Kathmandu, Sept 23: Polish skier Andrzej Bargiel has made history by skiing down Mount Everest (8,848 m) without using extra oxygen, the first time anyone has done this in the autumn climbing season, Everest Today reported.
The 37-year-old athlete reached the summit on September 22 at around 3:00 PM and then skied all the way down to Camp II the same day. He continued to Base Camp on September 23, completing the daring journey.
Bargiel’s expedition was organized by Seven Summit Treks with support from more than 16 Sherpas, including Dawa “Speed Dawa” Sherpa, who also reached the summit.
This descent is part of Bargiel’s Hic Sunt Leones project, which also includes his famous world-first ski descent of K2 in 2018.
Nepal’s mountaineering community praised his achievement, calling it “inspirational” and saying it could encourage more climbers to attempt Everest in autumn and even winter.
At the same time, American climber Tyler Andrews is trying to climb Everest without oxygen in under 20 hours, while two Czech climbers are also planning their summit attempts as weather improves.
Photo ©: Andrzej Bargiel/ Red Bull Content Pool.
