Kacper Tekieli Accident Update: What Happened to Kacper Tekieli?
by Mathelene
Updated Jun 27, 2023
Who was Kacper Tekieli?
Kacper Tekieli, born on November 23, 1984, was a highly skilled mountain climber and sport climbing instructor from Poland. He held a distinguished title awarded by the Polish Alpinism Association, highlighting his expertise in the field. Throughout his mountaineering career, Tekieli achieved notable feats in various mountain ranges, including the Tatra Mountains, Mount Elbrus, Makalu, Broad Peak, and the Alps.
Tragically, Tekieli met his untimely demise in an avalanche on the Jungfrau mountain in the village of Stechelberg in the year 2023. His passing marked a significant loss for the mountaineering community and left a void in the hearts of those who knew him.
Kacper Tekieli Accident Update
Kacper Tekieli, a mountain climber and husband of Polish Olympic cross-country skiing medalist Justyna Kowalczyk-Tekieli, has tragically passed away at the age of 38 in an avalanche in the Swiss Alps. Known for his ambitious goal of conquering all 82 mountain summits in the Alps standing over 4,000 meters, Tekieli had already reached eight summits since May 6. However, on May 17, while descending the Jungfrau, he was caught in an avalanche, resulting in his untimely death.
Tekieli was a highly regarded climbing instructor, celebrated for his notable achievements such as completing a double traverse of the Matterhorn and ascending the north-east face of the Eiger via the Lauper route in 2019. In September 2020, he married Justyna Kowalczyk-Tekieli, who is a five-time Olympic cross-country skiing medalist and has since retired from the sport.
Kowalczyk-Tekieli's impressive career includes winning gold medals in the women's 30-kilometer classical event at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and the 10-kilometer classical event at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. She also earned silver and bronze medals in individual sprint and 15-kilometer pursuit, respectively, at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and secured a third-place finish in the 30-kilometer freestyle event at the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics.
Additionally, Kowalczyk-Tekieli has achieved double gold medals at the World Championships in the 15-kilometer pursuit and 30-kilometer classical events held in Liberec, Czech Republic. On Instagram, Kowalczyk-Tekieli paid tribute to her late husband, describing him as her everything. She also shared a photograph of herself at the summit of the Jungfrau. The couple has a 20-month-old son together.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki expressed his condolences to Tekieli's family, extending sympathies to Justyna Kowalczyk-Tekieli and offering his deepest condolences. Radoslaw Piesiewicz, President of the Polish Olympic Committee, also expressed his regret and conveyed his sincerest condolences to Kacper Tekieli's wife, son, and relatives on behalf of the Olympic family.
What happened to Kacper Tekieli?
Kacper Tekieli, a renowned climber and instructor of sports climbing, tragically lost his life in an avalanche in the Swiss Alps. The Foundation for the Support of Polish Mountaineering confirmed the news of his death, although detailed obituary information had not yet been released to the media at the time of this writing. Kacper had a remarkable climbing career, participating in various expeditions and scaling numerous challenging peaks around the world.
Between 2010 and 2015, Kacper took part in trips to Makalu and Broad Peak Middle as a member of the Polish Winter Himalayan program. In 2016, he and Paweł Karczmarczyk were involved in a rescue operation on Shivling in the Indian Himalayas, where they attempted to aid a critically injured Łukasz Chrzanowski.
Kacper's climbing achievements extended beyond the Himalayas. He completed over 300 different routes in the Tatra Mountains, conquering the highest walls of Polish and Slovak summits, often solo. Additionally, he explored climbing opportunities in Alaska, the Caucasus, Norway, and the Alps, including the famous "Alpine Trilogy" featuring the northern faces of the Eiger, Matterhorn, and Grandes Jorasses.
While on vacation with his family in Switzerland, Kacper pursued his ambitious goal of ascending all 82 of the Alps' 4,000-meter peaks. Unfortunately, during his solo climb of the Jungfrau, tragedy struck, leading to his untimely demise. The news of Kacper's accident deeply shocked the climbing community, and his family is currently grieving over this unexpected and devastating loss.
The mountaineering world mourns the tragic death of Kacper Tekieli, and numerous individuals have expressed their condolences and paid tribute to the accomplished climber. In August 2020, Kacper achieved a remarkable feat by completing all the peaks in the Great Crown of the Tatra Mountains, surpassing the previous record by more than 11 hours.
Furthermore, in March 2021, Kacper, along with Maciej Ciesielski and Piotr Suowski, became the first to successfully accomplish the Expander's winter ascent, setting a new unprecedented record.
Kacper Tekieli died
On May 17, Kacper Tekieli, a 38-year-old climber, met with a tragic end while attempting to climb and descend the Jungfrau peak in Switzerland. Tekieli, who was snowboarding down the mountain, was swept away by an avalanche, resulting in his untimely death.
Tekieli was widely recognized in the mountaineering community and had even received nominations for the prestigious Piolet d'Or awards for his remarkable achievements in the field. His untimely demise abruptly interrupted his ongoing pursuit of conquering all 82 of the "four-thousanders," referring to the mountain peaks in the Alps that exceed 4,000 meters in height.
Although Tekieli was unable to complete his descent from Jungfrau, various sources indicate that he had successfully reached the summit. A day before the tragic accident, Tekieli shared his location data on the fitness tracking platform Strava, which indicated that he was at the Konkordia Hut, located at an altitude of 2,850 meters on the mountain.
Kacper Tekieli Accident Update - FAQs
Kacper Tekieli tragically lost his life in an avalanche while climbing the Jungfrau peak in the Swiss Alps on May 17.
Kacper Tekieli was a mountain climber and instructor of sports climbing. He was known for his notable achievements in various mountain ranges, including the Himalayas, Tatra Mountains, and the Alps.
Yes, according to multiple sources, Kacper Tekieli successfully reached the summit of the Jungfrau peak before the accident occurred.
Kacper Tekieli received nominations for the Piolet d'Or awards, which is a prestigious honor in the field of mountaineering.
Yes, Kacper Tekieli and Justyna Kowalczyk-Tekieli have a 20-month-old son together.