MOUNTAINEERING -- A man in his 30s recently told me that few young adults, even climbers, know anything about Spokane Mountaineer Chris Kopczynski.

That's stunning considering that the local contractor is a Seven Summits veteran and joined John Roskelley to be the first American team to climb the north face of the Eiger. He pioneered routes in mountains around the region all the way to Everest.

The discussion came up as we discussed the upcoming event: 

Wisdom Earned, a documentary by Spokane contractor and world-class climber Chris Kopczynski and Gibby Media Group, will debut at 7:30  p.m. on Oct. 8 at the Bing Crosby Theater in Spokane. Proceeds will benefit the Dishman Hills Conservancy. Tickets, $17 through TicketsWest outlets.

But even if the present can sometimes be oblivious, time does not forget great moments in history.

The 1980 Spokane-to-Makalu Expedition was recognized in 2002 by the American Alpine Club as one of the world's 10 most significant climbs of the 20th century.

The four-man team of Roskelley, Kopczynski, Jim States and Kim Momb culminated an 80-day Himilayan ordeal of pain sickness and danger by becoming the first American expedition to reach the 27,790-foot summit of Makalu, the world's fifth-highest peak.

• Read a full account of the climb:

And since we're talking about an event of Historical significance, here are links to six stories that appeared in The Spokesman-Review  over the course of the preparation and climb in 1980:

• (Originally published Jan. 27, 1980) If everything works out right, four hometown mountaineers could spread the name “Spokane” farther in three months than the Chamber of Commerce spreads it in three years.
• (Originally published May 11, 1980) At the base of Makalu, the world’s fifth-highest peak, Chris Kopczynski wrote to his wife, Sharon, "Haven’t seen a newspaper in weeks. How are the hostages?"On March 27, Kopczynski, John Roskelley, Kim Momb and Jim States reached base camp, 17,100 feet.
• (Originally published May 24, 1980) Spokane, Wash., mountaineer John Roskelley climbed 27,807-foot Mount Makalu, the world’s fifth highest mountain, but asked the Nepalese government not to give him the credit. Roskelley, 32, said in a message to the government that the successful summit assault could not have succeeded without the combined effort of is three teammates, also from Spokane.
• (Originally published June 15, 1980) Almost reaching the top of a mountain might sound hollow to someone who’s never been part of a team. Chris Kopczynski and Jim States trained for months, blew thousands of dollars and punished themselves for six weeks at high altitude only to turn back within 500 feet of joining teammate John Roskelley on Makalu’s 27,790-foot summit. So why are they smiling?
• (Originally published June 15, 1980) When they left Spokane Feb. 28, they knew the risks and the difficulty of climbing a major Himalayan peak. Or at least they thought they did. On May 15, the four-man expedition from Spokane—leader John Roskelley, Dr. Jim States, Chris Kopczynski and Kim Momb—became the first American team to climb Makalu, the fifth highest peak in the world, in an 80-day odyssey laced with glory, pain, anger, dysentery and loneliness.
• (Originally published Aug. 15, 1980) While his teammates took advantage of a perfect day to struggle to the top of the world’s fifth highest peak, a lonely Kim Momb lay 8,000 feet below in his base camp tent. God had given Kim the strength and talent of an Olympic champion, but the knees of an average man. At 24, he had proven he had the raw talent to be one of the best mountaineers in the United States.