Krzystof Wielicki and Leszek Cichy: Mount Everest, Winter of 1980

At 14:25 on 17 February 1980, Krzystof Wielicki and Leszek Cichy reached the Chinese Pyramid in stormy winds and minus 42 degrees Celsius, securing their place in history as the first alpinists to climb Everest in winter. This was also the first winter ascent of any 8000-meter peak. They were part of the golden Polish generation of the 1980’s and 1990’s, which specialized in winter climbing. National Geographic called them the Ice Warriors.

Lezsek Cichy (1951) is a Polish alpinist, land surveyor, investor, and businessman. He made history with his first winter ascent of Everest with Krzystof Wielicki, who was also his partner on the successful winter expedition to Manaslu.

Krzystof Wielicki (1950) is a Polish alpinist and the fifth person in history to summit all fourteen eight-thousanders. He’s made first winter ascents of Everest (together with Cichy), Kanchenjunga, Manaslu, and Lhotse. In 2019 he won a Lifetime Achievement Piolet d’Or.

The event will be held in English. Simultaneous translation into Slovenian will be available.