Tomasz Mackiewicz
Tomasz Mackiewicz (January 13, 1975 – January 30, 2018) was a Polish high‑altitude climber. He died on Nanga Parbat, an eight‑thousand‑meter peak in Pakistan often called the “Killer Mountain.”
He was born in Działoszyn, Poland, and moved with his parents to Częstochowa at age 12, where he later finished high school. He struggled with heroin for several years in his youth.
Mackiewicz was known for difficult winter climbs. In 2008 he and Mark Klonowski received a “feat of the year” award for a long climb of Mount Logan. In 2009 he climbed Khan Tengri solo. He tried several times to summit Nanga Parbat in winter. In 2015, with Klonowski, he reached 7,400 meters, and in 2016, with French climber Élisabeth Revol, he reached 7,200 meters on Nanga Parbat. He became the first person to climb an eight‑thousander in alpine style in winter, for which he was nominated for the Piolet d’Or award.
On January 25, 2018, during his seventh winter attempt on Nanga Parbat from the Diamer side, he and Revol reached the summit at about 8,126 meters. At the summit, Revol saw that Mackiewicz was in very bad shape—unable to walk, see or speak, and bleeding from his mouth and nose. She shielded him from the wind, called for help, and began descending with him. He had severe frostbite and snow blindness and was likely suffering from high‑altitude illnesses. Revol had mild frostbite on five toes.
Rescue teams were flown in, and on January 27 a helicopter dropped rescuers to about 4,900 meters. They saved Revol at 6,026 meters and brought her to safety. Mackiewicz could not be saved due to the dangerous weather and altitude. It is believed he died within 24 hours after the decision not to attempt a risky rescue. His body has never been found. In March 2018 his father received a death certificate listing January 30, 2018 as his date of death.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 10:28 (CET).