For as long as there have been known attempts to reach its 8,848m summit, Mount Everest has been surrounded by mystery, controversy, and outrageous feats of athleticism. The latest news to come from the world’s highest mountain is that Polish mountaineer Andrzej Bargiel has become the first person in history to climb and ski from the summit to Base Camp with no supplementary oxygen. Since 2013, the 37-year-old has been summiting and skiing down the world’s highest peaks as part of his ‘Hic Sunt Leones’ (Here Come the Lions) project, and in 2018 became the first person to do so from K2, the world’s second-tallest, yet far more dangerous mountain. Since then, the Red Bull athlete has attempted Everest several times via the South Col in Nepal, abandoning attempts in 2019 and 2022 due to safety concerns.
Now on his third attempt, Bargiel has made history, although not without setbacks; on ascent, Bargiel and his guide, Dawa ‘Speed’ Sherpa, spent 16 hours above 8,000m thanks to heavy snowfall. Known as the ‘death zone’, there is insufficient oxygen at this altitude for extended survival, with an acute risk of fatality, even by Everest’s standards. Nevertheless, at around 3 pm on September 22, the two sat at the summit before Bargiel made his perilous descent to Base Camp. Despite its height, one of the most challenging parts of climbing Everest is the Khumbu Icefall, a constantly moving glacier just above Base Camp. With crevasses over 100m deep and seracs (ice overhangs) weighing up to thousands of tons, the icefall becomes increasingly dangerous as the sun melts the ice. Skiing down this obstacle is no different, and so Bargiel waited at Camp II overnight before navigating this, at times guided by a drone flown by his brother, Bartek. Finally reaching the snow line at Base Camp, Bargiel follows in the footsteps of Slovenian Davo Karničar, who became the first to ski from the summit in 2000. Karničar, however, was aided by bottled oxygen, which is why this year’s feat is so groundbreaking – since the first recorded ascent by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary in 1952, there have been around 13,000 successful summits, but fewer than 250 have managed this without supplementary oxygen, a far riskier approach.
Bargiel chose not to climb during the primary season, between April and May, which has often seen the mountain crowded by commercial clients, many of whom believe it has compromised its sanctity. There were a total of 861 ascents in 2024, more than between 1952 and 1996 combined (only 844 in 44 years). Consequently, there have been assertions that climbing Everest has become profit-driven, putting the area and its people in even more danger. In addition to an environmental impact, local guides and porters are often underappreciated, despite their indispensable role in taking high-paying clients to the mountain’s summit. This is why it is only right that Bargiel made sure to recognise the people behind his success. As well as Dawa ‘Speed’ Sherpa supporting him all the way to the summit, he thanked expedition director Chhang Dawa Sherpa and his massive support team from Seven Summit Treks, which included more than 16 Sherpas.
The Nepalese mountaineering community has called the achievement “inspirational”, hopeful that it will inspire more off-season attempts and diversify the industry, but it remains to be seen whether this might actually lure more people to the summit. That said, the feat by Bargiel and his team serves as a reminder that Everest has not simply become a cash cow for rich tourists but remains the pinnacle of high-altitude mountaineering.
“Mount Everest from base camp one” by theglobalpanorama is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.