The name of Bachleda's father is unknown. His mother was Zofia Bachleda Galian. He was a Goral, an ethnographic group which inhabits the Tatra Mountains on both sides of the modern border between Poland and Slovakia. She died when he was twelve, leaving him an orphan. He earned a living as a shepherd-boy in the high mountains. He later went to Upper Hungary to find work, where he was called up for military service. In 1873, he was discharged, and returned to Zakopane. It was in the grip of a cholera epidemic, and he tended the sick and buried the dead. Thereafter, he supported himself by working as a carpenter, and also by hunting. He married Agnieszka Styrczula from Dzianisz, and they had three children. She died, and he remarried.
Mountain guide
During the late 19th century, mountaineering became a popular pastime for young people from the middle and upper classes across Europe. Men with local knowledge were in demand as guides, and could be well paid. Bachleda took up that profession, initially as assistant to experienced guides such as , and the two Jędrzej Walas, and . In 1886, he was recognised as a Class I guide. In 1898, Jędrzej Wala the younger retired. From then on, Bachleda was called Królem Przewodników Tatrzańskich and Orzeł Tatr. He is said to have had outstanding qualities of character: tact, minimisation of risk, courage, consideration, self-sacrifice, helpfulness, diligence and honesty. His clients included: Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński, , , , , , , Mieczysław Karłowicz, Franciszek Nowicki, , Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer and Henryk Sienkiewicz. He had a talent for orienting himself in difficult, rocky areas, and for mountaineering. He pioneered several routes in the Tatras. These included the descent of the northern wall of Lomnický štít, and the first ascents of, among others, , , , , and . He made the second ascents of Mnich and. He took part in the first winter ascents of , and of Bystrá. He climbed in groups roped together from as early as 1900. He was the first Tatra highlander to learn to ski. In 1901, named , one of the passes between and Lomnický štít, in Bachleda's honour. He has more than ten features in the Tatras named after him, including, the easternmost peak of. In 1903, the recently founded rewarded him for discovering a new pass through the main ridge of the Tatras, namely.
Mountain rescuer
In 1909, Mariusz Zaruski founded Tatrzańskie Ochotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe. Bachleda became his deputy, and one of its most active and dedicated members. On 6 August 1910, Stanisław Szulakiewicz and , both students, attempted the northern wall of. They fell, and Szulakiewicz suffered serious injuries. Jarzyna managed to descend and to seek help. Zaruski organised a rescue party. Conditions were atrocious: a violent thunderstorm, and heavy rain mixed with snow and hail. After hours of climbing, the party, nearly exhausted, had reached to about from where Szulakiewicz lay, and could hear him calling out. Zaruski ordered a halt because of the risk to life. Bachleda unroped himself, and continued on alone. He did not return. On 7 August, a second unsuccessful attempt was made to rescue Szulakiewicz. On 8 August, a third attempt reached Szulakiewicz. He had died, probably on the night of 6–7 August, from injuries and exposure. The weather worsened, and the five-strong rescue party was trapped on the mountain overnight. They brought the body down on 9 August. Bachleda's comrades hoped that he had found another way down. Rain, wind and fog hampered their searches. On 13 August, their worst fears were confirmed: they found his body. He had been caught in a rockfall, and lay in, a high mountain pass. On 15 August, they began to bring him down. On 17 August, he was buried in the in Zakopane. His gravestone bears the Polish-language inscription, Poświęcił się i zginął. He was the first member of TOPR to die during a rescue attempt. There is a detailed account of the double tragedy on the TOPR website.
Legacy
A commemorative plaque was placed at, a valley below the place where he died. It has since been moved to on the western slopes of. There is a memorial plaque at, Zakopane. Ulica Klimka Bachledy in Zakopane is named after him. He is mentioned in the memoirs of and of Mieczysław Karłowicz, and in poems by Stanisław Gąsienica-Byrcyn, Jan Kasprowicz, , , and . Księga Tatr by Jalu Kurek is a novelised account of Bachleda's life. In 1959, the play Klimek Bachleda by Julian Reimschüssel was performed in Zakopane. The part of Bachleda was played by .
