A Polish adventure skier has achieved a monumental first: climbing Mount Everest and then skiing back down without the aid of supplemental oxygen. This incredible feat was recently announced by the skier, Andrzej Bargiel, and his sponsors.
Bargiel, 37, completed this unprecedented challenge earlier this week. His journey involved a four-day ascent from base camp, followed by a two-day descent on skis.
Videos captured at the peak, where oxygen levels are a mere third of those at sea level, show Bargiel breathing heavily even before he clicked into his skis. This vividly illustrates the sheer difficulty of any activity on Everest without bottled oxygen. While over 7,000 individuals have reached Everest’s daunting 8,800-meter summit, only approximately 200 have done so without relying on extra oxygen.
“I have never used bottled oxygen in the mountains,” Bargiel shared in a recent email interview.
Despite the extreme environment, other videos showcase Bargiel serenely gliding through pristine snow. It’s almost as if he’s enjoying a leisurely run at a ski resort, rather than navigating the highest mountain on Earth.
However, his journey was far from simple. He also faced and successfully navigated incredibly tricky and dangerous sections, including narrow ridges, near-vertical mountain faces, and sheer drop-offs.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk lauded Bargiel’s accomplishment, proclaiming on social media: “Sky is the limit? Not for Poles! Andrzej Bargiel just skied down Mount Everest.”
Bargiel undertook his ascent in the fall, a period when Everest’s weather is notably more unpredictable but the slopes are considerably less crowded than during the bustling May climbing season.
“Everest is, of course, the highest mountain in the world, but I wanted to break the cliché of it being just a crowded and commercial place,” he explained. “That’s why I chose to go there in autumn — to have the mountain to myself.”
His expedition began at Everest’s base camp in Nepal, from which he progressively moved between higher Camps I, II, and III to acclimatize to the extreme altitude.
The final push to the summit started from Camp IV on a Sunday. He reached the peak 16 hours later, a longer ascent than anticipated due to fresh snowfall, according to his sponsors.
Bargiel began his descent just minutes after reaching the top, skiing down to Camp II within five hours before darkness halted his progress. The following morning, he completed the remaining hour and 45-minute ski back to base camp.
The most perilous segment of his journey, his team revealed, was near the end at the notorious Khumbu Icefall. This treacherous section, located just above base camp, required him to navigate “a labyrinth of shifting ice and deep crevasses — without ropes or fixed lines.” Fortunately, he received critical assistance during this phase from a drone piloted by his brother, Bartek.
Despite the immense physical demands, Bargiel shared, “I came back safe and strong. I’m healthy, fit and happy.”
Historically, Davo Karnicar of Slovenia is credited as the first person to ski down Everest, achieving a summit-to-base camp run in 4 hours and 40 minutes in 2000. Additionally, the 1975 Academy Award-winning documentary, “The Man Who Skied Down Everest,” chronicled Yuichiro Miura of Japan’s endeavor to ski a portion of the mountain.
Bargiel is no stranger to such challenges, having previously climbed and skied down K2, the world’s second-highest mountain, along with numerous other prominent peaks.
“I have many plans ahead,” he stated. “I’d love to travel to Antarctica, to the Andes in Peru. I simply enjoy doing this, and as long as I remain healthy, I will always keep seeking new mountains, no matter the altitude.”