History has been made again on Mount Everest: Andrzej Bargiel is the first person in the world to climb to the summit of Everest without supplemental oxygen and then ski all the way down to base camp.
It's one of the most important milestones of my sporting career. Climbing Everest without oxygen and then skiing down it was a dream I'd had for years. I knew that the difficult conditions in autumn and planning the descent route across the Khumbu Glacier would be the greatest challenge I would ever face.
Andrzej Bargiel
16 hours in the death zone
On September 19, Andrzej Bargiel set out from Everest Base Camp at 04:30 a.m. local time and followed a careful acclimatization plan, making multiple ascents and descents between High Camps I, II, and III to adapt to the extreme altitude conditions. He eventually reached Camp IV on the South Col at approximately 7.900 meters, from where he began his final summit push at 23:24 p.m. on September 21.
Complicated by heavy fresh snow and the laborious trail work, the ascent dragged on considerably, so that Bargiel spent a total of almost 16 hours in the death zone before reaching the summit of Mount Everest at 15:17 p.m. on September 22nd without supplemental oxygen.
The fact that Bargiel spent 16 hours in Everest's death zone without supplemental oxygen underscores the magnitude of his achievement. Even summit attempts undertaken with supplemental oxygen typically take around 10 hours.
Considering human physiology at such low oxygen levels in the air, what Andrzej achieved exceeds human capabilities. At this altitude, the body has to struggle for every single step without supplemental oxygen.
Dr. Patrycja Jonetzk – expedition doctor
Once you exceed the 8.000-meter mark, you've reached the so-called death zone. At this altitude, the air is so thin that body cells literally begin to die. Mountaineers' brains and lungs are starved for oxygen, which can increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and severe cognitive impairment. The extremely thin air makes breathing difficult, impaired judgment, severely reduced physical performance, and the risk of altitude sicknesses such as pulmonary and cerebral edema increases. Bargiel's safe descent after such a long stay at this extreme altitude is a remarkable testament to human endurance at the limits of physiological capacity.
On skis over crevasses
Andrzej Bargiel enjoyed the summit for only a few minutes before strapping on his skis and beginning his historic descent. By 15:35 p.m., he had already cleared the Hillary Step. A little later, at 15:45 p.m., he was observed along the ridge before passing the balcony and reaching the South Col. By 17:20 p.m., he was already below Camp IV and, heading left of the Geneva Spur, continued downhill toward Camp II, which he reached around 20:30 p.m. in the dark.
On the morning of September 23, the 37-year-old Pole resumed his descent from Camp II at 07:00 a.m. and passed Camp I approximately 50 minutes later. From there, the route led him over the flanks of Nuptse directly into the notoriously dangerous Khumbu Icefall. Here, he continued his descent between seracs and crevasses without fixed ropes, assisted only by the drone navigation of his brother Bartek.
Skiing on Mount Everest
The first complete ski descent from the summit of Mount Everest was achieved in 2000 by Slovenian Davo Karnicar, who skied the entire south route. Since then, there have been only a few successful ski descents from Everest.
Andrzej Bargiel is the only mountaineer in the world to have climbed both Mount Everest and K2 without bottled oxygen and then skied down completely. He was also the first to ski down other eight-thousanders, including Broad Peak (2015), Gasherbrum II (2019), and Gasherbrum I (2019). Bargiel is the first documented complete ski descents of all these peaks, underscoring his unique position in extreme ski mountaineering.
Bargiel's ski mountaineering achievements
- Everest (2025): First complete ski descent without supplemental oxygen from the highest mountain in the world.
- Gasherbrum I (2019): First ski descent without supplemental oxygen.
- Gasherbrum II (2019): First ski descent without supplemental oxygen.
- K2 (2018): First and only complete ski descent in history from the second highest mountain in the world without supplemental oxygen.
- Snow Leopard (2016): Climbing five 7.000-meter peaks in the former Soviet Union in 30 days, beating Denis Urubko's record by 12 days – without supplemental oxygen.
- Broad Peak (2015): First ski descent from this 8.000-meter peak without supplemental oxygen.
- Manaslu (2014): First Pole to descend on skis without supplemental oxygen; record time for ascent and descent (21 hours and 14 minutes).
- Shishapangma (2013): First Pole to ski down from the central peak without supplemental oxygen.
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Credits: Cover photo: Bartłomiej Pawlikowski / Red Bull Content Pool