David Kaszlikowski
The climber & traveller

”I discovered climbing over 15 years ago. I've been thinking, talking and fortunatelly still doin' it every week since my first day on the wall. In a way I'm an ”expert” (ha!?). So if I tell you that climbing is one of the hardest, difficult and challenging sports on this planet - you should believe me. For me climbing is a way of life, a path that forms my mind and body. It allows me to experience superhuman enjoyment..., teaches me humility, ruthlessly pointing out my weaknesses. If you are a climber you know these feelings very well. If you are just a human, probably too. Every year I spend many months organizing expeditions and rock climbing. I am never bored because climbing provides so much variety. I travel to new,remote and exotic areas, I climb mountains and sport routes on the rocks.....” DK

David combines extreme climbing with traveling and exploration. Through the years he was climbing around world as he says ”following every climber dream”. In Poland he is also well known as one of the few persons in the world who have climbed skyscrapers without the rope. After his solo climbs media called him ”polish Spiderman”. However, his main objective is exploration of big walls in remote mountain areas. Nominated to prestigous Piolet D’Or Award. Received ”KOLOS” award in category alpinism and several nominations (inc. Travelery of National Geographic Award) for explorations in 2004, 2005, 2006.
He treats climbing as an adventure and despite many hard sport climbing ascents (8b/b+RP, 7c+OS) in last years he was opening new routes on big walls, often in exotic, remote regions of the globe.



To name a few of his explorations:

Desert Towers MALI, West Africa
New big wall route named Royaume de Vautour (450m, diff.7b, Hand of Fatima massif). Exploration in one of the hottest places in the world, MALI in West Africa. Team explored also new areas near border with Guinea in Mandinque Mountains.

Links news and galleries:
http://wyprawy.onet.pl/11010,472,1315931,ekspedycja.html
http://www.wspinanie.pl/serwis/200603/22se-mar_mali.php
http://www.national-geographic.pl/national2/index.jsp?place=Lead07&news_cat_id=641&news_id=1293&layout=16&forum_id=329&page=text


Expedition to Ha-Long Bay, Vietnam
Kaszlikowski was a leader of polish team. The fifth climbing crew ever to explore the bay. They created new rock climbing sector, routes up to 7c+(French grade scale). Team spent three weeks on the ship , exploring Ha-Long bay which is UNESCO protected area. In Ha-Long Bay you will find over.2000 rock islands with excellent walls for climbers. Team - for the first time in the history - noted GPS positions of all existing sectors on the sea. Information appeared in mountain media around the world (Grimper FR, Rock and Ice, USA, Góry PL, National Geographic PL + many lifestyle magazines like Playboy PL). During the expedition David free climbed first multi-pitch route in Ha-Long area. His route was called: Vampire State Building

Links news and galleries:
http://www.wspinanie.pl/serwis/200304/02wietnam.php


Alaska, Kichatna expedition
Team nominated to Piolet D'Or Award - most prestigious alpinist award in the world. Team of three climbers (M. Tomaszewski, K. Belczynski and D. K.) created new big wall line in the remote mountains of Kichatna, Alaska. Kichatna is considered as home of the toughest North American big walls. Team spent almost two weeks on the wall (bivouacs on portaledges), making one of the most difficult Alaskan routes. The Last Cry of the Butterfly (VI, A4/C3, VII, ice/snow 70 degrees) route is ca. 1150 m (3700 feet) long.

Media:
cover story in Rock and Ice magazine (USA)
notes in American Alpine Journal
High mag. (GB)
Alpinist (cover, USA)
Playboy - note
Gory mag. - cover story (PL)
Desnivel (cover story, Spain)

Links:
http://www.wspinanie.pl/galeria/index.php?dir=89krzykmotyla
http://wyprawy.onet.pl/4838,gal,11744,ekspedycja.html
http://wyprawy.onet.pl/4838,ekspedycja.html


Taghia Cirque - High Atlas Mountains, Morocco, Africa New big routes expeditions (2004, 2005). Kaszlikowski was a leader of two expeditions 2004, 2005. Taghia is a remote area inside High Atlas mounts. Latest big wall climbing discovery. They opened one of the hardest big wall routes in Africa. The route called Barracuda (7c+,600m) is difficult climb on the blank vertical wall (most of the route is harder than French 7 - route so far, unrepeated). Another route 750m long Fantasia (7b+/c) is one of the longest routes in Atlas Mounts., opened ground up only by two climbers, David and Elisa Kubarska. Notes and articles on their expeditions appeared in mountain media around the world (incl. Cover of Vertical, High mag, Rock and Ice Mag, Alpinist).

News:
http://www.alpinist.com/climbing-notes/note/10136/
http://www.wspinanie.pl/serwis/200506/03fantasia_taghia.php
http://www.wspinanie.pl/serwis/200406/01taghia_trip.php

Photos:
http://www.wspinanie.pl/galeria/index.php?dir=87barracuda


Miyar Himalaya Expedition
First Ascent of virgin tower !!! (2005) Kaszlikowski and Michal Krol climbed virgin tower, opening 750 meters long route(VIII-, M6, OS). They named ”their” peak - Lotos (ca. 5630 m high). Miyar Valley is a home of the last unclimbed towers in Himalayas. This remote area is compared - by specialists - to famous Patagonia Towers or Trango Massif in Karakorum Mountains.

Links:
http://www.wspinanie.pl/serwis/200510/27lotos_miyar.php
http://www.tygodnikpodhalanski.pl/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1797
http://www.nationalgeographic.pl/national2/index.jsp?place=Lead07&news_cat_id=562&news_id=1128&layout=3&forum_id=165&page=text


Madgaskar expedition
French-Polish team (Pierre Muller, Denis Roy, Marie-Claire Hourcade, David Kaszlikowski) very active in climbing regions of Madagascar. During the first two weeks of the stay they repeated many of the most important routes on the big walls of the Tsaranoro Massif in the Andringintra National Park of southern Madagascar then team moved to the north of the island to climb in Nasy Hara islands, Valle Perroquet and Montagne de Francaise.

Links:
http://www.climbandmore.com/climbing,256,0,1,news.html
http://www.climbandmore.com/climbing,265,0,1,fotogallery.html
http://www.planetfear.com/article_detail.asp?a_id=873
http://www.wspinanie.pl/galeria/index.php?dir=64madagaskar
http://www.planetfear.com/photo_detail.asp?p_id=129

His climbing and adventure passion is strictly connected with his proffesion. Kaszlikowski works as an outdoor photographer for major companies around the world. As a journalist and explorer he has taken part in several TV reportages about climbing and photography.
In last seasons he's busy traveling with his multimedia shows. Motivational or simply ”expedition ones” his lectures used to gather biggest audience of best outdoor festivals.


Staying in the city Kaszlikowski also:

...acted in a Krzysztof Krauze, film ”Dług” (episode)

...works occasionally as a model (catologues and advertisement for PZU, Alvika, La Sportiva)

...organizes commercial expeditions (more >> Events)