The intention behind the Andrzej Zawada memorial Foundation initially consisted in commemorating the output of this Himalayan mountaineer and exceptional leader. With time, however, we came to realize that we would like to be an institution supporting the realization of unique mountain goals.
We asked ourselves a question on what was the most important idea for Zawada in his mountaineering activity, and that was exploring, forerunning and crossing the borders existing at that time. Hence, an idea of winter Himalayan mountaineering that he successfully managed to implement in life was formed.
Following this motto, according to which all things impossible simply require a proper method, as an organisation we would like not only to preserve the memory of exceptional deeds, but also to support those initiatives that form the history of this discipline.
The foundation gathers exceptional individuals, both those who had the privilege of meeting Andrzej, as well as those to whom his ideas are close.
W gorączce przygotowań do historycznej wyprawy na Everest zimą 1979/80 roku, nasza przyjaciółka Mila tj. Emilia Mróz Holnicka wówczas studentka Akademii Sztuk Pięknych konsultowała i zaprojektowała znaczek wyprawy everestowskiej.
Jako logo wyprawy został przyjęty z radością przez zespół i kierownika Andrzeja Zawadę, któremu autorka znak ofiarowała.
Znak ten związany z osobą Andrzeja Zawady został przez radę fundacji przyjęty jako jej logo.
Visionary, Himalayan mountaineer, mountain climbing leader, man of action. When he started climbing in the 1950s, he was already reaching for the highest goals. He loved climbing in winter. In 1959, together with his team, he managed, for the first time ever in winter, to cross a seventy-five kilometres long Main Ridge of the Tatra Mountains. Winter passages, second in history: Bonatti routes on the Grand Pilier d'Angle of Mont Blanc in 1965 and the north wall of Aiguille Blanche de Peutérey were a prelude to what was inevitable in 1971.
At that time, he successfully led an expedition to the virgin Kunyang Chhish 7852 m above sea level, marking, for the first time after World War II, Polish presence in the highest mountains. In 1974 he lead the expedition to Lhotse 8501 m a.s.l. which managed, for the first time in the history of mountaineering, to cover eight thousand metres in winter. In 1980 he achieved the impossible. Under his supervision, the national expedition to Mount Everest 8848 m a.s.l. managed to conquer the Himalayan giant for the first time in winter. Since then, global Himalayan mountaineering was supposed to acquire a new chapter in history, written by Polish “Ice Warriors.” He fought until the very end with the mountain giants of the Himalayas and Karakoram. He died in August, 2000, while planning his next winter expedition to K2.
Continuing the legacy of Andrzej Zawada, Poles were the first to climb as much as eleven of the fourteen summits of eight-thousanders in winter. Today, only K2 awaits for daredevils.
