The first winter climb
of Tatra main ridge 1959

Climbing the entire Tatra ridge during winter was in the 1950s the Holy Grail for Polish and Slovakian mountaineers. The challenge was twofold - both the climbing and logistics (sleeping arrangements and food supplies) posed difficulties. Great difficulties, as previous failed and even tragic attempts show. The first successful summer climb took place in 1955, and winter attempts (for example 1956 and 1958) ended with the deaths of climbers. The situation was dire, so in 1959 the Mountaineering Club called mountaineers to stop the attempts on the main ridge, as they were afraid there will be more tragic accidents.

The next attempt was initiated by Kazimierz W. Olech, and Andrzej Zawada joined the group of mountaineers from Warsaw. Zawada created the expedition's strategy - the climbers were not to descend to the valleys for the night, as during this part of the climb most of the tragic accidents happened. The decision not to have additional support teams was also made. Placement of food supplies and the route were established: 75 km, 16 days of climbing (1 day in Belianske Tatras, 11 days in High Tatras and 4 days in Western Tatras). Unfortunately, due to difficult weather the climb took 3 days longer.