Bartosz Ziemski skis both Everest and Lhotse without O2

Polish alpinist Bartosz Ziemski has completed two remarkable ski descents on the highest mountains in the world, skiing Lhotse and Everest in rapid succession. Ziemski climbed both mountains pretty much in alpine style, without Sherpa support and without supplementary oxygen.

The 31-year-old kicked off his astounding raid in Nepal with Lhotse. After just one rest day following an acclimatization rotation with overnight stays around Camp 3, Bartek had decided to go for the push, despite the fact that the upper section of the route had not yet been prepared with fixed ropes by the Sherpas. On day one he climbed from BC all the way to Camp 3, while the next day he moved up to Camp 4 where he rested briefly. Het set off around midnight and climbed through the narrow and technical upper couloir, completely on his own as there were no fixed ropes. He reached the summit on the 12th of May, in nigh perfect weather conditions: no wind, clear skies, and views that are rare at this altitude. He strapped on his skis and began his descent at 12:14 pm. Conditions, he admitted, were "for connoisseurs", read everything from fresh snow to wind-scoured, compact sections of concrete. A Himalayan mix that never allows you to lose concentration for a moment. Bartek skied the entire mountain all the way down to the icefall, where a huge crevasse forced him to take off his skis and cross the void using a ladder. In doing so he became the first person in the world to climb and ski Lhotse without supplementary oxygen and without personal Sherpa support.

Not one to rest on his laurels, after recovering briefly in Base Camp, Ziemski then set his sights on the highest mountain in the world. Details are currently lacking but according to Polski Związek Alpinizmu, the Polish Mountaineering Association, Ziemski summited and skied Everest on the 19th of May 2026. Once again without supplemental oxygen, down the South Col Route.

In 2018 Hilaree Nelson and Jim Morrison became the first to ski from the summit of Lhotse; the pair skied down to to Camp 2, having used supplementary oxygen and with Sherpa support. Everest has of course been skied in the past on numerous occasions, notably by Andrzej Bargiel who in September 2025 made the first complete ski descent of Everest, down the South Col route, without supplementary oxygen but with Sherpa support. In October 2025 Jim Morrison became the first person to ski the North Face of Mount Everest down into Tibet. Morrison summited with a team of 11 other mountaineers and used supplementary oxygen.

In the past Ziemski has made successful ski descents from Broad Peak (2022), Gasherbrum I (2022), Annapurna I (2023), (Dhaulagiri 2023), Makalu (2024), Kanchenjunga (2024) and Manaslu (2025.) With this achievement, Bartosz becomes the first person in history to complete both Everest and Lhotse ski descents in a single season. He is currently resting in Base Camp. More details will follow in due course.