EverestHistory.com: Wanda Rutkiewicz

Wanda Rutkiewicz (Polish), the third woman to reach the Summit of Everest, is regarded as the greatest woman climber ever. 8 Summits of the 14 8000 meter peaks. Wanda was born in 1943 in Plungiany (before World War II it was part of Poland, now it is  Lithuania). After World War II, she lived in Poland. She had eight 8000 meter summits before she died on Kangchenjunga somewhere over 8000 meters while attempting via the southwest face route. Kangchenjunga would have been her ninth 8000 meter peak Summit.

Wanda's Summits: Everest 10/16/78, The third woman ascent, the first European on the top; Nanga Parbat 7/15/85, with Krystyna Palmowska and Anna Czerwinska. They became the first women's team who scaled this peak. (The first woman on Nanga Parbat was one year earlier - Liliane Barrard with her husband Maurice). K2 6/23/86, The first ever woman ascent to the top. She waited on the top for Michel Parmentier (France, died on Everest in 1988) and the couple: Maurice and Liliane Barrard (France, both died during descent from the top of K2). Shishapangma  (the true Main Summit) 9/18/87 with Ryszard Warecki. Gasherbrum II 7/12/89 with Rhony Lampard from Great Britain. Gasherbrum I (Hidden Peak) 7/16/90 with Ewa Panejko-Pankiewicz. Cho Oyu 9/26/91 solo. Annapurna 10/22/91 South Face, solo. Wanda Rutkiewicz died 5/12/92 or 5/13/92 on Kanchenjunga. She climbed with Carlos Carsolio. They started together at 3:30 am 5/12/92 from camp IV - 7950 meters. After about a dozen hours of climbing in a deep snow Carlos reached the top. He went down and met Wanda around 8200-8300 meters on the way down. She decided to stay there on a bivouac and started for the top the next day. She did not have food, anything for cooking, not equipment for bivouac. No one ever saw Wanda again...

EverestHistory.com: The women Summiters on Everest

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