Thirty-five years ago today, one of the all-time giants of mountaineering perished.
On Oct. 24, 1989, Poland’s Jerzy Kukuczka was attempting the South Face of 8,516m Lhotse, when his rope broke. Kukuczka fell to his death from an altitude of 8,350m.
Born in Katowice, the great Polish climber had already completed all 14 8,000m peaks. At this time, this was one of the pinnacles of alpinism, compared to today, when it is fast becoming an Instagram listicle for guided clients. Kukuczka established several new routes on these 8,000m peaks and completed four successful winter ascents of them.
Beyond his incredible physical strength and technical skills, Kukuczka was a loving family man. An electrician by trade, he found joy in the Himalaya and the Karakoram. Sometimes, he painted factory chimneys as a temporary high-altitude worker to raise money for his expeditions.
”At the top, there is no explosion of happiness,” Kukuczka said once. “Happiness is when everything remains in front of you, when you know that you have a few hundred, a few dozen meters ahead to complete your goal. That is happiness.”
Although this is the day he died, it’s best to celebrate his life and legacy by sharing the documentary below about this legendary climber.
