I had the honor of climbing with Voytek Kurtyka, when we were all about the same age of 29.
My partner John Bouchard and I met up with Voytek and his Polish partner, on the last few pitches of the Walker Spur, in a raging thunderstorm.
Voytek and Bouchard both were hit by lightning. I'm sure they won't forget it, nor I.
I remember years back, there was an article in Rock and Ice, I believe on climbing epics or something like that, and Bouchard contributed a story about getting hit by lightning on the Walker Spur.
I think we both consider it one of our closest calls. I only had him in a body belay with NO tie-in. We were in one hell of a hurry, since it was like a blizzard, and as I remember it, there weren't any obvious spots to put in protection for an anchor.
Voytek took off leading the last pitch, and Bouchard followed up right behind him. Just after Voytek reached the top, there was one horrendous lightning strike, and Bouchard was hit pretty bad; falling off.
Somehow, Bouchard grabbed Voytek's rope, with his good arm, saving himself.
When I arrived on the summit, a few minutes later, Voytek said, "I'm O.K.
only hit in the head, but your friend is hurt real bad"
Bouchard thought his arm was broken, but within 10 minutes, the shock started to wear off. When we all got back to Chamonix, John found that he had burn holes in his mittens and his socks!
In hindsight, if Voytek hadn't led off, ahead of Bouchard, I wouldn't be here to write this, since Bouchard would of pulled me off with him.
Voytek once commented on the success of Polish climbers in the Himalayas.
He said something like "Himalayan climbing is the art of suffering and Poles know how to suffer because we have always been between the hammer and the anvil" He was referring of course to Germany and Russia
I had the pleasure of directing him and Fred Beckey to the party location at the end of a Calgary climbing Festival back in 88(?). Fred was saying things like "Well Voytek do you want to grab a beer?"
Let us know!