Wanda Rutkiewicz: why a Google Doodle is celebrating the Polish climber who scaled Mount Everest Setting a record for women, Rutkiewicz climbed eight of the world’s 14 peaks over 8,000 meters, including K2 in 1986

Google is celebrating Wanda Rutkiewicz, the Polish mountain climber who became the third person to reach the summit of Mount Everest, on the 41st anniversary of her accomplishment.

Recognised as one of the greatest female climbers of all time, she would go on to complete seven more 8,000-meter-plus climbs during her lifetime.

Rutkiewicz’s achievements are being marked by the search engine with a drawing by artist Kevin Laughin.

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The First Climb

Rutkiewicz was born on February 1943 in the village of Plungiany, now part of Lithuania.

After World War II, her family settled in Wroclaw in Poland where she studied and graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from Wroclaw University of Technology.

She discovered her passion for climbing by accident after her motorcycle ran out of fuel in 1961.

One of the people who stopped to help invited her to join him on a climb of the Falcon Mountains – her first climbing experience.

Mount Everest

In addition to being the third woman to ascend the world’s highest peak, Rutkiewicz also became the first Pole – male or female – to do so on October 16, 1978.

She wrote: “I adored the physical movement, the fresh air, the camaraderie, and the excitement.”

Eight years later, she also became the first woman to successfully climb K2— the world’s second-highest peak— doing so without using supplemental oxygen.

Of the five highest mountains in the world, K2 is considered the deadliest and two of her fellow climbers perished during the descent in 1986.

Crossing boundaries

From the beginning of her climbing career, Rutkiewicz was a strong advocate for women’s climbing.

She was actively involved in organising all-female expeditions, particularly for female rope teams.

At the time she faced hostility and suffered sabotage at the hands of male teammates. According to the New York Times, one stole her sleeping bag on Everest, while others abandoned her on Annapurna.

Others went as far publicly doubting that she had reached the top of Annapurna until her film proved it.

But she continued pursing her dreams and set a record for women by climbing eight of the world’s 14 peaks.

Rukiewicz is believed to have died while attempting to climb Kangchenjunga – the third highest mountain in the world, with an elevation of 8,586 m (28,169 ft) – at the age of 49.

Her body has never been found.