Daredevil Makes History with Crazy Stunt on Mount Everest

Polish daredevil Andrzej Bargiel just made mountaineering history — and he did it on skis.

The 37-year-old thrill-seeker became the first person ever to descend from the very top of Mount Everest all the way down to base camp without using supplemental oxygen, his team confirmed on Monday. That’s a drop of more than 29,000 feet straight through what climbers call the “death zone,” where oxygen is dangerously scarce and altitude sickness can be fatal.

It wasn’t Bargiel’s first attempt — he tried and failed to complete the feat in 2019 and again in 2022. This time, after a grueling 16-hour climb to the summit, he strapped on his skis and made the impossible possible. “The ascent was difficult because other expeditions are closed at this time of year. Much more work is required [and] the conditions are much more difficult,” Bargiel said afterward.

This isn’t the first time the Polish mountaineer has gone where no skier has gone before. Back in 2018, he became the first person to ski down K2 — the world’s second-highest peak and one of the deadliest, with about a quarter of climbers who reach the top never making it back.

From conquering K2 to now carving his way down Everest without oxygen, Bargiel has secured his place as one of the most fearless skiers alive.