PREVIEW

WORDS BYLINE: Hayley Chamberlain

A Polish ski mountaineer has become the first person in history to reach the summit of Mount Everest without oxygen – and then ski all the way back down to base camp.

Andrzej Bargiel, 37, set a new standard in extreme adventure on September 22 when, after nearly 16 hours in the mountain’s notorious “death zone,” he clipped into his skis at the very top of the world’s highest peak and launched himself into history.

The Red Bull athlete descended via the South Col, reaching Camp II by nightfall. Exhausted and unable to continue safely in the dark, he spent the night there before resuming his daring journey the next morning, tackling the infamous Khumbu Icefall before finally arriving at Everest Base Camp.

Speaking after the feat, Bargiel admitted: "It’s one of the most important milestones in my sports career. 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."

For most climbers, simply surviving Everest without bottled oxygen is seen as a once-in-a-lifetime accomplishment. More than 6,000 people have reached the summit, but only around 200 have done so without supplementary oxygen – less than three per cent of all successful ascents.

Bargiel, however, didn’t just climb it – he skied back down, carving a full line from summit to base camp, something no one has ever dared before.

At Everest’s summit – 8,849 metres above sea level – air pressure is so thin that climbers inhale only a third of the oxygen available at sea level. Scientists once believed survival at that height without bottled oxygen was impossible.

Bargiel proved otherwise, spending nearly 16 hours in the death zone, where judgment falters, the body begins to shut down, and the risk of fatal brain or lung oedema skyrockets.

Expedition doctor Dr Patrycja Jonetzk was awestruck: "If you look at human physiology with such a small amount of oxygen in the air, what Andrzej has achieved goes beyond human capabilities. At this altitude, without supplemental oxygen, the body has to fight for every single step."

The final leg of the descent was perhaps the most dangerous – skiing across the Khumbu Icefall, a deadly labyrinth of crevasses and shifting ice blocks that even climbers on foot often fear to cross.

Here, Bargiel was guided in part by his brother Bartek, flying a drone over the glacier to help him find a safe line.

Bartek said: "Just navigating such difficult terrain was a big challenge for me. The fact that I was guiding my own brother certainly didn’t make it any easier (laughs). The hardest moments were crossing the ridge and the glacier. When Andrzej made it through those sections, I could finally breathe and enjoy the last moments of the descent together with him. It’s an important moment for me. The stakes were enormous, and the fact that my brother once again achieved something as the first person in the world - showing such tremendous resilience and spirit - fills me with immense pride."

Veteran climbers have hailed the achievement as one of the greatest in mountaineering history.

Dariusz Załuski, who supported the expedition, said: "Bargiel’s 2018 ski descent from K2 set new standards in ski mountaineering. His Everest descent only confirmed his extraordinary skills, not only in sports performance, but also in endurance and mental resilience."

American mountain guide Adrian Ballinger, who has summited Everest nine times, added: "His successful complete ski descent of Everest without supplementary oxygen is monumental - combining the challenge of climbing the world’s tallest peak without oxygen (spending 16 hours above 8,000 meters on the ascent, and doing it in the unusual and empty autumn season), with the huge descent on skis through technical and exposed terrain, is almost impossible to comprehend. While many have skied parts of Everest, Andrzej skied a complete line from the summit to the base camp. The energy and focus necessary to pull this off without bottled oxygen is mind-blowing."

Bargiel is no stranger to shattering records. In 2018, he became the first and only person ever to ski down K2. He has also notched first-ever descents of Broad Peak, Gasherbrum I and II, Manaslu, and Shishapangma – always without supplementary oxygen.

Now, he has added Everest to the list, cementing his place as the most daring ski mountaineer of all time.