Broad Peak in Twenty-two Hours. Our party consisted of Janusz Majer, leader, Walenty Fiut, Ryszard Pawlowski and me. Jerzy Kukuczka and Wojciech Kurtyka operated separately. Our chief objective was to complete the first one-day ascent of Broad Peak. Base Camp was installed on June 19 at the foot of the south face. Advance Base was at 4900 meters at the foot of the original route. We then set up two camps on that route at 6550 and 7200 meters. On July 6 the first summit attempt was made, but I had to turn back at 7400 meters in worsening weather. On July 12 Majer, Fiut and Pawlowski left Advance Base for the summit, sleeping in both camps. On July 14 I started from Advance Base and climbed fast in the moonlight. At the beginning of the route we took the left (Messner) variation. We had some difficulties because of hard bare ice. At four A.M. I reached Camp I, where I stayed for 40 minutes to warm my toes. In Camp II I stayed from eight to ten A.M. In the upper part, deep snow was troublesome. At two P.M. I reached the col between the main and middle summits. A Swiss was waiting there for his comrade, who was heading for the summit. I continued. Some 20 minutes below the top I met my three companions, descending after a successful ascent. At four P.M. I stood on the highest point of Broad Peak. The ascent had taken a total of 15½ hours and 13 hours of climbing. On the col I met my companions and the two Swiss. We descended together to Camp II, where they stayed for the night. I descended. The hard ice was now more difficult and dangerous. I used the old fixed ropes carefully. I was back at Advance Base at 10:30 P.M. The ascent and descent had taken a total of 22 hours and 19 hours of actual climbing. For the first time an 8000er had been climbed in a one-day push.

Krzysztof Wielicki, Klub Wysokogórski, Poland