Just one week after his summit on Lhotse, Bartek Ziemski has now also reached the summit of Mount Everest. As always, he descended on skis – for the Polish mountaineer, this is the ninth eight-thousander he has climbed in this way.
The news was actually somewhat expected: Just a week ago, Bartek Ziemski celebrated a summit success on Lhotse (8.516 m). Now he has also achieved a solo ascent of its immediate neighbor and the highest peak in the world – Mount Everest (8.849 m). For the 31-year-old mountaineer from Poland, this is his ninth eight-thousander – he now only needs five more.
Late start to the season on Mount Everest
Bartek Ziemski's ascent coincided with the start of the season on the roof of the world. This had been somewhat delayed this spring – partly due to difficult weather conditions, but also because of a unstable seracs Approximately 300 meters below Camp 1, Lhotse and Everest share a standard route to Camp 4. During his acclimatization, Ziemski had the so-called "Icefall Doctors" supported in the development of the lower route section.
For his ascent of Mount Everest, Ziemski unsurprisingly opted once again for his signature clean style: no fixed ropes, supplemental oxygen, or Sherpa support. He used his skis the entire way back to base camp – except for breaks to repack his gear at the various camps.
Congratulations, Bartek! You have written another chapter of your story.
Polish Mountaineering Association
Ascent despite difficult conditions
On May 19, 2026, Bartek Ziemski set off from Camp IV (~7.900 m) towards the summit at around 23:00 PM Nepalese time. For the first several hundred meters of elevation gain, he was accompanied by winds of up to 50 km/h. "I actually tried to climb on the day when the wind was supposed to die down according to earlier forecasts," Ziemski explained via the Instagram account of the Polish Mountaineering Association.
Many other climbers abandoned their ascent that day, but Bartek continued – and was practically alone above the South Summit. When he reached the "Balcony" at 8.600 meters, the wind finally died down. At 9:25 a.m., Bartek Ziemski stood on the summit of Mount Everest.
The descent went according to plan, although according to Ziemski, the conditions were "not very suitable for skiing." The most difficult part was a short, technically very demanding section at the Hillary Step. At the Khumbu Icefall, Ziemski had to adjust his route at short notice, as the ice had changed significantly within the last week. He reported back to base camp at 15:10 p.m. Nepalese time.
Will Ziemski bag all 14 eight-thousanders?
Of course, we don't know if Bartek Ziemskis really intended to climb all 14 eight-thousanders solo and without support – the 31-year-old is not present on social media.
His list of ascents over the past four years shows, however, that Ziemski is indeed working his way through the eight-thousanders one after the other. He achieved first ski descents of both Dhaulagiri I (8.167 m) and Kangchenjunga (8.586 m).
Ziemski's ascents of eight-thousanders
(Ascent without supplemental oxygen, descent on skis)
- 2022: Broad Peak (8.051)
- 2022: Gasherbrum II (8.035 m)
- 2023: Annapurna I (8.091 m)
- 2023: Dhaulagiri I (8.167 m) – first ski run
- 2024: Makalu (8.485 m)
- 2024: Kangchenjunga (8.586 m) – first ski run
- 2025: Manaslu (8.163 m)
- 2026: Lhotse (8.516 m)
- 2026: Mount Everest (8.849 m)
Bartek Ziemski currently still has five eight-thousanders to climb – including the K2 (8.611 m) and the Nanga Parbat (8.125 m). Both are among the most dangerous of the 14 eight-thousanders, all located in the Himalayas and Karakoram mountain ranges. Also not yet on Ziemski's list: Shishapangma (8.027 m) Gasherbrum I (8.080 m) and Cho oyu (8.188 m).
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Credits Cover image: Bartek Ziemski / Polish Mountaineering Association