka are located in Chukhung, Nepal as well as the Tatra Symbolic Cemetery in Poland.

The mountain "Yak Hotel" in Nepal in Dingboche (4400 m a.s.l.) is named after Jerzy Kukuczka.

The Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education is a public university in Katowice that conducts teaching and research in physical education and rehabilitation.[34]

There is also a street in the Gaj district in Wrocław named after him. In 1988, the Polish Post issued a postage stamp featuring Jerzy Kukuczka honouring his reception of the Olympic Order.[35]

In 2015, a statue of Kukuczka designed by Bogumił Burzyński was unveiled at the main entrance to the Physical Education Academy (AWF) in Katowice. His name was also included on the Monument of Alpine Climbers in Katowice.[36]

He is the subject of the book Kukuczka. Opowieść o najsłynniejszym polskim himalaiście (Kukuczka: Story of the Poland's Greatest Climber) published in 2016 as well as documentary films Kukuczka by Jerzy Porębski (2011) and Jurek by Paweł Wysoczański (2014). In 2018, Robert Talarczyk directed a play entitled Himalaje (The Himalayas) devoted to the life of Kukuczka, which premiered at the Silesian Theatre in Katowice.[37]

[edit]
  • Monument in Katowice
    Monument in Katowice
  • Jerzy Kukuczka's memorial with Lhotse in the background
    Jerzy Kukuczka's memorial with Lhotse in the background
  • Memorial plaque in Istebna
    Memorial plaque in Istebna
  • Monument of Polish mountaineers in Katowice
    Monument of Polish mountaineers in Katowice

See also

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Bibliography

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  • Kukuczka, Jerzy (1992). My Vertical World: Climbing the 8000-Metre Peaks. Mountaineers Books. p. 189. ISBN 0-89886-344-9.[8]
  • Wąsikowski, Piotr (1996). Dwa razy Everest. PiT.
  • Kukuczka, Jerzy (1990). Na szczytach swiata. Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza. p. 193. ISBN 83-03-03166-X.
  • Gasca, Gian Luca (2021). Nie jesteś drugi jesteś wielki. Włoski portret Jerzego Kukuczki. Fundacja Wielki Czlowiek. ISBN 9788365095053.[38]

References

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  1. ^ "Mural z wybitnym himalaistą Jerzym Kukuczką odsłonięto w Katowicach". www.rmf24.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  2. ^ Doubrawa-Cochlin, Ingeborga. "A Tribute to Jerzy Kukuczka (1948–1989)" (PDF). The Alpine Journal: 32–34. ISSN 0065-6569. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d Nicolas Hobley (24 October 2019). "Remembering Jerzy Kukuczka, the legendary Polish mountaineer". planetmountain.com. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  4. ^ "Remembering legendary Polish climber". polskieradio.pl. 24 October 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  5. ^ Nyka, Józef (1988). "Asia, Tibet, Shisha Pangma and Kukuczka's 14th 8000er". American Alpine Journal. #30 (62): 280. ISBN 978-0930410339. ISSN 0065-6925. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  6. ^ Aleksandra Stanisławska (5 January 2014). "Poles in the Himalayas". poland.pl. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  7. ^ "Shisha Pangma '87 - Fourteen times eight". Virtual Museum Jerzy Kukuczka. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d Kukuczka, Jerzy (1992). My Vertical World: Climbing the 8000-Metre Peaks. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 0340534850. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  9. ^ Gasca, Gian Luca (2021). Nie jesteś drugi jesteś wielki. Włoski portret Jerzego Kukuczki. Fundacja Wielki Czlowiek. ISBN 9788365095053.
  10. ^ "Jerzy Kukuczka: Legendary Mountaineer and His Historic Conquests in the Himalayas". awesomeholidaysnepal.com. 24 October 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  11. ^ Kukuczka, Jerry (2015). "Challenge the Vertical".
  12. ^ a b c d "Remembering Jerzy Kukuczka, one of the greatest climbers of all times". tranquilkilimanjaro.com. 24 October 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  13. ^ Kris Annapurna (24 October 2024). "Remembering Jerzy Kukuczka". explorersweb.com. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  14. ^ Mateusz Łysak (7 May 2024). "Jerzy Kukuczka wiele razy dokonał niemożliwego w Himalajach. Zginął w symbolicznym dla siebie miejscu". national-geographic.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  15. ^ "Śmierć legendy wstrząsnęła światem. Mija 35 lat od odejścia Jerzego Kukuczki". polsatsport.pl (in Polish). 24 October 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Famed Polish climber dies in accident". upi.com. 26 October 1989. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  17. ^ a b c Stefan Nestler (24 March 2018). "Unforgotten: Jerzy Kukuczka". dw.com. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  18. ^ a b Machnik, Andrzej (1987). "Kangchenjunga climbed in winter". Himalayan Journal. #43: 7–9. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  19. ^ "Korean Everest Sea to Summit marred by tragedy". British Mountaineering Council. 27 May 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  20. ^ a b Ruggera, M.D., Gary (1993). "Book Reviews: My Vertical World. Jerzy Kukuczka". American Alpine Journal. 50: 300–301. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  21. ^ Agnieszka Szymaszek (23 March 2021). "Pionowy świat Jerzego Kukuczki. Wspomnienie jednego z najwybitniejszych himalaistów na świecie". onet.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  22. ^ Brniak, Marek; Nyka, Józef (1981). "Two Polish Ascents of Everest". American Alpine Journal. #23 (55): 51–53. ISSN 0065-6925. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  23. ^ "Xexplorers web:The meaning of winter in 8000+ climbing". Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  24. ^ Bilczewski, Adam (1987). "Dhaulagiri 1984-85". Himalayan Journal. #43: 21–24. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  25. ^ Skok, Janez (1986). "Asia, Pakistan, Nanga Parbat, Rupal Buttress Ascent and Tragedy". American Alpine Journal. 28 (60): 290. ISBN 9780930410278. ISSN 0065-6925. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  26. ^ Kukuczka, Jerzy (1987). "K2's South Face". American Alpine Journal. 29 (61): 14–16. ISBN 0930410297. ISSN 0065-6925. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  27. ^ Hawley, Elizabeth (1987). "Asia, Nepal, Annapurna Winter Ascent: Kukuczka's 13th 8000er, 1987". American Alpine Journal. #29 (61): 251. ISBN 978-0930410292. ISSN 0065-6925. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  28. ^ Przemysław Gajzler (16 August 2024). "Jerzy Kukuczka – polski zdobywca Korony Himalajów i Karakorum". onet.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  29. ^ Kortko, Dariusz; Pietraszewski, Marcin (2016). Opowieść o najsłynniejszym polskim himalaiście [The Story of the Most Famous Polish Climber] (in Polish). Warsaw: Agora SA. ISBN 978-83-268-2393-0.
  30. ^ "Izba pamięci Jerzego Kukuczki". jerzykukuczka.com (in Polish). Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  31. ^ Tomasz Kalemba (6 September 2013). "Cecylia Kukuczka: nie czuję żalu do tych gór". onet.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  32. ^ "Kubalonka, ślub kościelny Jerzego Kukuczki i Cecylii Kukuczki". Archiwum Rodzinne Jerzego Kukuczki (in Polish). 27 March 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  33. ^ a b c d e f g h "Legitymacje Odznaczeń". zbioryspoleczne.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  34. ^ "The Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education in Katowice". The European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR). Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  35. ^ "Blok 136 Srebrny medal Orderu Olimpijskiego dla Jerzego Kukuczki". dyskontfilatelistyczny.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  36. ^ "Odsłonięto pomnik tragicznie zmarłych alpinistów Klubu Wysokogórskiego w Katowicach". wspinanie.pl (in Polish). 28 October 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  37. ^ "Prapremiera spektaklu o Jerzym Kukuczce w Teatrze Śląskim". dzieje.pl (in Polish). 18 May 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  38. ^ Gasca, Gian Luca (2021). Nie jesteś drugi jesteś wielki. Włoski portret Jerzego Kukuczki. Fundacja Wielki Czlowiek. ISBN 9788365095053.
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