Bidmytrip

Annapurna’s first winter ascent made him a legend, but mentoring the next generation made his legacy.

Artur Hajzer’s story belongs to two chapters of Polish winter mountaineering: the golden generation that made history on 8,000-meter peaks, and the younger climbers he later helped prepare for the next unfinished winter challenges.

FROM CLIMBER TO MENTOR

Born on June 28, 1962, Hajzer started climbing at 14 and rose through Poland’s golden Himalayan generation.

His defining climb came on February 3, 1987, when he stood on the summit of Annapurna I with Jerzy Kukuczka during the mountain’s first winter ascent. It became one of Polish winter mountaineering’s great achievements and the climb most closely tied to his name.

His career reached far beyond Annapurna. He climbed seven 8,000-meter summits and helped open major new routes with Kukuczka, including Manaslu’s northeast face in 1986 and Shishapangma’s west ridge in 1987.

He was also known for acting under pressure. In 1989, Hajzer helped organize the Everest West Ridge rescue that saved Andrzej Marciniak, earning recognition from the Polish Olympic Committee.

A MENTOR’S LEGACY

After Kukuczka died on Lhotse in 1989, Hajzer stepped away from climbing for many years. When he returned in 2005, his focus shifted from his own summits to helping build the next generation of Polish climbers.

In 2009, he proposed the Polish Winter Himalayan Mountaineering Project, created to revive Poland’s winter 8,000-meter tradition. It brought younger climbers like Adam Bielecki into the discipline Polish mountaineers had helped pioneer decades earlier.

THE PROJECT IN ACTION

The project’s first major breakthrough came in March 2012, when Adam Bielecki and Janusz Gołąb completed the first winter ascent of Gasherbrum I.

Success also came with tragedy. In 2013, a Polish team from the project made the first winter ascent of Broad Peak, but Maciej Berbeka and Tomasz Kowalski did not return from the descent. Hajzer was not on the mountain, but as one of the program’s main architects, he took responsibility for the project he had helped build.

FINAL CLIMB

On July 7, 2013, Hajzer died on Gasherbrum I during descent after a summit attempt with Marcin Kaczkan. He fell in the Japanese Couloir, one of the mountain’s dangerous descent sections. He was 51.

He is remembered for Annapurna, for leadership, and for the winter generation he helped bring forward.

On this day, June 27, 1957, Hermann Buhl disappeared high on Chogolisa, just 18 days after making the first ascent of Broad Peak.

He was climbing with Kurt Diemberger on the southeast ridge of Chogolisa, the 7,665-meter Karakoram peak, when a sudden blizzard forced them to retreat. Buhl moved slightly away from Diemberger’s track, and a snow cornice collapsed beneath him. He fell down the mountain’s North Face and was never seen again. His body was never recovered. He was 32 years old.

Born in Innsbruck in 1924, Buhl had already built a reputation for bold solo climbs in the Alps before ever setting foot in the Himalayas.

THE NANGA PARBAT SOLO

Four years earlier, on July 3, 1953, Buhl made the first ascent of Nanga Parbat. His partner, Otto Kempter, turned back early, but Buhl pushed on alone without bottled oxygen, reaching the 8,126-meter summit at around 7pm after roughly 1,200 vertical meters of climbing from high camp.

The descent became one of mountaineering’s most extraordinary survival stories. With no tent, no sleeping bag, missing his ice axe, and struggling with damaged crampon equipment, Buhl survived a standing bivouac on a narrow ledge high on the mountain before reaching camp around 41 hours after setting out. Two frostbitten toes were later amputated.

It remains the only first ascent of an 8,000-meter peak completed solo on the final summit push.

BROAD PEAK: CLIMBING LIGHT

On June 9, 1957, Buhl, Diemberger, Marcus Schmuck, and Fritz Wintersteller reached the 8,051-meter summit of Broad Peak. They climbed in a small, self-reliant team, without supplemental oxygen or high-altitude porters.

Eighteen days later, Buhl was gone, but his vision helped inspire a lighter, bolder style of climbing in the Himalayas.

333 days after beginning his journey to climb the highest mountain on each of the seven continents, HRH Mohammed Al Saud completed the challenge on Denali at just 24 years old.

His successful summit on 19 June 2026 marked the end of one of mountaineering’s most recognized global pursuits. The Seven Summits take climbers across very different environments, from the high Himalaya to Antarctica, Africa, South America, Europe, Oceania, and Alaska.

A 333-DAY JOURNEY

Completing the project in less than a year requires more than summit success. It means moving between continents, managing recovery between expeditions, adjusting to different climates, and climbing again and again at high altitude.

For Mohammed, the final stage came on Denali, North America’s highest mountain. Known for severe cold, remote terrain, heavy loads, and demanding summit pushes, it is a serious test even for experienced climbers.

His Seven Summits journey was completed with support from Elite Exped, ending with the final summit on Denali.

A REPORTED RECORD

His team reported that Mohammed completed all seven peaks in 333 days, or 11 months and 3 days. They also reported the achievement as making him the youngest and fastest Arab to complete the Seven Summits.

At 24, finishing such a demanding international climbing project in less than a year makes this a major milestone in Arab mountaineering and adventure.

A HISTORIC FINISH

From the first expedition to the final climb in Alaska, Mohammed’s journey shows commitment, consistency, and focus across an intense schedule.

His achievement stands as an inspiration for young climbers and adventurers across the region and beyond.