Małachowski history
Małachowski history
How it all began…
Our workshop was founded in Upper Silesia in 1977. The founder is Adam Małachowski – a speleologist.
Three years earlier, the Polish Mountaineering Association was established, an institution bringing together all Polish climbing and caving clubs. Thanks to the partial opening of borders and the possibility of raising funds during high-altitude work, an unprecedented expansion of Polish climbers to the highest and farthest mountains in the world began. This resulted in, among other things, the first winter ascent of Everest and the conquest of the Crown of the Himalaya by Jerzy Kukuczka.
In the 1990s, the Workshop was moved to Dębowiec, a small town near Skoczów, hidden among the picturesque hills of Cieszyn Silesia. Despite being far from big city centers, contacts with mountain people were maintained, including with the best Himalayan mountaineers – among others, Krzysztof Wielicki and Ryszard Pawłowski, but at the same time, products designed for lovers of various forms of activity were created.
Today, the Małachowski Mountaineering Equipment Workshop is a family company managed by Bartosz Małachowski – a passionate about outdoor and modern technologies.
The workshop was a co-organizer of scientific expeditions to Spitsbergen
Polish speleologists also began to achieve successes in overcoming the most difficult caves in the world. The workshop was a co-organizer of scientific polar expeditions to Spitsbergen, aimed at pioneering exploration of glacier caves. Most of the participants of these expeditions were clients of our Workshop.
The highest peaks, the deepest caves, the Arctic Circle and even the tropics
Down products, sleeping bags and jackets, constituted not only important climbing equipment, but also a specific kind of currency, enabling the purchase of certified mountaineering equipment. At the same time, the experience gained during these expeditions enabled the constant improvement of structures and improvement of the functionality of products. In this way, a solid foundation for the functioning of the Workshop was built, the concept of THERMOACTIVE ® clothing was created, and a system for sewing in spacer tapes in the chambers of down products was introduced (patent 143773). The application of these concepts, combined with the highest quality of the materials used, means that our products prove themselves everywhere: on the highest peaks, in the deepest caves, on the Arctic Circle, and also in tropical conditions.
Unique know-how backed by scientific research
In the years 1996–2025, an intensive development of our construction and research and development facilities took place. Thanks to cooperation with leading scientific units, we have developed many pioneering concepts and studies.
The workshop has repeatedly acted as a partner or leader in key research projects. We have a solid background, experience and high competence in the field of Research and Development (R&D).
Our research concerns textile materials science, clothing and process innovations in clothing manufacturing. Over the years, we have built strong competences, implementing numerous projects with the best research centers in the country.
In the field of scientific research and development work, we cooperate with:
– Lodz University of Technology
– Central Institute for Labour Protection – National Research Institute.
Selected research projects:
– 2013–2015: Highly effective modification of down using the low-temperature plasma technique (partners: UMED, Lodz University of Technology).
– 2010–2012: Innovative textile materials with hydrophobic and self-cleaning properties for specialist clothing (partners: Lodz University of Technology).
– 2019–2022: Personalized protective clothing for mountain rescuers with active heating function (sPParTAN) – (partners: Lodz University of Technology, CIOP PiB)
