Netia K2 Polish Winter Expedition

On December 16, 2002, a group of climbers embarked on an expedition to the second-highest mountain of the world - K2. The expedition has been organized by the Polish Association of Alpinists. The leader of the expedition is Krzysztof Wielicki, one of the world-famous climbers.

The winter conquest of K2, a mountain regarded by many as the greatest challenge of modern climbing, commenced in December 2002, the year announced by the UN "The year of the mountains." This sports event has a few media sponsors: Polish National Television (TVP), Rzeczpospolita daily and Internet portal Onet.pl.

The main sponsor of the expedition is Netia Telekom SA.

For the first time in the history of Polish expeditions, the expedition has its own producer, COSMOS Entertainment, an agency responsible for finding the sources of financing the expedition, organizing the expedition and creating one informational campaign of the event together with financial and media sponsors.

K2 is considered the ultimate climb. It is located in Karakoram, on the border of China and Pakistan near the Silk Route. The history of its exploration is long and dramatic. Until today only almost 200 people reached the summit, but none of them in wintertime. Poles achieved much in the struggle with this mountain during summer. Our climbers led or marked out four routes there. The first Pole, and at the same time the first woman to climb the K2 summit was Wanda Rutkiewicz.

K2 will be climbed from the northern side. The current leader of the expedition Krzysztof Wielicki successfully ascented the mountain in the summer of 1996.

Only 7 out of 14 highest peaks over 8000m were climbed in the winter. Poles were the first to climb them all and are still continuing the idea of the Polish Program of Winter Exploration of the Himalayas and Karakoram. Himalaism still remains a high-class sports challenge.

The current expedition is a tribute to Andrzej Zawada, a creator of the idea of climbing the highest mountains in the winter.

The leader of the expedition Krzysztof Wielicki is the fifth person to climb all 14 highest mountains in the world. Three of them (including Mount Everest) he climbed first, alone and taking new routes.


[Translation by Małgorzata Brańska]

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