Polish adventure skier Andrzej Bargiel has etched his name into mountaineering history by becoming the first person to both climb and ski down Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen.
The 37-year-old’s achievement came on his third attempt to conquer the world’s tallest peak, standing at 8,849 metres (29,032 ft). Previous efforts in 2019 and 2022 were cut short by treacherous conditions. “The summit itself was arduous. I’d never spent so much time at such an altitude in my life,” Bargiel reflected. “Skiing down Everest without oxygen was a dream that had been growing inside me for years.”
While more than 6,000 climbers have reached Everest’s summit, only about 200 have done so without bottled oxygen. A handful have skied from the peak, but none had ever completed a continuous descent without supplemental oxygen—until now.
Bargiel’s climb included a 16-hour push through the “death zone”, where oxygen levels drop to a third of what is available at sea level, posing risks of brain damage, lung failure, and death. On his descent, he navigated the perilous Khumbu Icefall, guided in part by a drone piloted by his brother, Bartek.
His team hailed the accomplishment as a “groundbreaking milestone in ski mountaineering”, while Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk celebrated the feat, declaring: “Sky is the limit? Not for Poles!”
Bargiel is no stranger to redefining limits. In 2018, he became the first person to ski down K2, the world’s second-highest mountain. Reflecting on his journey, he once remarked: “No one thought it could be done; even my own brother had doubts. It taught me the value of patience – and that nobody else can make your dreams come true.”
