A book written by an outstanding Polish biographer, Anna Kamińska, telling the story of Wanda Rutkiewicz, a legend of world Himalayism. Rutkiewicz was the first European woman (and the third woman period) to conquer Mount Everest. She was also the first woman on K2 – the peak regarded as the most difficult to conquer, one which claimed the lives of many climbers. She perished in 1992 while tackling the peak at Kangchenjunga. The last person to see her was the Mexican Himalayist Carlos Carsolio. Descending from the peak, he met Rutkiewicz at an altitude of over 8,200 meters, determined to wait out the night and renew her attack on the summit. Did she make it? This we shall probably never learn. Although she was officially declared dead, many legends grew around her death – some claim that she survived, but decided to spend the rest of her life in a Buddhist monastery. Rutkiewicz was a colorful figure, a woman of limitless strength and courage, and not only in climbing – in her everyday life she also was independent and indomitable. She managed to achieve great worldwide success in a male-dominated discipline. To this end she had to consciously renounce many things, including a family life. She was famous for her determination and passion, which took precedent over everything else in her life, leaving her vulnerable to criticism from her friends and loved ones. Kamińska’s book is also the tale of Wanda Rutkiewicz’s difficult childhood, the tragic death of her brother, her father’s abandonment of the family, the cruel crime committed against Wanda’s father that cast a shadow over her youth, her love for the mountains, and her uneasy relations and conflicts with the Polish mountain-climbing community. But it also deals with her other passions – her fascination for motor vehicles, her participation in car rallies, and her love for making films and mountain expeditions. Ultimately, it is also the tale of a tragic love for a man who also lost his life to the mountains.

Release date: 2017
Pages: 480
ISBN: 978-83-08-06357-6
Rights sold: Spain (Desnivel)


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Wanda. A Tale of Life and Death. The Story of Wanda Rutkiewicz

Anna Kamińska

A book written by an outstanding Polish biographer, Anna Kamińska, telling the story of Wanda Rutkiewicz, a legend of world Himalayism. Rutkiewicz was the first European woman (and the third woman period) to conquer Mount Everest. She was also the first woman on K2 – the peak regarded as the most difficult to conquer, one which claimed the lives of many climbers. She perished in 1992 while tackling the peak at Kangchenjunga. The last person to see her was the Mexican Himalayist Carlos Carsolio. Descending from the peak, he met Rutkiewicz at an altitude of over 8,200 meters, determined to wait out the night and renew her attack on the summit. Did she make it? This we shall probably never learn. Although she was officially declared dead, many legends grew around her death – some claim that she survived, but decided to spend the rest of her life in a Buddhist monastery. Rutkiewicz was a colorful figure, a woman of limitless strength and courage, and not only in climbing – in her everyday life she also was independent and indomitable. She managed to achieve great worldwide success in a male-dominated discipline. To this end she had to consciously renounce many things, including a family life. She was famous for her determination and passion, which took precedent over everything else in her life, leaving her vulnerable to criticism from her friends and loved ones. Kamińska’s book is also the tale of Wanda Rutkiewicz’s difficult childhood, the tragic death of her brother, her father’s abandonment of the family, the cruel crime committed against Wanda’s father that cast a shadow over her youth, her love for the mountains, and her uneasy relations and conflicts with the Polish mountain-climbing community. But it also deals with her other passions – her fascination for motor vehicles, her participation in car rallies, and her love for making films and mountain expeditions. Ultimately, it is also the tale of a tragic love for a man who also lost his life to the mountains.

Release date: 2017
Pages: 480
ISBN: 978-83-08-06357-6
Rights sold: Spain (Desnivel)


Other covers