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Ucieczka na szczyt. Rutkiewicz, Wielicki, Kurtyka, Kukuczka
Pozycja obowiązkowa dla każdego miłośnika gór.
Książka opisuje Złotą Erę polskiego himalaizmu, pokazując wkład Polaków w historię światowego wspinania. Autorka spędziła w Polsce sporo czasu, przemierzając ją wzdłuż i wszerz, rozmawiając z wybitnymi himalaistami jak Krzysztof Wielicki, Wojciech Kurtyka, Janusz Majer, Artur Hajzer, Maciej Pawlikowski, Maciej Berbeka i innymi.
Oczywiście w bogato ilustrowanej książce nie zabraknie wspomnień o Jerzym Kukuczce, Wandzie Rutkiewicz, Andrzeju Heinrichu, Gienku Chrobaku, Tadeuszu Piotrowskim i wielu, wielu innych.
Książka opisuje Złotą Erę polskiego himalaizmu, pokazując wkład Polaków w historię światowego wspinania. Autorka spędziła w Polsce sporo czasu, przemierzając ją wzdłuż i wszerz, rozmawiając z wybitnymi himalaistami jak Krzysztof Wielicki, Wojciech Kurtyka, Janusz Majer, Artur Hajzer, Maciej Pawlikowski, Maciej Berbeka i innymi.
Oczywiście w bogato ilustrowanej książce nie zabraknie wspomnień o Jerzym Kukuczce, Wandzie Rutkiewicz, Andrzeju Heinrichu, Gienku Chrobaku, Tadeuszu Piotrowskim i wielu, wielu innych.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
February 19, 2015
The Golden Age of Polish climbing (roughly 1971-1992) was a time of incredible and groundbreaking achievements, some of which have never been replicated. Unfortunately, this momentous chapter in the history of mountaineering has mostly faded from memory, owing to the tremendous loss of life among the elite climbers, as well as to the lack of effort in preserving the memories and presenting them to the whole world. Luckily, author Bernadette McDonald assembled a fascinating overview that resurrects the forgotten past, proving without a doubt why Poland (and those who rose from there) firmly belong in the top echelon of mountain climbing. The book does an excellent job explaining the social, political and economic contexts which ultimately determined how and why these climbers achieved what they did. Poles became the undisputed masters of the 'art of suffering' - which allowed them to go higher and push harder than anyone thought humanly possible. In particular, Jerzy Kukuczka rose above all to dominate Himalayan high-altitude climbing for almost a decade; if he had lived as long as Reinhold Messner did, he would undoubtedly rank as the greatest mountaineer of all time. I had heard of Kukuczka before, but knew nothing about how he managed to do things that defied (and still do) any attempts at understanding or replication. This book shed a lot of light on Kukuczka, as well as his compatriots, including Wanda Rutkiewicz, a woman far ahead of her time, who were not superhumans. They were simply the brightest stars put forth by a people hungry for global respect and redemption after immemorial times of suffering, injustice and disillusion. Like supernovas, Polish climbers exploded onto the international scene in a dazzling manner, then cruelly faded as success was paid in the heaviest price - lives left on the biggest mountains. However, their legacy will live on forever.
January 21, 2021
Pierwsza połowa książki była rozczarowaniem. Było widać, że kanadyjska autorka pisze swoją książkę na zachodni rynek. Bardzo dużo miejsca poświęciła na przedstawienie tła historycznego w komunistycznej Polsce. Prawdopodobnie warto było uzmysłowić te realia zachodniemu czytelnikowi, ale Polakom raczej nie trzeba tłumaczyć czym był komunizm, kim był Wałęsa czy przypominać, że pod koniec lat 70. Polak został wybrany papieżem. Te fragmenty zajmowały miejsce informacjom, których oczekiwałam. A oczekiwałam wspinaczkowego "mięsa". Na szczęście dostałam to w drugiej połowie książki. Ostatecznie uważam, że jest to niezła pozycja, ale pozostaje słabe wrażenie z pierwszej połowy. Nie można jednak odmówić autorce przygotowania merytorycznego i świetnego researchu. O Polskim himalaizmie wie chyba wszystko. Ucieczka na szczyt to dobra lektura na pierwsze spotkanie z literaturą górską - przedstawia najważniejsze wyprawy złotej ery polskiego himalaizmu w pigułce.
January 29, 2022
In this case, the whole is less than the sum of the parts. There are surely amazing stories here, but McDonald covers so much ground that they seem unremarkable and forgettable.
> “Communist time was so nice for us because we didn’t have to work...Two months with the painting jobs and it was enough; then we can go for six months to the Himalaya.” Together with university professors, doctors, and engineers, Krzysztof painted towers and smokestacks—and climbed. “I painted almost the whole of Silesia ...the Katowice steelworks, mines, buildings, conveyor belts, chimneys of heat-generating plants, water towers ...from Trzebnia to Zabrze,” he claimed. “Time had no value back then. We did what we wanted: we met at the mountaineers’ club, we dreamt, we made plans, and then set out to the mountains! As grown-ups, we were at a permanent party, having quit our professions, not knowing that in a few years’ time capitalism would also come to us.”
> This exuberance of creative expression wasn’t limited to climbers. There was an abundance of artists and writers who thrived creatively during those severely repressed years in Poland. The censorship industry, rather than stifle, seemed to actually stimulate the artistic community. Like the climbers, artists became stronger through oppression; their most creative work came out of the darkest days. When repression collapsed, they collapsed too. They had no idea how to communicate without being rebels.
> Leszek attributed Poland’s great record in the mountains to a much more banal reason: sheer numbers. “There was a veritable army of climbers,” he said. “It was inevitable that some would rise to the top.” He pointed out that, for more than a decade, there were 10 to 15 Polish expeditions mounted each year to the Himalaya. Those climbers who rose to the top became famous, but there were hundreds more who didn’t, despite their phenomenal climbs.
> Each of these stars had his or her own idée fixe. For Wanda it was to be the first woman to wear the Himalayan Crown; for Jurek it was Lhotse’s South Face; for Andrzej and Krzysztof it was all about winter climbs; and for Voytek it was the West Face of K2.
> As each of the Himalayan powerhouses—Britain, Poland, Slovenia, and Russia—improved their standards of living and economic situations, fewer of their climbers were willing to commit themselves to the mountains. It would entail a vow of poverty, no longer much in fashion.
> “Communist time was so nice for us because we didn’t have to work...Two months with the painting jobs and it was enough; then we can go for six months to the Himalaya.” Together with university professors, doctors, and engineers, Krzysztof painted towers and smokestacks—and climbed. “I painted almost the whole of Silesia ...the Katowice steelworks, mines, buildings, conveyor belts, chimneys of heat-generating plants, water towers ...from Trzebnia to Zabrze,” he claimed. “Time had no value back then. We did what we wanted: we met at the mountaineers’ club, we dreamt, we made plans, and then set out to the mountains! As grown-ups, we were at a permanent party, having quit our professions, not knowing that in a few years’ time capitalism would also come to us.”
> This exuberance of creative expression wasn’t limited to climbers. There was an abundance of artists and writers who thrived creatively during those severely repressed years in Poland. The censorship industry, rather than stifle, seemed to actually stimulate the artistic community. Like the climbers, artists became stronger through oppression; their most creative work came out of the darkest days. When repression collapsed, they collapsed too. They had no idea how to communicate without being rebels.
> Leszek attributed Poland’s great record in the mountains to a much more banal reason: sheer numbers. “There was a veritable army of climbers,” he said. “It was inevitable that some would rise to the top.” He pointed out that, for more than a decade, there were 10 to 15 Polish expeditions mounted each year to the Himalaya. Those climbers who rose to the top became famous, but there were hundreds more who didn’t, despite their phenomenal climbs.
> Each of these stars had his or her own idée fixe. For Wanda it was to be the first woman to wear the Himalayan Crown; for Jurek it was Lhotse’s South Face; for Andrzej and Krzysztof it was all about winter climbs; and for Voytek it was the West Face of K2.
> As each of the Himalayan powerhouses—Britain, Poland, Slovenia, and Russia—improved their standards of living and economic situations, fewer of their climbers were willing to commit themselves to the mountains. It would entail a vow of poverty, no longer much in fashion.
July 12, 2019
Mam bardzo mieszane uczucia. Przede wszystkim ksiazka jest napisana bardzo nierownym, brzydkim stylem. Poczatek akapitu ma sie nijak do jego konca. Rozdzial o tytule nawiazujacym do wspinacza nr 1 w polowie opowiada historei wspinacza nr 2. Ten sam wspinacz na poczatku opisywany jest jako osoba uduchowiona, kilka stron dalej jej glowna cecha okazuje sie byc twarde stapanie po ziemii. Nie wiem, na ile autorka, a naile tlumaczenie pogrzebalo sprawe, ale mialam duzy stopien irytacji, czytajac te ksiazke.
Z drugiej strony przekazuje mase ciekawych informacji i skondensowane historie czolowki polskich himalaistow. Dlatego 3 a nie 2 gwiazdki.
I moze teraz juz przesadzam, ale kanadyjska pisarka wypowiadajaca sie na temat Polakow, ze zachowywali sie w sposob A lub B, bo uwazali sie za mesjaszy i kochali Mickiewicza....Hmmm...Nie jestem pewna, ze wrzucanie wszystkich do jednego worka i to nawet nie przez osobe, ktore tez dzialala w tej spolecznosci troche mi sie gryzie.
Prawie tak bardzo, jak moja recenzja bez polskich znakow, ale klawiatura odmowila posluszenstwa, za co serdecznie przepraszam!
Z drugiej strony przekazuje mase ciekawych informacji i skondensowane historie czolowki polskich himalaistow. Dlatego 3 a nie 2 gwiazdki.
I moze teraz juz przesadzam, ale kanadyjska pisarka wypowiadajaca sie na temat Polakow, ze zachowywali sie w sposob A lub B, bo uwazali sie za mesjaszy i kochali Mickiewicza....Hmmm...Nie jestem pewna, ze wrzucanie wszystkich do jednego worka i to nawet nie przez osobe, ktore tez dzialala w tej spolecznosci troche mi sie gryzie.
Prawie tak bardzo, jak moja recenzja bez polskich znakow, ale klawiatura odmowila posluszenstwa, za co serdecznie przepraszam!
August 19, 2014
Zawsze trudno było mi pojąć moim małym zaściankowym rozumkiem wyższe abstrakcje człowieczeństwa. Wysiadałem w trakcie dyskusji nt. gór - chodzi o rozważania o potrzebie wolności, o zagadnieniach odpowiedzialności, o przekraczaniu ludzkich granic. Dla mnie istniał tylko argument - pcha się w góry - kusi los - sam sobie winien - idiota. Ta książka przyznaję, mocno mnie skruszyła... Nie to, że bym chciał zaraz jechać w Himalaje, ale na pewno zacząłem się nad tymi abstrakcjami zastanawiać na nowo. Warto było :) Polecam nawet dla tych, którzy nie są zainteresowani samymi górami, wystarczy zainteresowanie człowiekiem :P
August 10, 2016
A great book and a must-read for the non-Polish climbing fans. Unfortunately if one read already even some of the Polish books on high mountin climbing,especially those written by the climbers themselves, this one will be slightly boring.
February 20, 2012
Writer and former director of the Banff Mountain Film Festival Bernadette McDonald has new book that offers a unique perspective on high altitude climbing in the Himalaya. As the author of several titles on the subject she’s well regarded in the international mountaineering community. And back in 2003 she came up with an idea for this latest project at an adventure film festival in Poland.
“And as most ideas do, this one began at a party,” McDonald said.
It was the after party of this festival and McDonald was in the clubhouse of the Katowice Mountain Club. She knew a number of these climbers from her years working at the festival. But in this particular situation she was sort of swamped with them, she said. There were dozens of climbers in this clubhouse and there was a lot of energy in the room.
“But it wasn’t just about the festival. It was about a community of the hardest core climbers I had ever seen in my life,” McDonald said. “And the stories that I heard that night, the passion and the depth of their history in the mountains absolutely astonished me. But the other thing that struck me was that it felt like it was the end of an era because a lot of the best of those climbers had already died in the mountains. It felt a bit like an Irish wake. That’s the way it struck me and I thought there was a story here. Because the situation in which they grew up, the conditions, the hardships that they endured were so different than anything that I had ever experienced and more different than most people I knew had experienced. And I somehow felt that those two things were linked.”
From the mid1970s through the 1980s Polish climbers dominated the Himalayan mountaineering scene. This generation of adventurers rose up from the horrific occupation by Nazi Germany during World War II only to be subjugated afterward by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. For thousands of young people at that time the mountains were their only escape and many of them ventured far away from Poland into the high of places of Central Asia where they distinguished themselves among the best alpinists in the world. In her book Freedom Climbers Bernadette McDonald tells their story.
Listen to my interview with Bernadette on the Joy Trip Project: http://joytripproject.org/2011/freedo...
“And as most ideas do, this one began at a party,” McDonald said.
It was the after party of this festival and McDonald was in the clubhouse of the Katowice Mountain Club. She knew a number of these climbers from her years working at the festival. But in this particular situation she was sort of swamped with them, she said. There were dozens of climbers in this clubhouse and there was a lot of energy in the room.
“But it wasn’t just about the festival. It was about a community of the hardest core climbers I had ever seen in my life,” McDonald said. “And the stories that I heard that night, the passion and the depth of their history in the mountains absolutely astonished me. But the other thing that struck me was that it felt like it was the end of an era because a lot of the best of those climbers had already died in the mountains. It felt a bit like an Irish wake. That’s the way it struck me and I thought there was a story here. Because the situation in which they grew up, the conditions, the hardships that they endured were so different than anything that I had ever experienced and more different than most people I knew had experienced. And I somehow felt that those two things were linked.”
From the mid1970s through the 1980s Polish climbers dominated the Himalayan mountaineering scene. This generation of adventurers rose up from the horrific occupation by Nazi Germany during World War II only to be subjugated afterward by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. For thousands of young people at that time the mountains were their only escape and many of them ventured far away from Poland into the high of places of Central Asia where they distinguished themselves among the best alpinists in the world. In her book Freedom Climbers Bernadette McDonald tells their story.
Listen to my interview with Bernadette on the Joy Trip Project: http://joytripproject.org/2011/freedo...
February 26, 2012
One of the best pieces of mountain literature this year! A great accomplishment for Bernadette. Highly recommended for those wanting to learn about the golden age of Polish mountaineering and what drove these climbers to such amazing accomplishments.
February 4, 2025
Absolute bonkers. Unbelievable stuff. The golden era of mountaneering. Poles climbed in a league of their own.
February 23, 2017
Ciekawe (głównie dlatego, że obcym okiem) spojrzenie na złote czasy polskiego himalaizmu. Bez zadęcia, stawiania spiżowych pomników i niepotrzebnej martyrologii. Chociaż z drugiej strony - właśnie przez to - że autorka jest Kanadyjką czasem trudno brnie się przez "oczywiste oczywistości" historyczno-polityczne o własnym kraju, to jedyny drobny minus tej pozycji.
January 13, 2016
This book was hard for me to rate. The topic is fascinating. The people that are the focus of this book are/were truly awe-inspiring. However, it was extremely difficult for me to acclimatize (see what I did there) to MacDonald's writing style. For a good chunk of the beginning of the book, I was having a hard time keeping people and facts straight. There's an avalanche (yes, I went there) of information that necessitates note-taking and charts, and as a casual reader, I neither had the time nor the energy for that.
This book falls somewhere around a 3.5/5 for me, but points are due and rounded up for making me feel! A lip quivered!
I will hate mountains for the rest of my life! They're murderers!
In all seriousness, parts of this book (notably the second half) were amazing and had me unable to put the book down. The Polish climbers were truly incredible and in a league of their own. The details of their climbs had me saying this more often than not:
I will not be climbing at any point in the near future...or ever. I'll pass.
I'll end my review with a quote by Wanda Rutkiewicz that I feel is ever-appropriate:
“We should not presume to judge those who seek out danger on the world’s highest places or demand to be told the meaning of what they do. Simply, when they pay the ultimate price for their passion, we should remember them…”
This book falls somewhere around a 3.5/5 for me, but points are due and rounded up for making me feel! A lip quivered!
I will hate mountains for the rest of my life! They're murderers!
In all seriousness, parts of this book (notably the second half) were amazing and had me unable to put the book down. The Polish climbers were truly incredible and in a league of their own. The details of their climbs had me saying this more often than not:
I will not be climbing at any point in the near future...or ever. I'll pass.
I'll end my review with a quote by Wanda Rutkiewicz that I feel is ever-appropriate:
“We should not presume to judge those who seek out danger on the world’s highest places or demand to be told the meaning of what they do. Simply, when they pay the ultimate price for their passion, we should remember them…”
March 31, 2013
I think there is an endless fascination inside me about what motivates people to do what they do, and mountaineering is a raw, isolated, and extreme look at how determination, suffering and the will to follow through with a decision effect who people are and why they act.
In freedom climbers, you read story after story of people getting close to the "red line." The thin line between life and death, yet they continuously go back for more. Almost as if, had they the choice, they would live their entire lives on this line. Metaphysical experiences are common above 8000ft, talks with the "third climber", and experiences with living in a world where 80% of the people entering it die.
The amazing Polish climbers give you a love for the Polish people, and the things people can do when they give there all to a task. The book almost gives you a feeling that climbing an 8000ft peak is just another walk in the park to this stunning group of people. You get a true sense of how bad the lives of Polish people were between world war 2 to modern times. The life of an professional mountaineer showed so much more promise than a regular job with in their country. Adventure and true Freedom!
This was an easy read, and should appeal to you on a historical and emotional level.
In freedom climbers, you read story after story of people getting close to the "red line." The thin line between life and death, yet they continuously go back for more. Almost as if, had they the choice, they would live their entire lives on this line. Metaphysical experiences are common above 8000ft, talks with the "third climber", and experiences with living in a world where 80% of the people entering it die.
The amazing Polish climbers give you a love for the Polish people, and the things people can do when they give there all to a task. The book almost gives you a feeling that climbing an 8000ft peak is just another walk in the park to this stunning group of people. You get a true sense of how bad the lives of Polish people were between world war 2 to modern times. The life of an professional mountaineer showed so much more promise than a regular job with in their country. Adventure and true Freedom!
This was an easy read, and should appeal to you on a historical and emotional level.
September 23, 2012
A very competent and well-written account of a fascinating group of climbers. McDonald has chosen a few representative Polish climbers to illustrate and add depth to her account of Polish climbing over the last 50 years. She covers an extraordinary group of climbers at a fascinating period in history, and her in-depth profiles add depth and human interest to a very impressive list of achievements. A good read for anyone interested in Himalayan climbing.
August 16, 2020
Fantastic book! Worth reading even if you're not passionate about climbing.
May 5, 2024
Most mountaineering books are either the biography of one climber, or the story of one expedition by a group of climbers. This one is about a whole "generation" of climbers, the polish high-altitude overachievers of the 80s. It ends up producing a good flawed book.
Good, because it's an interesting read, full of the usual mountaineering drama of adventures crowned by success or death, interpersonal conflicts, and unexpected disaster. Good also because it sheds light on mountaineering stars that are perhaps less well-known among western mountaineers, and it presents us with their mindset and their style of climbing.
Flawed because the task is impossible. How do you analyze a whole generation of climbers, the society that produced them, the mindset that they harbored? How do you discern the reality of cultural specificity from the national myths that other Poles naively parrot at you, or the prejudices you unknowingly harbor towards a nation? How do you disentangle the complexity of a generation of anti-communist polish climbers who nonetheless strived under communism, climbed with its money and for its glory, who are happy for national independence but some of whom remember the soviet era as the "good old times"? How can you produce a cohesive story out of a group constituted of dozens of people with different personalities and motivations?
The solution is to take shortcuts. Let's reduce the climbers to just 3, the cerebral Voytek Kurtyka, the passionate Wanda Rutkiewicz, and the powerful Jurek Kukuczka. Let's act as if "freedom" was the common denominator, because North American readers will love it. Let's take the poles at their word about their national character. Let's ignore the contradictions - such as the contrast between the selfishness and individualism on the mountains, and a national movement named "solidarity". Etc.
Still, it makes for an engaging story, especially the drama of those three tangled lives. The stories of high-altitude expeditions, although summarized to the extreme, make the book hard to put down at times. If you've read some books about mountaineering and you're looking for something different, this is an excellent choice.
Good, because it's an interesting read, full of the usual mountaineering drama of adventures crowned by success or death, interpersonal conflicts, and unexpected disaster. Good also because it sheds light on mountaineering stars that are perhaps less well-known among western mountaineers, and it presents us with their mindset and their style of climbing.
Flawed because the task is impossible. How do you analyze a whole generation of climbers, the society that produced them, the mindset that they harbored? How do you discern the reality of cultural specificity from the national myths that other Poles naively parrot at you, or the prejudices you unknowingly harbor towards a nation? How do you disentangle the complexity of a generation of anti-communist polish climbers who nonetheless strived under communism, climbed with its money and for its glory, who are happy for national independence but some of whom remember the soviet era as the "good old times"? How can you produce a cohesive story out of a group constituted of dozens of people with different personalities and motivations?
The solution is to take shortcuts. Let's reduce the climbers to just 3, the cerebral Voytek Kurtyka, the passionate Wanda Rutkiewicz, and the powerful Jurek Kukuczka. Let's act as if "freedom" was the common denominator, because North American readers will love it. Let's take the poles at their word about their national character. Let's ignore the contradictions - such as the contrast between the selfishness and individualism on the mountains, and a national movement named "solidarity". Etc.
Still, it makes for an engaging story, especially the drama of those three tangled lives. The stories of high-altitude expeditions, although summarized to the extreme, make the book hard to put down at times. If you've read some books about mountaineering and you're looking for something different, this is an excellent choice.
April 4, 2022
I couldnt put this down. Thrilling stories and a slice of history and human endeavor I was wholly ignorant of before reading this excellent book. It has inspired me to learn more.
January 18, 2024
kocham literaturę górską
March 28, 2025
Esto si eran tipos duros. Amena lectura si te gusta el montañismo, con las grandes hazañas de esta panda de locos del alpinismo y las alturas, forjados en una época de penurias que seguramente les marcó para el resto de sus vidas. Difícil de entender sus motivaciones y por qué se iban dejando sus vidas desperdigadas por las paredes de los distintos ochomiles.
April 24, 2022
Las Montañas por sí mismas NO significan NADA, son sólo Piedras y Hielo. Quien les da ViDA es el ser Humano al subirlas y hablar o escribir de ellas; al vivirlas les da entidad...
NO podría decir que el Montañismo en sí es un Deporte, porque aquí NO hay mejores o peores. Esto NO son los Juegos Olímpicos donde uno es más rápido por tres segundos o porque ha saltado dos centímetros más...
Aquí lo importante es que cada uno sea consciente de sus límites. Además, la fama que consigues con el Deporte, para el Alpinista NO significa NADA. Eso que llaman 'GLORiA' para el Alpinista NO existe. Esto NO es Fútbol o Tenis. NO da dinero...
Por eso NO vamos ahí arriba en busca de éxito, vamos porque es lo que nos da la ViDA...
Así pues "Escaladores de la Libertad”, es un Libro imprescindible para conocer y entender a la Generación de los Himalayistas más DUROS que hayan existido en la Historia del Alpinismo...
Su autora, Bernadette McDonald, consiguió con este título los Premios internacionales literarios de Montaña más prestigiosos...
Y McDonald pone Negro sobre Blanco la Historia de Jerzy Kukuczka, Voytek Kurtyka, Wanda Rutkiewicz, Krzysztof Wielicki, Andrzej Zawada y Artur Hajzer. Alpinistas originarios de una Polonia triste y arrasada que emergieron bajo el manto de la opresión Comunista que siguió a la Segunda Guerra Mundial para convertirse en la vanguardia de la Escalada Mundial y romper TODOS los Límites...
IMPRESCiNDiBLE...📚📖🔖
Siempre...😈❄️
En las acciones principales, SÓLO es necesario tener en cuenta hacerlo BiEN, y dejar que la Gloria venga en pos de la Virtud...
Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet.
NO podría decir que el Montañismo en sí es un Deporte, porque aquí NO hay mejores o peores. Esto NO son los Juegos Olímpicos donde uno es más rápido por tres segundos o porque ha saltado dos centímetros más...
Aquí lo importante es que cada uno sea consciente de sus límites. Además, la fama que consigues con el Deporte, para el Alpinista NO significa NADA. Eso que llaman 'GLORiA' para el Alpinista NO existe. Esto NO es Fútbol o Tenis. NO da dinero...
Por eso NO vamos ahí arriba en busca de éxito, vamos porque es lo que nos da la ViDA...
Así pues "Escaladores de la Libertad”, es un Libro imprescindible para conocer y entender a la Generación de los Himalayistas más DUROS que hayan existido en la Historia del Alpinismo...
Su autora, Bernadette McDonald, consiguió con este título los Premios internacionales literarios de Montaña más prestigiosos...
Y McDonald pone Negro sobre Blanco la Historia de Jerzy Kukuczka, Voytek Kurtyka, Wanda Rutkiewicz, Krzysztof Wielicki, Andrzej Zawada y Artur Hajzer. Alpinistas originarios de una Polonia triste y arrasada que emergieron bajo el manto de la opresión Comunista que siguió a la Segunda Guerra Mundial para convertirse en la vanguardia de la Escalada Mundial y romper TODOS los Límites...
IMPRESCiNDiBLE...📚📖🔖
Siempre...😈❄️
En las acciones principales, SÓLO es necesario tener en cuenta hacerlo BiEN, y dejar que la Gloria venga en pos de la Virtud...
Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet.
June 14, 2020
This book was recommended by the president of my mountaineering club, during a women-only meeting. From the first page, I loved it. Not very often one stumbles upon a book that opens a new world for you, that makes your mind start wandering in several directions and adds several references to your reading list. Even less often you find a book like that, that also introduces you to powerful women role models. Obsessed as I've always been to Patagonia I never read anything about the Himalayas, and this book was about the golden age of Himalayan mountaineering in Poland. I was thrilled to read about the existence and the life of Wanda Rutkiewicz, a badass polish mountaineer that pushed boundaries for women. Worth mentioning that the author is also a woman, and her writing style is amazing. Despite not being autobiographies and having to touch on the lives of several peoples, the narrative is very fluid. Having read this, I added to my reading list several books about women mountaineers referenced in this book that I look forward to reading:
- Breaking Trail: A Climbing Life, by Arlene Blum
- Annapurna: A women's place, by Arlene Blum
- Clouds from both sides, Jullie Tullis
- Wanda Rutkiewicz: A Caravan of Dreams
"You seem to absorb a greater intensity of experience in the short space of one expedition such as this than you can in years of your ordinary life"
- Breaking Trail: A Climbing Life, by Arlene Blum
- Annapurna: A women's place, by Arlene Blum
- Clouds from both sides, Jullie Tullis
- Wanda Rutkiewicz: A Caravan of Dreams
"You seem to absorb a greater intensity of experience in the short space of one expedition such as this than you can in years of your ordinary life"
March 19, 2019
Highly engaging and informative read on the Golden Age of Polish climbing, with very vivid character sketches of some of the best and most well known polish mountaineers. The narrative completely brings to life the trials, the desires, the motivations, the struggles and ultimately the journeys of these super humans who defied all odds and circumstances to do what they did. A must read for all mountain lovers.
April 30, 2019
What a fantastic book! I am not into climbing but I really enjoy hiking and this book took me to the himalayan mountains while reading it. The historical backround of Polish climbers, their personalities and stories were captured with brilliant style. I finished the book within a few days. Great reading!
December 21, 2020
Interesting look at the climbing culture and personalities of the era. Provided an an overall view of the who, how and personal philosophies that drove the climbers. It both romanticized and de-romanticized the movement. While it celebrated the joys and triumphs of the climbs it also brought forward the sorrows and tolls the climbers and those that lived them paid
January 28, 2018
Poor translation into Polish
Read
December 4, 2025idealne na rozpoczęcie przygody z literaturą górską, spojrzenie jednakże zachodnie i traktujące pobieżnie niektóre tematy
May 9, 2020
पोलंडच्या एकसे एक दादा क्लाईंबर्स मंडळींची गाथा सांगणारं पुस्तक आत्ताच संपवलं. पोलंडच्या सीमेवरील तार्तास पर्वतरांगा, हिंदुकुश, हिमालय व त्यावरील १४ एट-थाउजंडर्स... यांतील सर्व प्रमुख शिखरे काबीज करणा-या पोलिश क्लाईंबर्सनी त्यासाठी कांयकांय उद्योग केलेत त्यांचे किस्से वाचतांना अवाक् व्हायला होतं. आंद्रे जवाडा हा त्यांचा आद्य आरोहक म्हणायला हवा. प्रत्य���क ठिकाणी आम्हांला वेगळं कांय करता येईल यासाठी कुठल्याही थराची साहसे यांनी केली आहेत. विंटर सिझनमध्ये एवरेस्ट सर करणारा जवाडा हा जगातला पहिला आरोहक. यानेच दाखवलेल्या मार्गावरुन पोलंडची पुढची पिढी घडत गेली व दैवतं घडत गेली. जुरेक/जर्झी कुकुझका याने मेसनरशी स्पर्धा करत सगळी १४ एट-थाउजंडर्स वेगळ्या नविन मार्गाने सर करत दुसरा क्रमांक पटकावला. १४ पैकी ४ शिखरं हिवाळ्यातील चढाईची आहेत. त्यातही २ शिखरं एकाच हिवाळ्यात सर करणारा तो जगात एकमेव आहे. ल्होत्से साऊथ वाॅल मार्गाने सर करतेवेळी याचा अपघात झाला. वेंडा रुकिविझ ही के२ या जगातील दुस-या क्रमांकाचं शिखर सर करणारी पहिली महिला. हिनेही १४ पैकी ८ शिखरं सर केली. कांचनजुंगा शिखर सर करतेवेळी हिचा मृत्यू झाला. एट-थाउजंडर्स सर करणारा पाचवा व्यक्ती म्हणून मान मिळवणारा ख्रिस्तोफ विलिक्कि, अल्पाईन पद्धती रुजवणा-यांपैकी एक वायटेक कुर्टिका...
या सगळ्यांच्या एकेक कहाण्या वाचतांना गुंग होऊन जातो. पोलंड हा दुस-या महायुद्धाची मोठी झळ बसलेला देश. त्यानंतरच्या हलाखीच्या काळात यातल्या काहीजणांची बालपणंं गेलेली..पुढे शिक्षणानंतर या मोठ्या मोहिमांसाठी नोक-या सोडून देणे, मोहिमेसाठी पैसे उभे करण्यासाठी कारखान्यांच्या उंच चिमण्या थोडक्या काळात रंगवणे, भारतातून तस्करीने दारुच्या बाटल्या पाकीस्तानात विकणे व पैसे आल्याबरोब्बर बेस कँपला जाणे, एका दिवसांत आठहजारी शिखर करुन परतणे( होय. विलिक्कीच्या नांवावर विक्रम आहे. ब्राॅडपीक शिखर २२ तास १०मि त सर करुन तो परतलाय. ३०००मी. चढाई व ३०००मी पेक्षा जास्त उतराई एका दिवसात, तेही ८०००मीटर उंचीवर)
हे असले इनसेन किस्से असले तरी यामागची त्यांची मेहनत, राजकारणं वगैरे नोंदी घेत पुस्तक शेवटाकडे येतं तेव्हा कुकुझका व वेंडा यांच्या अपघाताच्या वर्णनानं सुन्न करतं. शेवटी दोन दशके अधिराज्य गाजवणा-या पोलिश क्लाईंबर्स नंतर सध्याच्या पिढीचा थोडक्यात आढावा घेत पुस्तक संपतं..
क्लाईंबर्स मंडळींबरोबर वावरतांना मला नेहमी आर्मीमेन्सबरोबर सिव्हिलियन्सना वावरतांना येतो तसा काँप्लेक्स येतो.
म्हणजे पुलंच्या नाथा कामतसारखा एखादा म्हणायचाही की, बाबारे तुझं जग वेगळं, आमचं क्लाईंबर्सचं जग वेगळं..
अशा या क्लाईंबर्सच्या दैवतांबरोबर या पुस्तकामुळे आपण कुठल्याही काँप्लेक्सशिवाय बागडू शकतो..
हॅप्पी रिडींग.
-हेमंत पोखरणकर.
या सगळ्यांच्या एकेक कहाण्या वाचतांना गुंग होऊन जातो. पोलंड हा दुस-या महायुद्धाची मोठी झळ बसलेला देश. त्यानंतरच्या हलाखीच्या काळात यातल्या काहीजणांची बालपणंं गेलेली..पुढे शिक्षणानंतर या मोठ्या मोहिमांसाठी नोक-या सोडून देणे, मोहिमेसाठी पैसे उभे करण्यासाठी कारखान्यांच्या उंच चिमण्या थोडक्या काळात रंगवणे, भारतातून तस्करीने दारुच्या बाटल्या पाकीस्तानात विकणे व पैसे आल्याबरोब्बर बेस कँपला जाणे, एका दिवसांत आठहजारी शिखर करुन परतणे( होय. विलिक्कीच्या नांवावर विक्रम आहे. ब्राॅडपीक शिखर २२ तास १०मि त सर करुन तो परतलाय. ३०००मी. चढाई व ३०००मी पेक्षा जास्त उतराई एका दिवसात, तेही ८०००मीटर उंचीवर)
हे असले इनसेन किस्से असले तरी यामागची त्यांची मेहनत, राजकारणं वगैरे नोंदी घेत पुस्तक शेवटाकडे येतं तेव्हा कुकुझका व वेंडा यांच्या अपघाताच्या वर्णनानं सुन्न करतं. शेवटी दोन दशके अधिराज्य गाजवणा-या पोलिश क्लाईंबर्स नंतर सध्याच्या पिढीचा थोडक्यात आढावा घेत पुस्तक संपतं..
क्लाईंबर्स मंडळींबरोबर वावरतांना मला नेहमी आर्मीमेन्सबरोबर सिव्हिलियन्सना वावरतांना येतो तसा काँप्लेक्स येतो.
म्हणजे पुलंच्या नाथा कामतसारखा एखादा म्हणायचाही की, बाबारे तुझं जग वेगळं, आमचं क्लाईंबर्सचं जग वेगळं..
अशा या क्लाईंबर्सच्या दैवतांबरोबर या पुस्तकामुळे आपण कुठल्याही काँप्लेक्सशिवाय बागडू शकतो..
हॅप्पी रिडींग.
-हेमंत पोखरणकर.
February 18, 2019
Este libro es fantástico, me inspiró mucho ya que mucho de lo que hicieron estos guerreros polacos Himalayistas puede hoy (y en ese entonces) considerarse sobrehumano. Eran épocas duras donde la pobreza, miseria, humillación, guerras y escasez imperaba en Polska; la escalada surgió como una manera de liberarse de ese yugo, de devolver la dignidad y de convertirse en héroes por sus valores. Es cierto que todo ha cambiado, la era digital ha llegado y muy pocos estarían dispuestos a dejarse llevar por una pasión abrasadora que consume la vida entera y que le da a la misma un entendimiento superior.
Me queda muy dentro la tenacidad, la lucha feminista, la fuerza y perseverancia de Wanda que contrastaba con vulnerabilidad y dificultad en sus relaciones interpersonales. También la sabiduría trascendental de Voytek Kurtyka cuya introspección y misticismo eran realmente cautivadoras y allí sigue vivito hoy en día. Por último me conmovió la muerte del héroe nacional Jurek Kukuczka, siento que el libro nos dio una idea de su carisma y de cuánto fue amado aparte de que me hizo entender lo que es “el arte de sufrir”.
A veces si me sentía algo pérdida en la cronología pero siento que Bernadette McDonald hizo un excepcional trabajo de investigación donde plasmó a la vez la admiración y maravilla que sentía por estos escaladores de la Edad de Oro del himalayismo polaco. Me ha hecho querer leer más pero escrito por los propios escaladores. Por supuesto también sueño con poder alguna vez vivir una experiencia así aunque esta época te diga que todo juega en tu contra, en aquellos tiempos habían más limitaciones y cero tecnología en ropa y artículos... ¿cual es la excusa? Espero llevarme un poco de esa fuerza inexplicable que los movía a ellos porque “está allí esperando a quien quiera ir por ella”
Me queda muy dentro la tenacidad, la lucha feminista, la fuerza y perseverancia de Wanda que contrastaba con vulnerabilidad y dificultad en sus relaciones interpersonales. También la sabiduría trascendental de Voytek Kurtyka cuya introspección y misticismo eran realmente cautivadoras y allí sigue vivito hoy en día. Por último me conmovió la muerte del héroe nacional Jurek Kukuczka, siento que el libro nos dio una idea de su carisma y de cuánto fue amado aparte de que me hizo entender lo que es “el arte de sufrir”.
A veces si me sentía algo pérdida en la cronología pero siento que Bernadette McDonald hizo un excepcional trabajo de investigación donde plasmó a la vez la admiración y maravilla que sentía por estos escaladores de la Edad de Oro del himalayismo polaco. Me ha hecho querer leer más pero escrito por los propios escaladores. Por supuesto también sueño con poder alguna vez vivir una experiencia así aunque esta época te diga que todo juega en tu contra, en aquellos tiempos habían más limitaciones y cero tecnología en ropa y artículos... ¿cual es la excusa? Espero llevarme un poco de esa fuerza inexplicable que los movía a ellos porque “está allí esperando a quien quiera ir por ella”
March 16, 2020
Jerzy Kukuczka (Jurek), Wanda Rutkiewicz, Krzysztof Wielicki, Voytek Kurtyka: gli alpinisti polacchi che hanno fatto la storia dell’alpinismo himalayano, soprattutto invernale, negli anni Novanta. Un must reed per tutti quelli interessati (e appassionati) di storia dell’alpinismo e di storia dell’alpinismo himalayano. Bernadette McDonald raccoglie non solo le vicende alpinistiche e personali di questi alpinisti che hanno vissuto contemporaneamente anche il durissimo contesto storico della Polonia che ha influito su di loro facendo di loro non solo dei campioni dell’alpinismo ma e soprattutto dei veri eroi nella vita perché hanno saputo non solo sognare, avere dei progetti (cosa che l’impostazione comunista del regime, data la sua impostazione, toglieva) ma anche a concretizzarli a discapito delle immense difficoltà già solo a livello di organizzazione, di reperimento di materiale, di valuta, di permessi cui andavano incontro. Com’era diversa la faccenda gli altri alpinisti himalayiani loro contemporanei! Per i polacchi tutto era decisamente più complicato. Eppure non si sono mai arresi. O forse, sapendo che l’alpinismo era una valida alternativa alla loro quotidianità squallida, erano molto motivati a fare del loro meglio – ipotesi confermata dall’alpinismo polacco oggi che, ad eccezion fatta di Tomek (arrivato molto dopo la stesura di questo libro), è in serio declino perché in Polonia si vive molto meglio che non una cinquantina di anni fa. Forse gli alpinisti di oggi non hanno trovano più alcuno charme nell’andare a “soffrire” in Himalaya quando, dopo tutto, a casa loro, non si sta così male. Un libro validissimo anche se purtroppo la McDonald, seppure brava, non è riuscita (ancora una volta) a suonare bene il grande potenziale emotivo ed umano come questo libro avrebbe potuto, tuttavia, insisto: un must reed.
April 15, 2024
In den 1980er Jahren waren die polnischen Bergsteiger das Maß aller Dinge. Ihnen gelangen die schwierigsten Begehungen, sie eroberten die Achttausender und setzten neue Maßstäbe. Um ihre Expeditionen zu finanzieren, mussten sie kreativ sein, aber das hat sie nicht aufgehalten.
Das Wettrennen zwischen Jerzy Kukuczka und Reinhold Messner um die höchsten Gipfel der Welt muss für Außenstehende spektakulär gewesen sein. Bernadette McDonald erzählt, was es Jerzy abverlangt hat, sowohl vom Geist, als auch vom Körper her.
Sie erzählt auch die Geschichte von Wanda Rutkiewicz, die lange Zeit die erfolgreichste weibliche Bergsteigerin war. Bei Wanda hat mich der absolute Egoismus, mit dem sie den Gipfel erreichte, fast schon erschreckt. Dafür hat sie alles beiseite geschoben und hat mehr als einmal ihre Expeditionspartner vor den Kopf gestoßen.
Ich habe einige Berichte aus dieser Zeit gelesen, aber meistens von deutschen oder britischen Bergsteigern. Bei der Lektüre von Klettern für Freiheit war ich beeindruckt davon, wie viele Schwierigkeiten die polnischen Bergsteiger hatten und was für einer scheinbaren Leichtigkeit sie die überwunden haben.
Das Wettrennen zwischen Jerzy Kukuczka und Reinhold Messner um die höchsten Gipfel der Welt muss für Außenstehende spektakulär gewesen sein. Bernadette McDonald erzählt, was es Jerzy abverlangt hat, sowohl vom Geist, als auch vom Körper her.
Sie erzählt auch die Geschichte von Wanda Rutkiewicz, die lange Zeit die erfolgreichste weibliche Bergsteigerin war. Bei Wanda hat mich der absolute Egoismus, mit dem sie den Gipfel erreichte, fast schon erschreckt. Dafür hat sie alles beiseite geschoben und hat mehr als einmal ihre Expeditionspartner vor den Kopf gestoßen.
Ich habe einige Berichte aus dieser Zeit gelesen, aber meistens von deutschen oder britischen Bergsteigern. Bei der Lektüre von Klettern für Freiheit war ich beeindruckt davon, wie viele Schwierigkeiten die polnischen Bergsteiger hatten und was für einer scheinbaren Leichtigkeit sie die überwunden haben.
November 5, 2016
Izvrsten vpogled v zlato dobo poljskega alpinizma. Neverjetno pogumni, vztrajni in močni so se Poljaki odločili, da bodo postali najboljši himalajci. In so. Za ogromno ceno. Knjiga se mi je zdela izvrstno napisana, s pripovedniškim slogom, ki kljub neizogibnemu ponavljanju (odprava, vzpon, spust, pot domov, odprava ...) nikoli ne postane dolgočasen, čeprav zato žrtvuje nekaj jasnosti in linearnosti pripovedovanja. Zgodba se osredotoči na tri alpiniste, vendar prepozna tudi dosežke drugih. Stvari, ki so jih počeli, so bile neverjetne, kljubovali so vsemu, za kar sem mislila da je nemogoče. Več zaporednih zimskih bivakiranj praktično brez opreme in hrane na višini okoli 8000 m? Ni problema.
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