Piotr Morawski / Memorial

Winners:

Stefan Czerniecki

Title of the expedition:

IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE AMAZONIAN WHISPER STREAM

Description of the expedition:

Stefan Czerniecki's project involved pioneering exploration of the upper Orinoco River basin, a stream called Rio Cunucunuma by local Indians. With the participation of local Indian communities, Stefan planned to unveil another part of the Amazon to the white man, still marked on maps as a white spot. The exploration of the magnificent rock formations (the only ones of their kind in the world!) was combined with tracing the footsteps of Alexander von Humboldt (a German naturalist and explorer, one of the founders of modern geography), who discovered the phenomenon of the nearby Casiquiare, an outstanding example of river bifurcation, i.e. the forking of a river, unique on a global scale. Due to backward erosion of the Rio Negro, part of the Casiquiare waters flow into the Rio Negro and the Amazon, while part flows into the Orinoco.

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Winners:

Szymon Kowalczyk

Title of the expedition:

ALONE ON THE ROOF OF THE SAHARA

Description of the expedition:

The heat crushes, knocks you to your knees, and delivers the final knockout blow. Sand gets everywhere, into your mouth, nose, and teary eyes. After the first round of struggles, another follows - the night. You tremble wrapped in a blanket in temperatures close to zero and apologize to the sun for cursing it with every known epithet earlier. Then further rounds of the struggle come - corrupt soldiers, permits not as they should be, waiting for transport for hours. And then driving in the crush and heat. Minefields to be avoided and fear that the rebels will become active and force a retreat. So why go there? Because Tibesti ignites the imagination, tickles the traveler’s taste buds, irritates the nerve endings. If you are persistent, you will reach the heart of these mountains, the Tubu people. You live among them at their pace, sleep where they do, eat and drink what they do, and you know it was worth fighting the odds. In spirit, you raise your hands up and feel that you have won your traveler's fight for world championship. The expedition's goal was the solitary exploration of the Tibesti Mountains, in the north-central part of Chad. Mount Emi Koussi, the highest peak in this country and the entire Sahara, towers over the Tibesti massif. The exploratory aspect was an important part of the expedition. However, the main motivation driving Szymon into this difficult part of the world is primarily the people and their stories. The primary goal was to get to know the people of Chad with their daily concerns and to present this part of Africa, which is relatively unknown in Poland.

Distinction:

In the second edition, two additional expeditions were also honored: "A Woman on a Handbike on Pico del Veleta" by Karina Jasińska, an expedition to Spain, and "When I Turn One, I'll Go to Kazbek. With Mom," an expedition of little Natalia Kozub with her mom Paulina to Georgia.

Honors:

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Winners:

Małgorzata Kołacz, Maciej Lewandowski, Aleksander Lewandowski

Title of the expedition:

Z 5 DESKAMI DOOKOŁA MORZA CZARNEGO

Description of the expedition:

Three friends, over 10,000 kilometers to travel, 1 Volkswagen T3 and 5 boards: kiteboard, wakeboard, longboard, snowboard and surfboard. Purpose of the expedition: searching for the best kitesurfing and surfing spots on the Black and Caspian Seas; sightseeing on longboards in Crimea, Sochi, Tbilisi and Istanbul; wakeboarding near Odessa in Ukraine, Samsun in Turkey and Izmit; conquering the highest peak in Europe - Mount Elbrus - and a wild snowboard descent from its slopes. We want to make such a trip in September and October 2013. Our three-person team is: Aleksander Lewandowski (26 years old) - main organizer, Maciek Lewandowski (21 years old) - kitesurfing and wake competitor, 5th and 7th respectively in the Polish Cup 2012, and Małgorzata Kołacz (24 years) – snowboard competitor, several-time Polish Freestyle Champion. The idea was born from the participants' passion for 5 boards and love of traveling. We have already traveled, among others: around the Balkans, from Monaco to Tariffa and to Corsica and Sardinia. During our expeditions, we place great emphasis on sports. If the wind conditions are right, we launch our kites and go crazy on the water, when a good swell comes, we jump on surfboards, but when we are in a colder climate, where the water turns into ice and snow falls from the sky, we go freeriding on snowboards in white powder. Additionally, by pushing ourselves on longboards, we travel through the streets of cities and villages, learn the customs of the cultures we encounter, make new friends and try to become part of the local community for a moment.

Distinction:

In the third edition, the expedition "Cho Oyu 8021 - Ski Expedition" by Olek Ostrowski and Kazik Chmiesta from Wetlina was additionally honored. Olek Ostrowski died in 2015 while descending from Gasherbrum II in Pakistan

Honors:

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Winners:

Kasia Kosarzycka, Piotr Rożek, Darek Dudzik

Title of the expedition:

SIBERIAN JOURNEY 2014. WITH THE FLOW OF THE LENA

Description of the expedition:

Thanks to winning the 4th edition of "Have courage!", Kasia, Darek and Piotr were able to set off on their dream trip to Siberia in mid-June. The main prize for the winners of the 4th edition of the Memorial was financial support from the Main Partner "Have courage!" – LOTTO, enabling the realization of a dream project and support from the Regatta brand, which provided outdoor clothing for the laureates. The aim of the expedition was to kayak across the Lena, the longest Siberian river, which begins in the Baikal Mountains. The journey was supposed to end in the city of Yakutsk, but the travelers, encouraged by the previous successes and the friendly attitude of the inhabitants of Siberia, had the courage to continue the expedition and paddle further. However, the second part of the kayaking was more demanding than expected. They encountered stronger currents and winds, even storms and waves up to 2 meters high. Additionally, the kayak took on an average of 100 liters of water a day. The team had no contact with civilization. At times, the width of the river reached 50 kilometers, the taiga was on fire on the shore, and kayakers had to wander in the smoke among numerous islands and river branches. However, they coped with these conditions and reached Żygańsk. Although they were ready to end the trip in the Arctic Ocean, they could not go any further. Behind the city there was a military zone under patrol. Entering it is only possible if you have special permits, which travelers were unable to obtain. They ended their journey 800 kilometers from the ocean, having completed approximately 3,400 kilometers of kayaking. Along the way, they passed breathtaking views, enjoyed the white nights and learned about the culture and customs of the inhabitants. However, they also had to endure capricious weather and blood-sucking midges, as well as avoid Siberian bears at a safe distance. They returned from the expedition with many unique, priceless memories and exceptional photographs reflecting the beauty of the land they discovered.

Winners:

Marzena i Krzysztof Wystrach

Title of the expedition:

IN THE CROWNS OF TREES

Description of the expedition:

We are setting off to the Bolivian jungle to climb trees. Abstract? But possible! Thanks to experience, courage and specialized equipment. We will be hiking for weeks through the least explored areas of tropical mountain forests from 3,500 to 1,000 m above sea level. Our actions will be absolutely innovative in this region - we will be able to photographically "hunt down" unique animals in the treetops, and maybe even discover unknown species! Climbing such tall trees, densely covered with epiphytes, with fern platforms and entwined with lianas, will be a great challenge for us - no one knows what we will encounter there. We will also observe life in the tree crowns at night and at dawn, when animals are most active. A great dose of contact with wild nature, a portion of learning and a large dose of adrenaline!

English title:

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