Adam Radosław Bielecki (born 12 May 1983) is a
Polish alpine and high-altitude climber, known for the first
winter ascents of the
eight-thousanders:
Gasherbrum I and
Broad Peak. In his book Spod zamarzniętych powiek, written with co-author Dominik Szczepański, Bielecki tells the story of his climbings, memories from Himalayan expeditions, and the effort the highest mountains demand.[1]
Early life and education
Adam Bielecki was born in 1983 in
Tychy, Poland. He graduated from the Leon Kruczkowski High School No. 1 in Tychy. He studied
psychology at the
Jagiellonian University in Kraków.[2] At the age of 17, he was the youngest person to climb
Khan Tengri in alpine-style.[citation needed]
On September 30, 2011, together with
Artur Hajzer and
Tomasz Wolfart, Bielecki summited
Makalu (8463m), They climbed the mountain without supplemental oxygen.[3]
On March 9, 2012, Bielecki and
Janusz Gołąb made the first winter ascent of
Gasherbrum I (8080m), thereby also achieving the highest elevation reached by man in winter in the
Karakorum. They climbed the mountain without supplemental oxygen.[4]
On July 31, 2012, Bielecki summited
K2 (8611m) without use of supplemental oxygen.[5]
On March 5, 2013, Bielecki climbed
Broad Peak (8051m) together with
Maciej Berbeka,
Artur Małek, and
Tomasz Kowalski. They climbed the mountain without supplementary oxygen. The climbers separated before the summit, and while Bielecki and Małek reached the camp on descent, Berbeka and Kowalski went missing and were pronounced dead three days later.[6][7]
On January 27, 2018, Bielecki, along with
Denis Urubko,
Jaroslaw Botor, and
Piotr Tomala, led a rescue operation on
Nanga Parbat to save climbers
Élisabeth Revol and
Tomasz Mackiewicz, who were stuck on the mountain.[8][9] All four of them had been attempting a winter summit of
K2, were brought to the mountain by helicopter. Bielecki and Urubko climbed over 1000m through the night to reach Revol. They succeeded in bringing Revol to safety, but, due to the severe weather conditions, were unable to save Mackiewicz.[10] The K2 expedition ended with no success.[11] Bielecki and his colleagues were awarded
Legion of Honour, France's highest distinction for military and civil merits, for this rescue mission.[12]
On July 16 2018, Adam Bielecki with
Felix Berg, climbed
Gasherbrum II by the west face (likely the second ascent of this face) without supplementary oxygen.[13][14]
On August 20, 2017, Bielecki, together with Paweł Migas and Jacek Czech, climbed in the
Cajon del Mapo region of the
Andes, opening 3 new routes: "Ruta Polaca", "Diedro Polaco" and "La Perdida".[16][17]
Best of ExplorersWeb 2012 Awards Winner: Gasherbrum I First Winter Ascent[23]
Feat of the year 2012 award by the Polish edition of National Geographic[24]
"The Spirit of Mountaineering Commendation" awarded by British Alpine Club to: Krzysztof Wielicki, Adam Bielecki, Denis Urubko, Jarosław Botor and Piotr Tomala for the rescue action on Nanga Parbat in winter 2018[25]
David A. Sowles Memorial Award 2019 by American Alpine Club for the Nanga Parbat rescue action for Adam Bielecki, Denis Urubko, Jarosław Botor and Piotr Tomala[26][27]
2019 National Geographic Adventurers of the Year, for Adam Bielecki and Denis Urubko[28]
French
Legion of Honour, for his part in the rescue mission on Nanga Parbat in 2019[29]