Andrzej Bargiel Becomes First to Climb and Ski Down Mt. Everest Without Oxygen

Himalayas. Credit: Jean. CC BY-2.0/flickr

Polish mountaineer Andrzej Bargiel has go the archetypal idiosyncratic to skis down Mount Everest from its acme to Base Camp without utilizing supplemental oxygen. The daring feat, completed connected the world’s highest highest astatine 29,032 feet (8,849 meters), has redefined what is imaginable successful some high-altitude climbing and utmost skiing.

Instead of retracing the perilous ascent down connected foot, Bargiel clicked into his skis and navigated the treacherous slopes to safety. Previous attempts to skis Everest had ended successful partial descents oregon required oxygen support. Bargiel’s uninterrupted tally to Base Camp stands arsenic a landmark infinitesimal successful mountaineering.

A mountaineer with a grounds of firsts

The 36-year-old jock from Poland has agelong been known for taking connected challenges considered intolerable by others. In 2018, Bargiel etched his sanction into past arsenic the archetypal idiosyncratic to implicit a afloat skis descent of K2, the world’s second-highest and astir unsafe mountain, besides without bottled oxygen. That ascent earned him planetary designation successful the mountaineering world.

Polish jock Andrzej Bargiel has made past by becoming the archetypal idiosyncratic ever to ascent Mount Everest without supplementary oxygen and implicit a afloat skis descent to Base Camp. In 2018, helium became the lone idiosyncratic to marque a afloat skis descent of K2 without supplementary oxygen, and has present go the archetypal successful past to widen that bequest to the world’s highest mountain. #news #mounteverest

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Bargiel grew up successful the Tatra Mountains of confederate Poland, wherever helium began climbing and skiing arsenic a teenager. His inheritance successful some disciplines helped him make a uncommon acceptable of skills that harvester speed, precision, and the quality to endure utmost carnal stress. Those skills person acceptable him isolated successful a athletics wherever hazard is changeless and mistakes tin beryllium fatal.

Everest’s unforgiving challenge

Mount Everest, straddling the borderline betwixt Nepal and China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, has claimed much than 300 lives since it was archetypal summited successful 1953.

Known arsenic the “death zone,” the altitude supra 26,000 feet (8,000 meters) leaves the quality assemblage incapable to acclimatize. Most climbers trust connected bottled oxygen to survive, but adjacent then, the risks see frostbite, altitude sickness, and abrupt weather changes.

Bargiel chose to forgo supplemental oxygen entirely, pushing his assemblage to relation successful an situation wherever each enactment is simply a struggle. Skiing down required not lone stamina but besides the quality to navigate steep ice, crevasses, and avalanche-prone terrain astatine precocious speed.

Expanding the limits of exploration

Experts accidental Bargiel’s accomplishment sets a caller benchmark for endurance and skill. Ski descents connected Everest person been attempted before, but nary succeeded from acme to Base Camp successful 1 continuous line, and ne'er earlier without the usage of oxygen.

For decades, Everest has symbolized quality resilience and ambition. Bargiel’s bold descent has secured his spot successful past and widened the boundaries of what aboriginal explorers whitethorn situation to effort connected the world’s astir unsafe peaks.