Historia explorationis montibus uno verbo

How it begun... In the beginning, even though I lived in a city surrounded by mountains, I did not realise that the mountains would play such an important part in my life. Looking through the window I observed some smaller and bigger hills... One day, quite unexpectedly, my father and I went on a hike to Giewont in the Tatras Mountains. I was about 10 years old at the time and was instantly convinced that the mountains were not restricted to the highlanders of the Tatras and experienced mountaineers. Also, probably for the first time, I encountered and enjoyed contact with the alpine landscape, which was so different from that which I saw every day in a city or even in the country. However, I was not bitten by the mountain bug at first and it was not until I had been on several more trips that I fell in love with the mountains.

First steps... When I was 14, I began to make regular trips to the mountains, initially, with my friends. At that time we went to the mountains nearest to my home in Nowy Sącz, which were at Beskid Sądecki and Pieniny, always keeping to the marked trails. I assumed that I would eventually progress beyond trails at a later date, although the number of marked trails was enough to satisfy me for several years. The first trips, adventures and experiences... The trips with my friends proved to be both exciting and a process of learning from our mistakes. We survived bad weather, wandering around lost because a trail was badly marked and being attacked by half-wild cows as we took a short cut through a field used by them as pasture. As I became more adept at hiking and gained in self-confidence, after I finished primary school, I began taking trips on my own. The areas I walked spread gradually wider and wider around Nowy Sącz, taking in Beskid Wyspowy and Beskid Niski and later Gorce, Beskid Mały, Żywiecki, Makowski, Bieszczady and Beskid Śląski. I did not hike in the Tatras at that time, in spite of my first positive experience, which had convinced me that they were not inaccessible to me.

The second steps... Whilst studying at secondary school, I explored the mountains more and more and I began hiking in the Tatras mountains. I found that I could easily climb in such terrain, even though I was not a very experienced climber. It was at that time that I came to a conclusion that, as everything had gone so well on my trips, I would like to try to qualify as a mountain guide. Yes! That was what I decided to do, but I had to wait a few years before I was able to start my studies. Immediately after I moved to Cracow, I signed up for the mountain guides' course for the Beskidy Mountains, under the auspices of the Students' Circle of Beskidy Guides (SKPG) in Cracow. All looked to be going pretty well, but there was one hitch - the course would last for over one and a half years and only after finishing the course would I be allowed to take the exams. It presented a huge challenge for such a hot-headed person as myself, but I finally realised that, since I had waited so long for the opportunity, I could stick with it for the time it would take.

The course in SKPG The training provided by the SKPG was not only about trips in the mountains and familiarising ourselves with new peaks, valleys, trails, clearings, huts, etc. I learned that the mountains are not just physical features. The mountains are something more than that and consequently my studies included various diverse aspects of the mountains, such as their composition, nature, history, and ethnography, as well, as some metaphysical considerations. Participation in the course necessitated forcing the organ, commonly called my brain, to take in an immense amount of information under pressure whilst working within a group and also tested my leadership skills and the limits of my own ambition. We undertook many trips throughout all four seasons of the year and a particularly excellent one in the Ukraine, from Cieszyn on the west side to the springs of the Czeremosz River on the east side. There was an intermediate exam during this period. The whole course passed like that and on 27th April 1997 I passed my final exams and obtained the entitlement to be a mountain guide for the Beskidy Mountains.

The course in AKPT The next challenge I faced was the mountain guides' course for the Tatras mountains with the Academic Circle of Tatra Guides (AKPT), which, incidentally, separated from the SKPG in the eighties. This course proved to be much more difficult. Everyone could easily see that the Beskidys and the Tatras are completely different mountains because the former are Alpine-like, whilst the second are much higher. In comparison with the Beskidy mountains, the Tatras have additional qualities and challenges, that affected the whole process of training and the skills required to qualify as a Tatras guide.

Perhaps one can higher... With time, I discovered new possibilities when in the Tatras and, as walking along marked trails was no longer much fun, I began climbing anywhere I could. I was suitably prepared, having taken part in a rock climbing course that gave me the knowledge about safe climbing and using climbing equipment. Since then, the Jurassic Valleys close to Cracow have always made think of the fantastic and unconventional instructor of rock climbing, Marek Kozicki, who was my first climbing instructor. Unfortunately, in February 2001, he passed away. I always envisage Marek's pleasant figure before my eyes when I pass close to the "Betlejemka" or stay in the Jurassic Valleys. The next stage of "taming" of the mountains was a climbing in the Tatras course. Under Rysiek Gajewski's supervision, I completed many classical course routes, on Granaty, Kocielce, Świnica, Mnich, Mięguszowiecki Peak and Zamarła Turnia. Finally, after nervously sitting my exam in "Betlejemka" (headquarters of the Centre of Climb Training of the Polish Association of Alpinism), I obtained my climbing authorization card, which for a person like me opened up the whole world of the Tatras and the High Mountains generally. "Where there is a will - there is a way".

Oh!... this Zakopane... To suitably celebrate the end of the century and the arrival of the new millennium, I needed to find some new challenges for myself. The first was the guide exam in accordance with new legislation and the main participants were Paweł Skawi¨1ski, Piotrek Konopka, Gienek Lichota, Maciek Pawlikowski, Józek Michalec, Jasiek Roj, Poldek Rajwa, Robert Janik and Jacek Mizerski. I can assure everyone that these men made a great impression on everyone and nothing I had done compared to that exam. However, as people say, "without any risk, there is no fun". Eventually, I obtained the longed for authorization to be a Tatras mountain guide.

Not only the Carpathians... As yet, all my mountain activity had concentrated on the Carpathian Mountains (not counting a small outing in the Sudety Mountains). It was high time to explore other mountains and my choice was the Alps. For a start, motivated by my ambition, I decided to climb some "top" Alpine peaks by the classical routes with my friend Darek Dyląg. In August 2001, we successfully climbed Wildspitze (3779), Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. One year later, I returned in the Alps with my girl-friend Anna. We climbed on Allalinhorn, Alphubel and Dom. I think I will be back in the Alps next year, and in the future...