Skier Becomes First to Ski Down Mount Everest’s High Altitude ‘Death Zone’ Without Supplemental Oxygen

Polish skier and Red Bull athlete Andrzej Bargiel climbed with a Sherpa into the extremely high altitude death zone" of Mount Everest, where oxygen levels are only about one-third of those at sea level, without using any supplemental oxygen to assist.

Skiing down was almost as difficult as a human body can only survive for 16 to 18 hours at such dangerously low oxygen levels, and Bargiel had already been there for 17, so he had to take a night to build back his strength. Yet his persistence and the guidance of his brother's drone allowed him to make it down to base camp, where he became the first skier to ever successfully complete the whole process.

Bargiel clipped into his skis on the summit of the tallest mountain on earth and started his descent via the South Col Route. He reached Camp II that night and rested - the summit ridge and Hillary Step had taken longer than planned, meaning darkness made it dangerous and difficult to navigate further that day. The next morning, he skied through the treacherous Khumbu Icefall - guided by a drone flown by his brother, Bartek - before safely arriving at Base Camp to become the first person to ascend and descend Mount Everest on skis with no supplementary oxygen.

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