Watch Andrzej Bargiel make first complete ski descent of Everest without supplementary oxygen

On 22 and 23 September 2025 Andrzej Bargiel became the first person in the world to climb and then make a complete ski descent of Mount Everest (8,849m) without supplementary oxygen. After having spent 16 hours above 8000 meters during the ascent, the 37-year-old Bargiel clipped into his skis and started his descent via the South Col Route. The summit ridge and Hillary Step took longer than planned and therefore the Polish ski mountaineer decided to spend the night at Camp II. At 7am the next morning he continued his descent and, guided by a drone flown by his brother Bartek, he skied through the treacherous Khumbu Icefall before safely arriving at Base Camp at 8.45 am.

Everest has been skied before in the past, but never before in this style. While Slovenia's Davo Karnicar skied the south face of Everest in October 2000, he did so after climbing the mountain with supplementary oxygen. In May 1996 Hans Kammerlander made an extraordinary solitary and oxygenless ascent of Everest via the North Col in just 16 hours 50 minutes, but unfortunately snow conditions prohibited him from making an integral ski descent.