Andrzej Bargiel from Poland has made history as the first climber to ski down the tallest mountain on Earth without using supplemental oxygen, according to his team and the expedition organizer on Thursday.
Bargiel smoothly descended the snowy terrains of Mount Everest after summiting the 8,849-meter (29,032-foot) peak on Monday.
“I stand at the peak of the highest mountain in the world and I will ski down,” Bargiel declared in a video shared on Instagram early Thursday.
Another video of the descent was posted by Bargiel on Instagram. “I appreciate everyone who kept their fingers crossed!” he shared. “Also, a big thanks to my whole team for their support throughout this undertaking.”
While Everest has witnessed a few ski descents, none have occurred without supplemental oxygen for the entire route.
In 2000, Slovenian skier Davorin Karnicar completed the first full ski descent from the summit of Everest to base camp while using bottled oxygen.
Chhang Dawa Sherpa from Seven Summit Treks, the organization behind the recent expedition, mentioned that Bargiel skied down to Camp 2, spent the night, and then continued to reach base camp on skis the following day.
“This was incredibly tough and unprecedented,” Sherpa informed Agence France-Presse.
Severe snowfall had Bargiel spending 16 hours above 8,000 meters, often referred to as the “death zone” due to the heightened risk of altitude sickness from thin air and reduced oxygen levels.
Upon reaching base camp, he was welcomed with a khada, a traditional Buddhist scarf.
“The sky is the limit? Not for Poles! Andrzej Bargiel has just skied down Mount Everest,” tweeted Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Bargiel’s team announced in a statement that he has made a historic achievement and labeled it a “groundbreaking milestone in the field of ski mountaineering.”
Bargiel began considering Everest a year after he became the first individual to ski down K2, the second-highest mountain globally, in 2018. At that moment, he dedicated his achievement to the centenary of Poland’s regained independence, as reported by BBC News news.
Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images 
However, a perilous overhanging serac forced him to forfeit his attempt in 2019. In 2022, he tried again but was thwarted by high winds.
This adventurous individual has been striving to make ski descents from the highest peaks worldwide as part of his Hic Sunt Leones project, a Latin term meaning “here are lions,” traditionally used to indicate unexplored regions.
He has skied down each of Karakoram’s four eight-thousanders in Pakistan. He has also completed descents from Nepal’s Manaslu and Tibet’s Shishapangma.
Fall expeditions on Everest are uncommon due to the snowier conditions, shorter and colder days, and a limited summit window in comparison to the crowded spring season.
Earlier this year, renowned Sherpa guide Kami Rita achieved the summit of Everest for the 31st time, setting a new record for the most ascents of the world’s tallest peak.
