Climber sets new world record with oxygen-free Everest descent

Andrzej Bargiel achieved a remarkable feat by being the first person to climb Mount Everest and then ski down its slopes, all without using extra oxygen.

On September 22, 2025, the 37-year-old successfully skied down Mount Everest after reaching the summit. He spent nearly 16 hours in the extremely dangerous “death zone” – above 8,000 meters, where there’s very little oxygen – before starting his descent.

People have skied down this mountain before, but Andrzej Bargiel just made history by being the first person to ski down from the very top without using any extra oxygen.

Third time’s the charm

Bargiel had tried to complete this difficult challenge before, in both 2019 and 2022, but was forced to stop each time. According to a post on X (formerly Twitter) from the news outlet NEXTA on September 27th, Bargiel was caught in a snowstorm during his latest attempt.

I was absolutely blown away when I heard about Andrzej Bargiel! This Polish climber just made history by skiing down Everest – and he didn’t even use supplemental oxygen! It’s incredible. He’s 37 years old and apparently faced some really tough conditions, getting caught in a snowstorm above 8,000 meters. They say he was stuck up there for 16…

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) September 27, 2025

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk congratulated Andrzej Bargiel on his Everest ski descent, posting on X (formerly Twitter), “Poles have no limits! Andrzej Bargiel just skied down Mount Everest.”

Mount Everest has been in the news several times in 2025, and this isn’t the first incident. Earlier in June, a YouTuber from Australia needed rescuing while climbing, suffering from severe altitude sickness due to low oxygen levels.

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2025-09-27 16:48