Renowned Polish mountaineer Krystyna Palmowska has died following a fatal fall in the Slovak Tatra Mountains, it was confirmed on Sunday. The 75-year-old was one of the most iconic figures in Polish alpinism, with major ascents in the Himalayas and Karakoram, including Broad Peak, Nanga Parbat, and Rakaposhi. Her death was confirmed by the Polish Mountaineering Association (PZA) and the Jerzy Kukuczka Polish Mountaineering Support Foundation.
Born in 1948, Palmowska made history in 1983 as the first woman to summit Broad Peak, and in 1985 she joined Anna Czerwińska and Wanda Rutkiewicz for the first successful all-female ascent of Nanga Parbat. Known for her pioneering climbs in both the Tatras and the Alps, she regularly climbed with Czerwińska from 1969, tackling routes such as the north face of the Matterhorn and the formidable Kazalnica Mięguszowiecka in winter. Her accomplishments helped define a golden era of Polish women’s mountaineering.
From the mid-1970s, Palmowska participated in numerous Polish and international expeditions to the highest peaks of the Himalayas and Karakoram. Among her most significant achievements were the first female ascent of Rakaposhi in 1979, an alpine-style ascent of Broad Peak in 1983, and the Nanga Parbat expedition in 1985. Together with Czerwińska, she formed one of the strongest female climbing partnerships of her generation.
Palmowska also authored Zaklęty w górski kamień (Trapped in Mountain Stone), a deeply personal 2003 memoir chronicling her life in the mountains. The book not only recounts her greatest climbs but also offers a candid reflection on friendship, perseverance, and the challenges women faced in the male-dominated world of high-altitude mountaineering. Her death leaves a profound void in the mountaineering community both in Poland and beyond.
A 76-year-old Polish woman, later identified as legendary mountaineer Krystyna Palmowska, died on Sunday after falling in a rocky section of the Slovak Tatras, near the Piarżysta Valley below Koprová Peak. Her body was discovered on Monday in one of the mountain gullies following an extensive search operation. According to Slovakia’s Mountain Rescue Service (Horská Záchranná Služba), the rescue effort involved six search teams with dogs, as well as the deployment of drones and a helicopter.
Palmowska had been reported missing on Sunday evening after Polish colleagues from the Tatra Volunteer Search and Rescue (TOPR) requested assistance from their Slovak counterparts. Rescuers from Zakopane also took part in the cross-border search. The operation concluded with the recovery of one of Poland’s most esteemed female climbers, whose tragic death has left the mountaineering world in mourning.
Photo: @zibi20201
Source: PAP
Tomasz Modrzejewski
