In memory of Wanda Rutkiewicz (1943-1992)

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Thank you Pioneers of my Past

In memory of Wanda Rutkiewicz (1943-1992)

Page Type: Article

Activities: Mountaineering, Sport Climbing

Page By: Ivona

Created/Edited: May 11, 2008 / Nov 30, 2008

Object ID: 402961

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Page Score: 92.94% - 103 Votes

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Table of Contents

Introduction and the most important atteinments

Family and her life..

About Wanda Rutkiewicz

Images

Introduction and the most important atteinments

I would like to remind SP community of wonderful woman,because of 16 th anniversary of her disappearance on Kangchenjunga 12th or 13th May in 1992.
This summit would have been her ninth 8000 meter peak and now she could probably have been the first woman who would reach all 14 8000meter peaks.She wanted to do it.She died on Kangchenjunga somewhere over 8000 meters while attempting via the southwest face route.She climbed with Carlos Carsolio. They started together at 3:30 am 12.05.1992 from camp
IV - 7950 meters. After about a dozen hours of climbing in a deep snow Carlos reached the top. He went down and met Wanda around 8200-8300 meters on the way down. She decided to stay there on a bivouac and started solo for the top the next day. No one ever saw Wanda again... She was the most famous Polish woman Alpine and Himalayan mountain climber :

Her 8000 meter peaks:

16.10.1978- Mount Everest- she was first European woman,
first Polish and third woman who reached it.
15.07.1985- Nanga Parbat-with Krystyna Palmowska and Anna Czerwinska.
They bacame first only women's team who scaled this peak.
23.06.1986- K2-the first ever woman on the top this peak,also first Polish.
18.09.1987- Shisha Pangma
12.07.1989- Gasherbrum II
16.07.1990- Gasherbrum I with Ewa Panejko-Pankiewicz
26.09.1991- Cho Oyu- solo ascent
22.10.1991- Annapurna- solo ascent via South Face

Her other more imortant atteinments:

1968- East Face of Trollryggen in Norway,with Halina Krüger-Syrokomska,
first women's ascent
1970- Pik Lenin (7134m),Pamir
1972- Noshaq (7492 m),Hindukush
1973- North Face of Eiger (3970m) first women's team ascent
with Danuta Gellner and Stefania Egierszdorff
1975- she was leading of Gasherbrum's expedition-very successful.
They reached virgin summit of Gasherbrum III (7946m) and after that
2 women( Halina Krüger-Syrokomska,Anna Okopinska) from this team
reached Gasherbrum II (8035m)
1978- North Face of Matterhorn in winter- women's team ascent
1985- Aconcagua- alpine style via South Face

Family and her life..

Wanda was born 4th February 1943 in the village Plungiany(today's Lithuania).Her family moved to Wroclaw in Western Poland after II world war. Wanda was touched by death in her family as a young girl.In 1949 died her elder brother.He was playing near the active mine.She had younger sister and brother as well.In 1972 died her father.Wanda didn't have strong relationship with him but he left her great passion for sport.She was training high jumping,volley-ball,jogging,shot-putting.Her mountain's adventure started at rocks near Jelenia Gora and climbing course in Tatra's in 1962.She liked climbing with women and was very independent.Wanda wanted to fight with stereotype of weak woman.Her climbing trainers were showing photos from different climbing accidents all the time,but she didn't give up;). She was a student of engineering college in Wroclaw,so her studies were also „occupied” by men;).Wanda was working as an engineer in Wroclaw and Warszawa.She had 2 husbands,but her great love was a German doctor climber Kurt Lyncekrüger who fell down and died on her eyes during their climb on Broad Peak.She broke her trip then.It was very hurtful event in her life and last life's partner.

About Wanda Rutkiewicz

„She lost 30 friends or partners during her 25-years of climbing.What an uncompromising spirit and unsubdued energy provide her again in the mountains”
„ROCK ICE”

„She doesn't have family and children,mountains are meaning of her life...”
„NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG”

Wanda said: „I had very interesting men but they have never created my life”
„ZEIT - MAGAZIN”

You can read about Wanda Rutkiewicz in books :
English language:
Jennifer Jordan „The life and death of the first women of K2”
Gertrude Reinisch „A Caravan of Dreams”
German language:
Gertrude Reinisch „Karawane der Träume”
Luisa Francia „Der untere Himmel. Frauen in eisigen Höhen”

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gorida

piotr pustelnik

Voted 10/10

I saw a documentary about Wanda's life last year titled 'Caravan of Dreams' (http://www.eastsilver.net/poland/34). much more about Wanda can you also find in Jennifer Jordan's book "Savage Summit"(http://forum.wgbh.org/wgbh/ram.php?id=1127&size=hi). anyways, thank you for this article Ivona. I placed it as a link to our blog post today. btw, do you by any chance have this photo in better resolution (http://gorida.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/caravane_of_dreams.jpg)?

Posted Dec 29, 2008 6:00 pm


	Ivona	Re: piotr pustelnik
	Hasn't voted	Hi thanks for you suggestions.I read this book and watched that film.There are more books about Wanda but in Polish language (for example an interviews with her and with her friends).Of course I didn't write about many personal things and events in her life also about details from her mountain trips.I wanted to create short article only about her atteinments. We have now in Poland a great serie of books:"Polish Himalaya".Each of book has got DVD with documental films also about Wanda and her trips.Unfortunatelly I don't have this photo in better condition regards Iwona
		Posted Jan 3, 2009 4:01 pm


	gorida	Re: piotr pustelnik
	Voted 10/10	Thank you for your response Ivona. Who made that DVD and documentary about Wanda?
		Posted Jan 16, 2009 5:20 pm


	Ivona	Re: piotr pustelnik
	Hasn't voted	These books were published by Polish newspaper "Gazeta Wyborcza".It was a serie- 1 book weekly.Together 6 books and DVD.It was also English version.(I mean DVD) All serie was about Polish Himalaya climbers,but one of the book was about Polish women in Himalaya and most of it was about Wanda
		Posted Jan 31, 2009 8:59 am

Mountain_girl

thank you!

Voted 10/10

for writing this article! She is my hero :)

Posted Mar 12, 2009 11:11 pm


	Ivona	Re: thank you!
	Hasn't voted	I'm glad you like it!
		Posted Mar 13, 2009 4:08 am


	Ivona	Re: Well done...
	Hasn't voted	thanks a lot for your kind words! it's good to hear that you had so nice memories despite of that hard time in Poland. All the best! Iwona
		Posted Sep 21, 2009 11:53 am

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