"Maciej Berbeka, Adam Bielecki, Tomasz Kowalski and Artur Malek completed the feat at about 6 pm local time, scaling the famed peak in the Karakoram range, which lies on the border between Pakistan and China.
The news was relayed by noted climber Artur Hajzer, coordinator of the programme Polish Winter Mountaineering in the Himalayas 2010-2015.
“The summit has been conquered!” Hajzer hammered out on his Facebook page.
“It will be possible to speak of the entire success of the expedition when the team returns to base,” he added, noting that the climbers have to make a rapid descent as night is falling.
Nine mountaineers took part in this year's expedition, which was led by legendary climber Krzysztof Wielicki, 62, who came out of retirement for the venture.
Wielicki was the first climber in the world to make a winter ascent of Mount Everest, and the fifth to conquer all fourteen of the world's “eight-thousanders” (peaks over 8000m).
Broad Peak rises to 8047m, but has only now been conquered during the winter season.
Various members of the team attempted to scale the peak over the last few weeks, but winds, among other problems had prevented success until now."
25 years ago, almost to the day, Maciek Berbeka has reached Rocky Summit. So as of today he made it to the top - Broad Peak. It is his third winter ascent of the peak over 8000 m (Manaslu and Cho Oyu in eighties). This guy is 59 years old. What a FEAT! Congratulations to Maciek and the whole Polish Team!!!
[quote]Two Polish mountaineers are missing in the Himalayas after scaling Broad Peak
BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MARCH 6, 2013 8:02 AM
WARSAW, Poland - Two Polish mountaineers have disappeared in the Himalayas after scaling a peak of more than 26,000 feet (8,000 metres), officials said Wednesday.
The two were part of a group of four Poles that on Tuesday completed what other Polish climbers say is the first-ever winter ascent of Broad Peak, the world's 12th highest mountain, which is located in Pakistan.
Artur Hajzer, a Polish mountaineering official, said on the news station TVN24 that there had been no contact with Maciej Berbeka and Tomasz Kowalski.
He said a Pakistani climber went up looking for the Poles in minus 35 degrees Celsius (minus 31 Fahrenheit) but found no sign of them.
Hajzer said time is running out as a snowstorm is expected.
The two other men, Adam Bielecki and Artur Malek, safely reached a camp below the peak, Hajzer said.
"Considering all the circumstances, conditions, my experience, history of Himalayan mountaineering, knowledge regarding physiology and high-altitude medicine as well as consultations with doctors and co-organizers of the expedition in Poland, I have to declare Maciej Berbeka and Tomasz Kowalski dead.
Taking into account the time that has passed since the last contact, altitude where it took place, their condition, current weather conditions and all other factors, I have to claim openly that both climbers are dead.
The expedition has come to an end. We are packing the base camp and start to descend. March via the Baltoro Glacier will take approximately 5 days. We will come back to Poland on approximately 20th March. Due to lack of electricity, we will not have any possibilities to maintain contact via telephones or e-mails and thus, the will not be any information about us till approximately 15th March."
Krzysztof Wielicki
Leader of the winter expedition of Polish Mountaineering Association to Broad Peak
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