Bargiel, 37, reached the 8,849-metre summit after a 16-hour push through the so-called “death zone” above 8,000 metres, where oxygen levels are critically low.
After spending only a few minutes on the peak, he clipped on his skis and descended more than 3,500 metres to base camp, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
“This was a dream that had matured in me for years,” Bargiel said in a statement released by the expedition organizers.
“Skiing Everest without oxygen was one of the most important steps of my sporting career," he added. "I knew that the difficult autumn conditions and navigating the descent through the Khumbu Glacier would be the biggest challenge I could face.”
No one had previously completed a ski descent of Mount Everest without bottled oxygen. The only full descent, by Slovenian Davo Karničar in 2000, was done with oxygen support, the PAP news agency said.
Medical expert Patrycja Jonetzko, who accompanied the expedition, called Bargiel’s feat “beyond human capabilities” from a physiological standpoint.
“At that altitude, without bottled oxygen, the body has to fight for every single step,” she said.
Veteran climber Dariusz Załuski, who supported the expedition, said the achievement confirmed Bargiel’s exceptional skill, endurance and mental toughness.
Bargiel has built a reputation as one of the world’s top ski mountaineers through his long-running project Hic Sunt Leones (Here Be Lions), focused on skiing down some of the world’s highest and most remote peaks.
In 2013, he descended Shishapangma (8,013m), followed by Manaslu (8,156m) in 2014, Broad Peak (8,051m) in 2015, and K2, the world’s second-highest mountain (8,611m) in 2018.
In 2023, he skied down Gasherbrum I and II.
His latest Everest feat, expedition organizers said, marks the pinnacle of a career defined by pushing the limits of high-altitude skiing.
(gs)
Source: IAR, PAP