ONLY SKY IS ABOVE US THE YEAR OF WANDA RUTKIEWICZ

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THE GOOD LORD WANTED US TO ASCEND SO HIGH ON THE SAME DAY. BOTH OF US AS THE FIRST POLES.” POPE JOHN PAUL II

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I THINK THAT CONQUERING MOUNT EVEREST WAS THE BIGGEST SUCCESS IN MY WHOLE CAREER SO FAR. […] I MADE IT TO THE REGION REFERRED TO AS THE WORLD’S “THIRD POLE”. IT WAS THE TIME OF MY LIFE. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO REACH ANY HIGHER THAN THAT.”

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MY BIGGEST LIFE ACHIEVEMENT WAS TO REACH THE SUMMIT OF K2 AS THE FIRST WOMAN IN HISTORY. I EXACTLY REMEMBER THE DESCENT FROM THE TOP. A BIGGER PART OF THE ROUTE I COVERED ALONE. THE WEATHER WAS AWFUL. I FELT I WAS GETTING WEAKER AND WEAKER, LIKE THE END WAS NEAR. BUT BEING EXPOSED TO GREAT DANGER, I JUST STOPPED FEELING FEAR. AND ON THE CONTRARY – I STARTED TO FEEL THIS PLEASANT SENSATION OF BOUNDLESS FREEDOM.”

MAYBE

An Outstanding Polish Himalayan Climber

HER FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH CLIMBING MOUNTAINS WAS DURING HER TIME AT THE UNIVERSITY WHEN TOGETHER WITH BOGDAN JANKOWSKI SHE SET OUT TO THE RUDAWY JANOWICKIE OR LANDESHUT RIDGE, A MOUNTAIN RANGE IN SUDETES IN POLAND

Born On 4 February 1943

IN PLUNGĖ, LITHUANIA

Daughter Of Zbigniew B Aszkiewicz And Maria N E Pietkun

SHE HAD THREE SIBLINGS: JERZY, MICHAŁ AND JANINA AFTER HAVING MOVED TO WARSAW (WHERE SHE LIVED IN THE WILANÓW DISTRICT, UNTIL HER DEATH IN 1992) SHE WORKED IN THE INSTITUTE OF MATHEMATICAL MACHINES

IN 1970 SHE TOOK PART IN THE EXPEDITION TO THE PAMIR MOUNTAINS, LED BY ANDRZEJ ZAWADA, AND REACHED LENIN PEAK (7134 M)

SHE WORKED IN THE INSTITUTE OF POWER SYSTEMS AUTOMATION

SHE RAN HER FIRST CLIMBING ROUTES IN THE TATRA MOUNTAINS, ALSO IN FEMALE TEAMS

IN 1975 SHE ORGANIZED THE FIRST FEMALE EXPEDITION TO GASHERBRUM III (7952 M) AND ON 11 AUGUST TOGETHER WITH ALISON CHADWICK-ONYSZKIEWICZ, JANUSZ ONYSZKIEWICZ AND KRZYSZTOF ZDZITOWIECKI, SHE REACHED THE SUMMIT, SETTING A RECORD OF THE HIGHEST ALTITUDE CLIMBED BY A FEMALE TEAM

DURING HER CLIMBING CAREER SHE SUCCESSFULLY ASCENDED 8 OUT OF 14 EIGHT-THOUSANDERS

16 OCTOBER 1978 – MOUNT EVEREST (8848 M) AS THE THIRD WOMAN IN HISTORY, THE FIRST EUROPEAN AND THE FIRST POLE;

15 JULY 1985 – NANGA PARBAT (8126 M) – TOGETHER WITH KRYSTYNA PALMOWSKA AND ANNA CZERWIŃSKA SHE REACHED THE SUMMIT VIA THE DIAMIR FACE;

23 JUNE 1986 – K2 (8611 M) – THE FIRST WOMAN AND THE FIRST POLE TO SUCCESSFULLY SUMMIT K2, THIS ACHIEVEMENT WAS LISTED IN THE GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS;

18 SEPTEMBER 1987 – SHISHAPANGMA (8013 M) –WITH RYSZARD WARECKI AS FIRST POLES;

12 JULY 1989 – GASHERBRUM II (8035 M);

16 JULY 1990 – GASHERBRUM I (8068 M) –TOGETHER WITH EWA PANKIEWICZ;

26 SEPTEMBER 1991 – CHO OYU (8188 M) –ASCENDED ALONE;

22 OCTOBER 1991 – ANNAPURNA (8091 M) –THE SOUTH FACE, ASCENDED ALONE.

SHE GRADUATED FROM WROCLAW UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY WITH MASTER’S DEGREE IN ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING

IN THE ALPS, TOGETHER WITH MORE EXPERIENCED HALINA KRÜGER-SYROKOMSKA, SHE MADE THE WORLD’S FIRST-EVER FEMALE ASCENT OF THE EAST WALL OF AIGUILLE DU GRÉPON IN THE MONT BLANC MASSIF

IN 1962 SHE COMPLETED A MOUNTAINEERING COURSE IN GĄSIENICOWA HALL IN THE TATRA MOUNTAINS

IN 1978 SHE CLIMBED THE NORTH FACE OF MATTERHORN (4478 M), MAKING HISTORY AS FIRST FEMALE TEAM

RECIPIENT OF THE ORDER OF POLONIA RESTITUTA (1979)

AUTHOR AND CO-AUTHOR OF MOVIES AND BOOKS ON CLIMBING

IN 1971 DURING THE EXPEDITION ORGANIZED BY JANUSZ KUCZAB, SHE REACHED NOSHAQ (7492 M) AS THE FIRST POLE AND ONE OF THE FIRST WOMEN

SHE PERISHED ON MAY 13, 1992, ATTEMPTING TO CLIMB KANGCHENJUNGA (8586 M) IN THE HIMALAYAS