Wojciech Kurtyka

Wojciech " Voytek " Kurtyka ( born September 20, 1947 in Skrzynka ( Lądek -Zdrój ) ) is a Polish mountaineer. Numerous first ascents in the Alps and the High Tatras, the Hindu Kush, but also in the Himalaya and Karakoram, are among his greatest achievements.

Europe

Until 1974 Kurtyka was preferably in the High Tatras, the Hindu Kush and the Alps on the go. He also led in 1974 by the first winter ascent of Troll Wall, the highest cliff in Europe, in Norway. In the Alps, get him several first ascents, including one at the Petit Dru - North Wall in 1973. 1976 he committed along with Jerzy Kukuczka a new route on the Pointe Hélène.

Himalaya and Karakoram

In 1975, Kurtyka at the first winter expedition to an eight-thousanders ever part. The aim was to Lhotse, but whose summit could not be reached. A year later, he participated in an expedition to K2, where the eastern ridge is to be celebrated for the first time. Also, this expedition failed, Kurtyka reached an altitude of about 7900 m.

After these great expeditions Kurtyka undertook only in alpine style ascents in the Himalayas. He began in 1978, when he committed a new route on the Changabang with his climbing partner Alex MacIntyre.

1979 took Kurtyka in a Polish expedition in part to the north side of the Dhaulagiri. The ascent failed, but Kurtyka discovered in an exploratory one possible route in the east wall of the mountain. With a small team consisting of MacIntyre, the Frenchman René Ghilini and Poland Ludwik Wilczyczynski he returned the following year to Dhaulagiri. The climbers succeeded the first ascent of the east face in alpine style, at an altitude of about 7500 meters they reached after three days of the northeast ridge, camped there again, but the other had to rise due to stormy weather break and went over the ridge from. A week later, she climbed over the northeast ridge to the summit, which they reached on 18 May 1980.

In 1981, he tried both in spring and autumn to climb Makalu on the west wall, where he failed both times. Together with Kukuczka he climbed in alpine style Broad Peak. In this case, both had no permission to climb this mountain, but only one for the K2. Although this ended the climbing lower mountains for acclimatization, but not other eight-thousanders. On the way down they met Reinhold Messner, which they responded to the question of the ascent, they had been in the area '. Messner understood and promised secrecy. The summit of K2 reached Kurtyka and Kukuczka this year, not more. In the winter of Kurtyka failed with Messner on Cho Oyu.

1983 ascended Kurtyka both Gasherbrum II and the Hidden Peak on new routes. One of his most important achievements he accomplished in 1984, when he crossed the northern, central and main summit of Broad Peak with Kukuczka. The following year Kurtyka, returned to the Gasherbrum group, this time to climb with Robert Schauer Gasherbrum IV on a new route in the 2500 m high west wall. After eight days on the wall at some of stormy weather, they reached the summit ridge. Due to hunger, thirst and fatigue, they renounced the traverse from the North to the main summit and immediately began the descent on the unclimbed northwest ridge, which lasted another three days. After Kurtyka 1986 failed because of the Nameless Trango Tower of Trango towers on the east side, he managed this climb in 1988, along with Erhard Loretan. 1987 and 1989, he failed twice again on the west wall of the K2. After these failed ascents Kurtyka climbed in 1990 with the Shisha Pangma Central and Cho Oyu two other peaks of more than 8000 m of new routes. Both ascents he performed with Loretan and Jean Troillet.

By 1993 Kurtyka committed then especially new ones, difficult routes in the High Tatras which are still among the most difficult in the region. In 1993, he was with Doug Scott commit a new route on Nanga Parbat on the Manzeno ridge, but Scott was injured before the first ascent attempt. The following year Kurtyka failed again on the west wall of the K2. In a further attempt at Manzeno ridge of Nanga Parbat in 1997, this time with Loretan, he failed again.

Between 1996 and 2002 Kurtyka failed several times on the north wall of Khan Tengri. Since then he has operated more on shorter sport routes. Even at age 56, in 2003, he climbed an 8a (franz ) assessed route.