Andrzej Bargiel, a 37 year-old ski mountaineer from Poland, has set a world record by climbing Mount Everest without bottled oxygen and skiing all the way down to Base Camp.
His feat makes him the first person in history to complete a ski descent of Everest after a no-oxygen ascent.
Bargiel left Base Camp in Nepal on September 19, moving through Camps I, II and III. From Camp IV, he began his final push late on September 21.
After nearly 16 hours in the “death zone” above 8,000 meters, where oxygen levels fall to dangerously low levels, he reached the summit on September 22.
There, he clipped into his skis.
“I am on top of the highest mountain in the world, and I'm going to descend it on skis,” he said in a video recorded for Red Bull and Red Bull Polska, heavily breathing in the thin air.
He began skiing via the South Col Route, stopping at Camp II overnight before resuming the descent the next day.
Guided by a drone operated by his brother Bartek, he navigated the Khumbu Icefall...one of the most treacherous parts of the mountain and arrived at Base Camp on September 23.
“This incredible journey made him the first person ever to ski down Mount Everest after summiting without oxygen,” his team confirmed.
The “death zone”
Everest’s death zone has claimed hundreds of climbers.
At altitudes above 8,000 meters, the human body receives only about a third of the oxygen available at sea level.
Prolonged exposure without oxygen risks brain damage, fluid accumulation in the lungs, or death.
Bargiel endured nearly 16 hours in these conditions before making his controlled ski descent.
“It’s one of the most important milestones in my sports career,” he said in a statement. “Skiing down Everest without oxygen was a dream that had been growing inside me for years. I knew that the difficult autumn conditions and plotting the descent line through the Khumbu Glacier would be the greatest challenge I could ever face.”
Bargiel’s Everest descent drew immediate international praise.
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X: “Sky is the limit? Not for Poles! Andrzej Bargiel just skied down Mount Everest.”
Bargiel expressed gratitude for the support he received. “Thank you all for keeping your fingers crossed!” he said in a separate Instagram video post documenting the expedition.
Born on April 18, 1988, in southern Poland, Bargiel grew up as the ninth of eleven children in the Bargiel family. He was energetic from an early age, experimenting with different sports before committing to skiing, which would shape his future.
Over the years, he built a reputation as one of the world’s most daring ski mountaineers.
In 2018, he became the first and only person to ski down K2, the world’s second-highest peak, without removing his skis, an achievement noted by Reuters and his official website.