Maciej Berbeka (17 October 1954 – 6 March 2013) was a Polish mountaineer and mountain guide.[1]

Maciej Berbeka
Berbeka (left) on Mera Peak in 2009
Personal information
Born(1954-10-17)17 October 1954
Zakopane, Poland
Died6 March 2013(2013-03-06) (aged 58)
Broad Peak, Pakistan

Berbeka made the first-ever winter ascent of three eight-thousanders: Manaslu, on 12 January 1984 with Ryszard Gajewski, and Cho Oyu, on 12 February 1985 with Maciej Pawlikowski (the only winter ascent on an eight-thousander made along a new route), and Broad Peak on 5 March 2013 with Adam Bielecki, Artur Małek, and Tomasz Kowalski. Berbeka and Tomasz Kowalski went missing on 6 March 2013 as they were descending from Broad Peak. They were declared dead two days later.[2]

Berbeka had also summited Annapurna, Mount Everest and Lhotse. He was also the first person in history to have reached over 8000 m during the winter in KarakoramRocky Summit (8028 m), on 6 March 1988.

His life is the subject of a 2022 Polish Netflix film, Broad Peak.[3]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Hawley, E. (1994). "Everest Ascent and Tragedy" (PDF). American Alpine Journal. 36 (68): 274–275. ISSN 0065-6925.
  2. ^ "Broad Peak: all hope lost for Maciej Berbeka and Tomasz Kowalski". Planetmountain. 8 March 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
  3. ^ "Broad Peak". Netflix.