Everest | 1980 S Pillar-SE Ridge

A Poland expedition to Everest in 1980 via S Pillar-SE Ridge, led by Andrzej Zawada. Summit reached on 19th May 1980. 16 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 1910
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID EVER80102
Peak ID EVER
Year 1980
Season 1
Host Country 1
Route 1 S Pillar-SE Ridge
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Poland
Leaders Andrzej Zawada
Sponsor Polish Mt. Everest Expedition 1980
Success 1 True
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 40th
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries -
Approach Khumbu Valley
Basecamp Date 1980-03-25
Summit Date 1980-05-19
Summit Time 1600
Summit Days 55
Total Days 60
Termination Date 1980-05-24
Termination Reason 1
Termination Notes -
High Point (m) 8849
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 5
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 16
Summit Members 2
Member Deaths 0
Total Hired 0
Summit Hired 0
Hired Deaths 0
No Hired True
O2 Used True
O2 None False
O2 Climb True
O2 Descent False
O2 Sleep False
O2 Medical False
O2 Taken False
O2 Unknown False
Other Summits -
Campsites BC(25/03,5360m),C1(6050m),C2(6500m),C3(07/04,7200m),C4(28/04,8050m),C5(14/05,8300m),Smt(19/05)
Route Notes Zawada, Press conf - 3 June 80 Main problem in winter was time was very short and thus atmosphere very nervous. Winter very low temperature and strong winds created difficult climbing. In spring more moderate temperature. Sometimes at noon in Cwm so hot that could go without shirts, so started in Icefall at 4:00 or 5:00 am. In spring he was ready always sure would succeed. Only in last part atmosphere not so cool and quiet because especially in May; nearly every day it snowed and this created very serious avalanche danger. In last days of May swept almost Lhotse C4 which Zamada saw from Poles C3. During expedition Zawada promised all members would have chance to climb to Everest summit, but this promise broken in very difficult decision for him. After 2 members got to top, he decided to stop climbing because Poles C5 had been planned for nearly at South Summit at 8500m, but because of technical difficulties with rock band it was placed at 8300m in not very safe place with danger of snow avalanche. Zawada chose for summit attack the two strongest members who during whole expedition planned to go top without oxygen but leader decided they should use oxygen above C5 because of deep snow. These 2 didn't like decision but used oxygen. Took them 17 hours from C5 to top and back to C5 in which much longer than winter summiters took. Left C5 5:00 am with oxygen; 12:30 at South Summit and oxygen finished; returned C5 but all night fighting snow avalanche. This 17 hours of climbing was warning of risks to further summit attacks; hence Zawada's decision not to send more to summit a very unpopular decision. Pillar much more safe than standard route on Everest; standard route is via dangerous avalanche Lhotse face, pillar is shortest route so far done on Everest: standard route requires one week more. Also wind on South Col very strong (but also on pillar too). Pillar 45-50 degrees except rock barrier which is steeper. Lhotse Face about 45 degrees also, but from South Col to summit not very steep whereas pillar rather steep all the way. Pillar technical difficulty not great. In summit winter expedition left thermometer and crucifix in memory of one who died on Lhotse Face in 1974 (given by his mother) and rosary left by a 1980 Feb summiter. All these were found by Basque summiter on 14 May: Sherpa took the thermometer and Basque took crucifix, rosary and emblem of Winter expedition in tube of tripod. Basque left 2 colourful banners flags of ETA and anti-nuclear; these taken by Poles. Poles left Poland flag, 1 small empty bottle of Ambassador whisky (bottle in tube of tripod). Basque and Poles found nothing from Japanese on summit or nothing taken by Japanese; no trace of their having been on top. Polish themometer read -35 degrees centrigrade when Martin read it, but did not note minimum temperature. Japanese must show photos on top with Polish thermometer and other items. Pillar expedition made easier by winter expedition's having established C1 and C2 and equipment dump. Icefall was very dangerous and 2 Spanish expeditions had accidents in it. 2 Spanish expeditions and Poles had excellent relations with each other. Spanish teams flew no Spanish flag. Basque were strong climbers. Martin a professional and very strong but then summit attack took long time with bivouac which was first signal that snow conditions and weather very poor. In winter no snow on summit ridge because very strong winds swept them away. Shyam, Tourism - 20 May 80 9:30 pm 2 Poles reached C5 today to C2 Both well No other attempt Leave BC 24 May Shailendra Raj Sharma, Tourism - 19 May 80 Czok and Kukuczka reached summit 4:01 pm today; delay from South Summit because oxygen exhausted at South Summit and rest of climb without oxygen. Stayed on main summit 50 minutes and then started descending via pillar to C5; planted Poles and Nepalese flags on top. Very windy on summit. Knee-deep snow from South Summit to main summit; this also cause of delay. Snow wind and sunshine on summit. Shailendra Raj Sharma. Tourism - 17 May 80 Summit team went yesterday C4 to C5 Today left C5 at 3:00 am Arrive South Summit at 9:00 am and still going up BC little snowfall today No wind, summit clear Both summiters climbed 1979 Lhotse says Polish charge. Shailendra Raj Sharma, Tourism - 18 May 80 2 members started to summit from C4 at 2:00 am today Andrzej Czok, 1948, electronic engineer Jerzy Kukuczka, 1948, mechanical engineer Shailendra Raj Sharma ,Tourism - 23 April 80 Poles pitched C3 at 7500m on 19 April on Everest; doesn't know dates of lower camps but altitudes same as in winter. Korniszewski - 18 April 80 C1 C2 6500m C3 foot of pillar 6600-6800m 4-6 April C4 on pillar C5 on pillar C6 ? Dr. Korniszewski - 7 April 80 4 or perhaps 5 camps on South Pillar Big ABC at bottom of Pillar 3 June 1980 - Zawada press conference In the spring of 1980 the Association of Polish Alpine Club sent to Nepal a strong expedition led again by Andrzej Zawada, their objective was the ascent of the then unclimbed South Pillar of Sagarmatha 2100m of challenging snow, ice and rock that had defeated several previous strong attempts. Members of the expedition arrived in KTM by air, while the equipment followed a more tortuous path to Bombay by sea, and then through India and Nepal to KTM by truck. The expedition reached their BC at the foot of the Khumbu Icefall on the 25th March, 1980. C1 at 6050m, and C2 at 6500m were the same as those originally established by the preceeding Polish Everest Winter expedition. C3 at 7200m was established on the 7th April by E. Chrobak and K. Cielecki, while C4 (8050m) was set up [on 28 April] by the following members: A. Czok, Z. Heinrich, J. Kukuczka, W. Olech, W. Wroz. On the 28th April between C2 and C4 the route took a line through a series of ice fields on the right hand side of the pillar. Fixed ropes were found to be necessary. Above C4 a 200-meter rock band barred the way and proved to be the most difficult section of the route. All the members of the team were involved in over coming this technically difficult problem. C5 was finally established above the rock band, at an altitude of 8300m, on the 14th May, by team members R. Gajewski, J. Kulis, K. J. Rusiecki. On the 18th May, A. Czok and J. Kukuczka moved up to C5 and spent a difficult night harassed by strong winds and snow. Undeterred they began their summit bid at 5 o'clock the following morning. Throughout the day they encountered deep snow, strong winds, and very low temperatures which made the climbing slow and exhausting work despite the use of oxygen. After seven hours of continuous effort the two climbers reached the South Summit. Their oxygen finished, they decided nevertheless to push on for the main summit without oxygen, and at 4 pm they stood on the roof of the world. Their return to C4 involved a long struggle deep into the night. When they finally reached the sanctuary of the tent they had been in action for seventeen laborious hours, and a new route had been opened on Everest. Throughout the time the expedition was on the mountain the weather proved to be considerably worse than expected. Nearly every day of May saw first snowfall creating quite considerable avalanche danger. These two Polish successes on Sagarmatha, the historical winter ascent of the mountain, and the first ascent of the South Pillar, have only been made possible by the help and cooperation of the Nepali members of the expedition, as well as all Nepalese institutions and specially the Ministry of Tourism, HMG of Nepal.
Accidents -
Achievement -
Agency -
Commercial Route False
Standard Route -
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference False
Primary ID -
Checksum 2446449
Year 1980
Summit Success True
O2 Summary Used
Route (lowercase) s pillar-se ridge

Members

16 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Konstanty Chitulescu M 1938 Poland Climber Warsaw, Poland Electrical engineer Details Other expeditions
Eugeniusz (Genek) Chrobak M 1939 Poland Climber Police, Poland Chemical engineer Details Other expeditions
Krzysztof Cielecki M - Poland Climber Warsaw, Poland Geodesic engineer Details Other expeditions
Andrzej (Leszek) Czok M 1948 Poland Climber Gliwice, Poland Electronics engineer Details Other expeditions
Ryszard Gajewski M 1954 Poland Climber Zakopane, Poland Mountain rescuer Details Other expeditions
Zygmunt Andrzej (Zyga) Heinrich M 1937 Poland Climber Krakow, Poland Civil engineer Details Other expeditions
Lech Korniszewski M 1936 Poland Exp Doctor Warsaw, Poland Physician Details Other expeditions
Jerzy Kukuczka M 1948 Poland Climber Katowice, Poland Mechanical engineer Details Other expeditions
Janusz Kulis M 1950 Poland Climber Wroclaw, Poland Mechanical engineer Details Other expeditions
Kazimierz Olech M 1928 Poland Climber Warsaw, Poland Mechanical engineer Details Other expeditions
Kazimierz Rusiecki M 1941 Poland Climber Krakow, Poland Geodesic engineer Details Other expeditions
Marian Sajnog M 1939 Poland Climber Jelenia Gora, Poland Teacher Details Other expeditions
Piotr Stawicki M 1948 Poland Climber Warsaw, Poland Journalist Details Other expeditions
Krzysztof Wisniewski M 1937 Poland Climber Warsaw, Poland Physicist Details Other expeditions
Wojciech Wroz M 1942 Poland Climber Poznan, Poland Physicist Details Other expeditions
Andrzej Zawada M 1928 Poland Leader Warsaw, Poland Geophysical engineer Details Other expeditions

References

7 recorded references.

Expedition ID Journal Author Title Publisher Citation Yak 94
EVER80102 AAJ Brniak, Marek & Nyka, Jozef Two Polish Ascents of Everest (South Buttress) - 55:52-53 (1981) -
EVER80102 - Kukuczka, Jerzy My Vertical World Mountaineers, Seattle - K354
EVER80102 - Kukuczka, Jerzy Na Szczytach Swiata Krajowa Agencia Wydawnicza, Katowice, Poland - K354
EVER80102 - Kukuczka, Jerzy Kukuczka, Moj Pionowy Swiat Wydawnictwo 'Sport i Turystyka', Warsaw - -
EVER80102 - Kowalewski, Zbigniew & Paczkowski, Andrzej Mount Everest Wydwanictwo 'Sport i Turystyka', Warsaw - K310
EVER80102 MM - - - 74:13 (Jul 1980) -
EVER80102 - - http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198105100/Two-Polish-Ascents-of-Everest - - -