![]() The second-hand rope he had bought at a market in Kathmandu snapped. Leading a pitch at 8,200m, with a 2,000m drop below his feet, he fell. ![]() Kukuczka died while climbing the mightly South Face of Lhotse. He climbed Nanga Parbat via the previously unclimbed SE Pillar and Everest’s South Pillar. Also, he blazed new routes on Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, Broad Peak, Manaslu, Shishapangma, and Annapurna. Together with Tadeusz Piotrowski, he opened a new route alpine style on K2, which has yet to be repeated. He soloed Makalu in alpine style via a new route in 1981. Kukuczka has a long list of accomplishments. Kukuczca was simply not interested in routes climbed previously by others, or in “playing for low stakes.” He only used oxygen on the highest section of the new Polish route on Everest. He achieved nearly all his 8,000m summits on the first attempt, without the luxury of broken trails, fixed ropes, and well-equipped camps. But even as a member of large Polish expeditions, he left his imprint. While Messner had a more individual approach to expedition planning, Kukuczka was a team player. While many remember the race between Kukuczka and Messner to bag all 14 8000’ers, both climbers pursued excellence on each climb, rather than mere speed. Likewise, he summited 10 of his 14 8,000’ers via a new route, a record that remains unbroken. Three of them were first winter ascents, and he completed two of them in one season. He climbed four of his 14 8,000’ers in winter. Kukuczka was one of the Polish Ice Warriors. The Polish trailblazer, lord of winter, Jerzy Kukuczka, climbed all the 14 8000’ers in seven years, 11 months, and 14 days. Jerzy Kukuczkaīest known for: New routes and first winter ascents on 8,000’ers, second to complete all 14 of them, and fastest to climb them before the age of fixed ropes This time he wanted to establish the possibility that ancient Sumerians may have used similar methods to spread their culture. Next was a 4,000km voyage down the Tigris River and the Persian Gulf, across the Arabian Sea and into the Red Sea. Again, this was to prove a theory, that the Egyptians might have influenced pre-Columbian cultures. The first was a crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, from Morocco to Central America. He carried out two further expeditions, this time opting for reed boats. ![]() They sailed from Peru to Polynesia to prove it was possible. To test a theory (since discredited) that they came from South America, he built the Kon-Tiki, a balsa raft from natural Peruvian materials. Heyerdahl was fascinated by how Pacific inhabitants had reached the remote Pacific islands. ![]() What makes this journey stand out is they did it on a raft. In 1947, Thor Heyerdahl and a small crew spent three-and-a-half months traveling across the Pacific Ocean. Thor Heyerdahlīest known for: Crossing the Pacific Ocean on a raft Most focused on Greenland, but the fifth and perhaps greatest of the Thule expeditions covered nearly 20,000 miles between Greenland and Siberia, including the first European dogsled journey across the Northwest Passage.įor this and his resulting ethnographic works, Rasmussen has been dubbed the “Father of Eskimology.” Although never formally educated, Rasmussen’s contribution to anthropology, polar exploration, and knowledge of the native people of the Arctic is recognized globally. Following some early expeditions at the turn of the 20th century, Rasmussen cemented his place in history with The Thule Expeditions, a series of polar exploration and ethnographic expeditions from 1912-1933. Son of a missionary, Rasmussen spent his early years in Greenland immersing himself in the local language, driving dog sleds, hunting, and picking up the dark arts of travel in the cold. This is probably why Rasmussen won’t feature on many lists of explorers, as his legacy is one of knowledge over athletic achievement. Knud Rasmussen is a throwback to the wild days of exploration, when hardy fellows went on adventures to learn about the blank spots on the map and the people who inhabited them. Speciality: Arctic Exploration, Anthropology In others, we deemed that certain obscure figures had contributed more than others who were perhaps more famous.Īll 100 have pushed the limits of their chosen fields, set a standard of excellence, and made the world better known. In some cases, this may have been simply an oversight. You may find some of your personal favorites missing from this list.
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