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Wanda Rutkiewicz
Becoming the first woman to climb K2 and the first European woman to summit Everest.
Mount Everest · Nanga Parbat
- Born
- 4 February 1943
- Birthplace
- Plungė, Lithuania
- Died
- May 1992
More people
Wanda Rutkiewicz
Polish mountaineer and engineer who pursued the world’s highest peaks. She disappeared during an attempt on Kangchenjunga in 1992.
Early life
A displaced childhood
Her Polish family moved west after the Second World War and settled in Wrocław.
Engineering and sport
Studied electrical engineering and played competitive volleyball before concentrating on climbing.
Career
- 1960s
Developing as a climber
Progressed from Polish rock climbing to demanding alpine routes.
- 1970s
Himalayan expeditions
Joined major high-altitude expeditions and reached Everest in 1978.
- 1980s–1992
Eight-thousanders
Climbed several of the world’s highest mountains while pursuing an ambitious fourteen-peak goal.
Major climbs
Mount Everest
Became the third woman, and first European woman, to reach the summit.
Nanga Parbat
Reached the summit of the Himalayan eight-thousander.
K2
Made the first female ascent of the world’s second-highest mountain.
Beyond work
Technical work
Worked as an engineer alongside her developing mountaineering career.
Final expedition
Disappeared on Kangchenjunga in May 1992; her body was not recovered.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and references ↗Biography and contributions ↗Photo: Seweryn Bidziński. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
