원정 개요

DeChoudens & Cagnin (French-Bulgaria expedition) - 14 May 97:

These two Frenchmen met Kowalzik at bottom of ladder on Second Step at 1:00 pm (NST) on 8 May as they were descending from summit and he was going up. They exchanged "congratulations' and "good luck." He said he was fine; he looked tired but ok - he was not seen again. If he reached top it would have been about 4:00 pm, when it was very windy with cloud cover on summits.


Pawlowski - 27 May 97

(Pawlowski and Kowalzik shared same kitchen and Kowalzik was on permit with six members group organized by Pawlowski):

Kowalzik left C3 at 8200m about 4:00 am (NST) for summit - was not using oxygen and was not a fast climber. Also had not acclimatized enough: had been only once to 7700m+ to deposit gear in late April and back home to ABC. Next time he went up, reached C3 on 7 May and made bid for summit on 8th, then disappeared. Pawlowski waited for Kowalzik in Kowalzik's tent at 8200m on 8th, ready to go to top alone himself on 9th. In middle of night of 8/9 May, strong wind started blowing and it was impossible to go up or down on 9th till 1:30 pm, when Pawlowski went down (to 7700m). Kowalzik was not "an extreme climber" (was not top class).


Brice (New Zealand, Japanese, etc expedition leader) - 9 June 97

Kowalzik was really not very well, had to go down to a village below BC to recover strength. When he was at ABC getting ready to start up for summit push, Brice, Whetu (Brice's deputy leader) and Price (his team's doctor and summiter with Brice) urged him not to go up because he didn't look well and Price's examination of him found infection in lower lung. Andy Evans (with Kazakh expedition) recognized Kowalzik's ice axe below Second Step and saw a body not far away; whose body, don't know. Evans didn't try to identify it (Evans summited on 22 May).