Polish skier Andrzej Bargiel makes historic Everest descent without oxygen

Poland’s Andrzej Bargiel has become the first person to ski down Mount Everest without using supplemental oxygen, completing the hazardous descent after a gruelling 16-hour climb in the “death zone.”

Bargiel, 37, reached the 8,849-metre summit earlier this week (23 September) after heavy snow delayed his ascent. His team said he spent only a few minutes on the peak before strapping on his skis and beginning the historic descent as daylight faded.

Video shared on Bargiel’s Facebook page showed him sliding down a deep layer of snow with the Himalayas towering in the background. He was forced to halt at Camp 2, about 6,400 metres, when night fell, resuming his descent the next morning.

The achievement adds to Bargiel’s record-breaking mountaineering career. In 2018, he became the first person to ski down K2, the world’s second-highest peak.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk praised the feat on social media, writing, “Sky is the limit? Not for Poles! Andrzej Bargiel just skied down Mount Everest!”

Poland’s tradition of Himalayan exploration dates back to the 1980s, when climbers such as Jerzy Kukuczka and Wanda Rutkiewicz earned the country renown for pioneering winter ascents and new routes in extreme conditions.

Bargiel’s latest success cements his place among that lineage of so-called “Ice Warriors” and marks a first in the history of the world’s highest mountain.

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