On 22nd August 2011, the expedition organised as part of the ‘Polish Himalaya Winter Climb’ project left Poland. It was fronted by the experienced Polish Himalaya climber Artur Hajzer, and one of the 8 participants was our friend, Maciej Stańczak (‘Maciek’ to his friends and family).

The goal of this expedition was to climb the fifth highest mountain in the world, Makalu (8463m). The Polish climbers decided to reach it via the classic route established by French mountaineers in
1955.

On 30th September, four climbers left the camp at 7800 metres to reach the peak – the leader Artur Hajzer, Adam Bielecki, Maciej Stańczak and Tomasz Wolfart. After six hours of trekking, Maciek could not warm up his fingers and decided to return to the camp. The three remaining climbers reached the peak of Makalu.

As a result of unfortunate circumstances and dramatic weather conditions, the return from the peak of Makalu to the base took five days. The exhausted Maciej Stańczak and Tomasz Wolfart were given first aid by their fellow climbers and the Sherpa rescue group requested by the expedition leader. Unfortunately, the extreme conditions above 7000 metres have permanently affected the health of the climbers. Maciej Stańczak suffers the greatest damage. The 3rd degree frostbite on his hands has made the amputation of all his fingers unavoidable.

Through this website, Maciek’s friends and family are calling for your support to fund the extended medical treatment and rehabilitation process which will enable him to function as independently as
possible.