An employee of the Silesian University of Technology on the highest peak in Europe
Anna Migas, an employee of the Silesian University of Technology, conquers the highest peaks in Europe. She has just returned from an expedition during which she climbed Mont Blanc and three other four-thousanders. Her goal is to conquer the Crown of the Mountains of Europe. But this is not the only passion of Anna, because she also participates in marathons and covers hundreds of kilometres on a bicycle.
Anna Migas climbed the highest peak in Europe, Mont Blanc, located in France (4808 m above sea level) on July 7, 2023. This is another peak of the Crown of the Mountains of Europe that she managed to reach. In 2022, Anna climbed Śnieżka (1603 m above sea level) – the highest peak of the Czech Republic and Rysy (2499 m above sea level) – the highest peak in Poland and also Gerlach (2655 m above sea level) in Slovakia.
The passion for mountain hiking began in the primary school in Anna's hometown of Rudziniec. “– My geography teacher organized expeditions to the mountains. First there were Beskids, then Tatra Mountains. In the fourth grade we went to Zakopane. As an eleven-year-old, I climbed Giewont together with my class.” - she says.
In secondary school, the mountains were put aside because Anna started to train athletics. But after a few years, when she started her family, her mountain passion was revived. “– When my son was one and a half years old, we went with him to Pilsko and to Babia Góra” – she recalls. However, most of the time she reaches the summits alone. “Sometimes my friends accompany me, but when the route is difficult and long or I go to the mountains in winter, I go alone,” she says.
Anna conquered most peaks when the pandemic began. In 2020, she climbed 28 peaks of the Crown of Polish Mountains in three months. “– Then my friends started to encourage me to climb the Crown of the Mountains of Europe. I started with Śnieżka in the Czech Republic, which I climbed in July 2022. In August I climbed Rysy again and in October I was on Gerlach in Slovakia” – explains Anna.
To get to Gerlach our climber had to hire a guide. “– In Slovakia, the attempt to climb this peak is allowed only with a certified guide. This is how I met Vadym Gapko, who after the Gerlach expedition suggested that we climb Mont Blanc together” – she adds.
As the result, Anna started preparations for this trip.” – I booked accommodation in hostels in advance, because many people want to climb Mont Blanc and you have to book accommodation well in advance. It happens that people enter the shelter at an altitude of 3,800 m above sea level and do not get accommodation, because all the places are occupied” - the climber points out.
In order not to lose shape before reaching the highest peak in Europe, our mountaineer made two winter ascents in the Slovak Tatras to Kežmarski Szczyt and Łomnica. She left for Chamonix, France on July 1, 2023. There, she was supposed to meet her guide Vadym and begin acclimatization. “Unfortunately, the trip didn't start well. First, the flight from Warsaw to Geneva was delayed by a few hours, then I lost my phone on the train from Geneva, and I couldn't contact the guide waiting for me in Chamonix, because I couldn't remember his number. In Chamonix I was looking for an office where I could use the Internet and find Vadym's contact. I managed to find the number, called and we met” - says Anna.
Before Anna climbed Mount Blanc, as part of acclimatization, on July 2, she climbed Aiguille du Midi (3842m above sea level). - When I saw that the body reacts well to the conditions in the high mountains, on July 3 we climbed Mont Blanc du Tacul - a peak in the Mont Blanc massif, which is located at an altitude of 4248 m above sea level Then there were two other four-thousanders: Central Breithorn (4159 m) and Estrem Brethorn (4139 m) says the climber. On July 7, Anna climbed Mont Blanc. “We reached the summit before 7am. It was sunrise, so the views were amazing. And although it was July, the temperature at the summit was minus 16 degrees Celsius”- she adds.
Anna plans to climb other summits of the Crown of the European Mountains, for which she collects funds.” – Mountain passion is unfortunately very expensive. Just for hiring a guide on Mont Blanc, which is advisable if you don't have the right permissions, I had to pay over 1700 euros. In addition, accommodation, meals, transport” - emphasizes the climber.
In the spring of 2024, Anna Migas plans to conquer three more peaks as part of the Crown of the Mountains of Europe: Vaalserberg (322 m above sea level) in the Netherlands, Kneiff (560 m above sea level) in Luxembourg and Signal de Botrange (694 m above sea level) in Belgium. “– Since these are not very high peaks, I plan to climb them… by bike” – Anna claims. “– If I manage to raise funds, I would like to climb the highest peak in Germany or Switzerland in the same year. In order to climb all the Crown of the Mountains of Europe, I have to climb all 46 peaks scattered in all countries of the continent” - she adds.
Mountains are not Anna's only sports passion. Our employee rides a bike and takes part in running marathons. “- In 2022, I cycled the entire Polish Baltic Coast, I also took part in the 100-kilometre Peace Run of the Children of the Zamość Region and in a bicycle rally around Dresden - 260 km in 3 days” - lists Anna.
Anna Migas at the Silesian University of Technology has been working in the administrative department of the Faculty of Civil Engineering since 2007. As she says, she successfully combines her sports passions with professional work and can count on the support of the employees of the Faculty of Civil Engineering where she is employed.
Pictures of Vadym Gapko
