Krystyna Palmowska, a legendary figure in Polish alpinism and one of the most accomplished female climbers of the 1970s and 1980s, has died at the age of 76 following a tragic climbing accident in Slovakia’s High Tatras. The fall occurred on June 15, and her body was recovered the following day, June 16, by the Slovak Mountain Rescue Service after extensive ground and helicopter searches.
Palmowska was widely recognized as one of the top female alpinists of her era, standing out during a golden age of Polish high-altitude mountaineering when both men and women from the country were at the forefront of the sport. Her list of achievements is long and distinguished.
In 1977, she completed the second all-female ascent of the North Face of the Matterhorn. A year later, in 1978, she returned to that same face and completed the first all-female winter climb. In 1979, she opened a new route on Rakaposhi (7,788 meters). By 1982, she was part of the Polish Women’s Expedition to K2, one of the world’s most challenging peaks.
In 1983, Palmowska became the first woman to summit Broad Peak (8,047 meters). She followed this with a groundbreaking 1985 all-female ascent of Nanga Parbat (8,126 meters). In 1986, she climbed as high as 8,200 meters on the K2 Magic Line route with fellow climber Anna Czerwińska.
Palmowska’s legacy remains an inspiration to generations of climbers around the world. Her contributions to alpinism, particularly in a male-dominated field during the 20th century, have secured her place as a pioneering force in the history of mountaineering.
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