Mountaineering has registered a record in the world of mountaineering that will be remembered even in generations to come. Polish ski mountaineer Andrzej Bargiel, on 22 September 2025, made the impossible happen.
Andrzej Bargiel not only summited Mount Everest but also skied all the way down to Base Camp. This makes him the first in history to make such a bold descent on the highest peak of the world without any extra oxygen.
The Ascent: Fighting the Everest Death Zone
On 19 September, Bargiel and his team started to climb out of Everest Base Camp. It took him days of preparation, and bad weather in Camp IV at 7,900 meters, but on 21 September, he made the final push, late in the day.
Above 8,000 meters (so-called death zone) every breath is a burden. Oxygen cylinders are of great help to climbers in this place, yet Bargiel decided to take them alone.
He struggled for almost 16 hours with fatigue, thin air, and heavy fresh snow. At last, at about 3 PM on 22 September, he was up on top of the world. Bargiel clipped on his skis, unlike most climbers who take time celebrating, he was ready to make history.
The Descent: Everest Skiing into the Record Books
Bargiel threw himself off the summit down the South Col route. Instead, he had to ski over such iconic features as the Hillary Step, South Summit, and the Balcony, overcoming the most dangerous slopes through which most climbers tend to go using ropes and ladders.
At 5:20 PM, Andrzej Bargiel had crossed Camp IV, and at 8.30 PM, he had crossed Camp II at 6,400 meters. Darkness had compelled him to stop at night, but the following day, he went on again.
The greatest obstacle was the Khumbu Icefall, which was a continually changing jumble of ice towers and deep crevasses. Surprisingly, he skied through it without fixed ropes, something no one had ever dared to do.
At 8.45 AM, on 23 September, Bargiel reached Base Camp and thus ended his legendary journey.
Why This Feat is Unique
Climbing Everest without oxygen is already a challenge of human endurance that is difficult. It is a different level when skiing down after such an uphill.
Although Slovenian climber Davorin Karnicar skied down the mountain in 2000, he also used bottled oxygen on the mountain to make his way to base camp.
It is unparalleled in the history of mountaineering to see Bargiel ascending the mountain without any additional oxygen.
This was not his first one. Andrzej Bargiel had attempted similar expeditions on Everest in 2019 and 2022 but was forced to retreat due to the conditions. It was in 2025 that persistence, training, and vision finally paid off.
Global Recognition
And the congratulations came pouring in all over the world. The Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk tweeted: Sky is the limit? Not for Poles! Andrzej Bargiel has just skied down Mount Everest!”
Bargiel himself shared a short message after the summit: “I am on top of the highest mountain in the world — and I’m going to descend it on skis.”
Going to the Edge
This accomplishment is a portion of a larger project undertaken by Bargiel, Hic Sunt Leones, that stretches the limits of ski mountaineering on the highest peaks of the world.
In 2018, Andrzej Bargiel already set the record of skiing down K2, and in 2021 made all the Karakoram eight-thousanders descent. But Oxygen-deprived Everest is his best triumph.
