He conquered 14 eight-thousanders. Reinhold Messner also did it, but Jerzy Kukuczka needed less time for it. At the airport, he was greeted by crowds and his wife, who brought symbolic 14 roses. There were also questions waiting. First of all: “Mr. Jerzy, what’s next? What more can you achieve?” And he replied: “There are enough problems for several generations of climbers to solve there in the Himalayas and Karakoram…”
Lhotse is 8,516 m above sea level, it is the fourth mountain on Earth. For Jerzy Kukuczka, she was special. It was she who gave rise to his Himalayan successes. It was October 1979 when, together with Andrzej Czok, Andrzej Heinrich and Janusz Skorek, he climbed to its top. They followed the classic route, from the direction of the South Pass. There he began a path that would permanently mark him in the history of Himalayan mountaineering. Even if I don’t know who wanted to erase these achievements and how.
After climbing Shishapangma, which seemed to connect all eight-thousanders together, he did not specify his next goal. But those who knew him knew that the southern face of Lhotse gave him no peace. And because he was stubborn, he packed up. How many symbols were there in this expedition…
Four years earlier, almost to the day (October 25, 1985), he attacked this famous wall. They climbed together with Rafał Chołda and secured the last fragments. Tired, they decided to finish and go lower. It was said that it was not a difficult section… At one point, Kukuczka, who was the first to descend, felt movement. Then all he saw was the backpack sliding down. Rafał was not there. Members of the French expedition later testified that they saw a man falling into the vast abyss. It was Jurek’s partner. Then he failed. They failed…
He returned to the country dejected. Maciej Biega, who reported on his mountain struggles in “Sportowiec”, wrote as follows:
“When I talked to Jurek in Warsaw, he talked about all this with difficulty. The toughest people are just people. The only thing that distinguishes them from others is that they do not fall into long-term stupor. Kukuczka is back in the Himalayas. He is in a team that wants to prove that a person can go to Kanchenjunga in winter.
It was his stubbornness.
In 1989 he went again. By then he was already an Olympic medalist in Calgary. He had his own vision of climbing. It was not as great as Messner’s philosophy, which tickled the human spirit. Because Jurek treated the mountains more sportily. When he received the medal, he said:
– In mountaineering, just like in chess, there is room for some kind of creativity and sports competition. If it weren’t for it, I might never have climbed. For me, it’s not enough to just be in the mountains – he added later – it’s not enough to be on an expedition. I believe that if you go up a hill, you do it with a purpose, and that goal is to climb that mountain.
Before the trip, everything was different too. My wife, Cecylia, told me in an interview:
– And fear? The mountains have taken many people. You were standing on the platform, a train was coming or a plane was taxiing. Then goodbye and…
– And cry. I came back and wiped my eyes with a tissue. Fear was also responsible for these tears. After all, Jerzy lost friends and partners on the mountain walls. Death was always next to him. I knew it. And the fear of her followed me, but I learned to endure this company. I suppressed dark thoughts, explaining to myself that this would not happen to my husband. That he is too strong. He also kept repeating: “Don’t worry, Celina, I’ll be fine. I’ll come back.” I believed him and this faith gave me strength.
– Was it like that before going to Lhotse?
– The farewell in front of Lhotse, in 1989, was different. Today, when I think back to those moments, and I remember them exceptionally well, I see that they were different from the standards. Jerzy always took a lot of luggage with him on his trips. And when he boarded the train at the station in Katowice, he had a small backpack with him. He looked like a tourist going on a multi-day trip, not a mountaineer facing the most difficult of walls. Our ritual was also unusual. We always went to the airport together and only there we said goodbye. It so happened that before Lhotse I had no one to leave my sons with. We agreed that I would only take my husband to the train station in Katowice and return home. And there, on the platform, we didn’t have much time for ourselves. Jurek’s club friends came. They talked to him and finalized the matter. They asked him to sign some documents. He did it. And the train arrived. Everything was happening too fast. We ran out of time for ourselves.
– Last farewell…
– The announcer’s voice came out of the megaphone. Tabor was about to leave. We just had time to hug each other tightly. Kiss and… (silence) I’m sorry, I often cry when I remember it…”
Quote sources:
Sure thing! Let’s channel a bit of humor, observation, and some cheekiness—starting with that incredible story of Jerzy Kukuczka, a name that resonates in the high-altitude mountaineering world like a yodel bouncing off the peaks of the Himalayas. Now, don’t let the name oversell it—he’s not a rival to Kronk from The Emperor’s New Groove. No, he’s not plotting an overthrow, but rather conquering peaks that most of us can only dream of—or maybe only consider if we’re out of breath climbing up a flight of stairs!
The Climb of Legends: Jerzy Kukuczka’s Himalayan Conquests
Kukuczka, a Polish dynamo, managed to conquer 14 of those monster mountains known as the eight-thousanders—those insurmountable giants above 8,000 meters. And he did it faster than Reinhold Messner, who must have been fuming like a malfunctioning espresso machine on the sidelines. Message to Reinhold: It’s not the speed that counts; it’s how you make it look while doing it. Cue dramatic music.
Back from his epic adventures, Kukuczka was greeted with roses—symbols of love, or perhaps a hint that he might want to up his flower game next time to three dozen! His wife was there, all teary-eyed with 14 roses, one for each summit conquered. Meanwhile, you can just imagine the crowd, buzzing with anticipation, firing questions at him like it’s a press conference for a new Marvel movie. "Mr. Kukuczka, what’s next? Saving the world or just trying to fix your gear?"
And Kukuczka, undeterred, replies with the wisdom of a rock-solid mountaineer, "There are enough problems for several generations of climbers to solve there in the Himalayas and Karakoram." I mean, buddy’s not just climbing for the thrills; he’s tackling the world’s biggest ‘do-it-yourself’ mountains!
A Journey to the Summit
Lhotse, climbing’s notorious bad boy at 8,516 meters. Jerzy had a bit of a relationship with this beauty—like a celebrity with their favorite haunt. Their first date? October 1979. The classic route up, lots of breathing issues, and maybe a few too many selfies. But that was just the beginning of a climber’s tale that’s juicier than a tabloid headline!
In the years that followed, Jerzy became the Indiana Jones of the high-altitudes—minus the hat, whip, and the annoying sidekick. One particular ascent in 1985 became a heart-wrenching story that even the best soap operas would envy. As he made his descent, one of his climbing partners, Rafał Chołda, went missing in an unexpected slip down the mountain. It’s the kind of plot twist that would make you slam the book shut and try not to weep on the pages.
The Climb Continues
But did Kukuczka let fear haunt him? No way! He bounced back, like an overzealous rubber ball. He was back in those towering peaks, even after dealing with the heart-thumping drama of climbing death. “When I talked to Jurek in Warsaw," a reporter noted, "he talked about all this with difficulty. The toughest people are just people.” Seriously, folks, even the best of climbers get a bit nervous sometimes. And that’s normal—even laughter can sometimes be the best medicine!
Winning an Olympic medal in Calgary? Chump change for Kukuczka. He brought his competitive spirit into the mountains, declaring mountain climbing akin to chess. Hold your horses—if climbing’s like chess, does that mean there’s a mountain equivalent of “knight to E4”?
The Heart of the Climb
Every expedition saw a mix of excitement, fear, and a sprinkle of hope. Jerzy’s wife, Cecylia, shared the realness of their farewells, mixing in tears and faith—a cocktail no one wants to down but sometimes has to. Jerzy’s mantra? "Don’t worry, Celina, I’ll be fine. I’ll come back.” Oh honey, that would certainly make for an Instagram story! But life in the mountains isn’t just sunshine and daisies—it’s also figuring out how to leave without a tear in your eye!
So there you have it! The remarkable journey of Jerzy Kukuczka: a man who not only climbed mountains but defied the gravity of despair and returned to face them again, armed with the strength of a thousand mountain goats. As with all great adventurers, we’re left wondering: what’s next? Perhaps a summit of love with those roses or an epic rivalry with a yeti? Who knows!
Whether you’re climbing Everest or just trying to reach the top shelf for your favorite snack, remember: life is like a mountain—sometimes you scale it, and sometimes it scales right back at you. Take a cue from Jerzy—keep climbing!
