MANASLU 2018 AWILUX.DISCOVER

MANASLU 2018 AWILUX.DISCOVER

The Mountain of the Spirit that Tests People to Their Limits

Some dreams are born in silence — they take a long time to mature before someone dares to give them shape as an expedition. Manaslu, the eighth highest peak in the world, has long tempted the daring with the promise of something more than mere metres above sea level. Although lower than Everest, it is considered far more difficult and far more capricious — a mountain that forgives neither haste nor carelessness. It was this very mountain that Monika Witkowska, a traveller, writer and Himalayan mountaineer, decided to face — someone for whom limits have always been an invitation rather than an obstacle.

She set off on the expedition together with her climbing partner, Joanna Kozanecka. The two of them took on the mountain in a two-person team — without the support of a large crew, relying above all on each other, on the trust built together, and on months of preparation. Fitness, equipment, logistics — all of this could be planned and trained for. But the outcome of the expedition, as is always the case in high-altitude mountaineering, depended on something more: on whether "the mountain would allow" itself to be conquered. Manaslu can be unpredictable — avalanches, wind, sudden weather breakdowns can undo weeks of acclimatisation in a matter of hours. That is why, during the summit push, plain human luck was also essential — especially a good weather window, that narrow, fleeting moment of calm between one onslaught of the elements and the next.

And when good windows are at stake — it's obvious that AWILUX has to be involved. That's why we decided to support this expedition, becoming its sponsor. Its full name is "Manaslu 2018 Awilux.Discover" — a combination of the passion for discovering the world with the endurance our brand represents.

Monika Witkowska — A Woman Who Doesn't Know the Word "Impossible"

Monika Witkowska is a figure who has permanently written herself into the history of Polish mountaineering and sailing. She has climbed nine peaks of the Crown of the Earth, and her record also includes such demanding summits as Broad Peak and Ama Dablam. Mountains, however, are only one of her passions.

She is equally devoted to ocean sailing, with a particular fondness for the most challenging polar waters. She has sailed around the legendary Cape Horn twice — a place that has commanded respect from even the most experienced sailors for centuries. She has also completed the Northwest Passage, an extremely demanding Arctic route leading from Greenland to Alaska through the icy waters of Canada. Together with the Swede Börje Ivarsson, she was the first in the world to sail from northern Canada to Russia's Wrangel Island and to circumnavigate Chukotka — a feat that has permanently secured their place in the history of polar exploration.

Skiing, snowboarding, windsurfing, diving — these are further fields in which she finds fulfilment. But the passion that ties it all together remains one: travelling. Monika has so far visited around 180 countries on every continent, proving that the world is there to be conquered — step by step, mile by mile, summit by summit.

Manaslu — The Mountain of the Spirit

Manaslu (8,156 m above sea level) is located in Nepal, in the mighty Himalayan massif. Its name, derived from Sanskrit, means "Mountain of the Spirit" — and it's hard to find a more fitting name for a peak that has, for decades, tested not only the bodies but also the minds of climbers.

It was first reached in 1956 by four members of a Japanese expedition, opening a new chapter in the history of Himalayan mountaineering. Sixteen years later, the mountain yielded to the legendary Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner — one of the most important figures in the history of high-altitude climbing. Poland's mark on Manaslu is equally strong: on 14 January 1984, Maciej Berbeka and Ryszard Gajewski made the first winter ascent of this peak, adding their names to the canon of great Polish Himalayan achievements.

To this day, only 15 Polish climbers have conquered Manaslu — and among them, only three women. This number best illustrates the scale of the challenge undertaken by Monika Witkowska and Joanna Kozanecka.

Passion, Endurance and the Struggle Against the Elements

The story of the "Manaslu 2018 Awilux.Discover" expedition is a story of how dreams turn into a concrete plan of action — and how much must be sacrificed to make that plan a reality. It is also a reminder that nature always has the final word. One can prepare for it as best a human being can, but ultimately it is the mountain that decides who it lets reach the summit, and who it turns back.

That is exactly why we admire people like Monika Witkowska — those who are not afraid to face uncertainty, the elements and their own limitations in pursuit of something greater than themselves. It is a spirit we understand very well, and one we wanted to support as the sponsor of this expedition.

See photos from the expedition