Poland's Andrzej Bargiel made history becoming the first person to ski down Mount Everest in Nepal without an oxygen tank on Sept. 23, 2025.

Poland's Andrzej Bargiel made history by becoming the first person to ski down Mount Everest in Nepal without using an oxygen tank, in what his team said was a "groundbreaking milestone in the world of ski mountaineering."

Bargiel, 37, summited the highest peak in the world, standing nearly 30,000 feet above sea level, around 3:15 p.m. on Sept. 22, a press release from Bargiel's representatives said, adding that the expedition took longer than planned due to heavy snow.

"Bargiel spent 16 grueling hours moving through the death zone (above 8,000 m) without bottled oxygen," the statement said. "After only a brief moment on the top of the world, he clipped into his skis and dropped into his historic descent, racing the setting sun."

Andrzej Bargiel had to stop at Camp 2 due to nightfall

Bargiel did not make it down in one go. He had to stop at Camp 2, at roughly 21,000 feet above sea level, around 8:30 p.m. due to nightfall, which made it impossible to navigate safely. He continued his descent at sunrise the next day, Sept. 23.

"In spectacular style, he navigated the Khumbu Icefall entirely on skis, without relying on fixed ropes or ladders — possible thanks to a descent line he had prepared with his brother, Bartek Bargiel," the statement said, adding he "skied all the way back to Base Camp."

Video footage from Bargiel's adventure shows him skiing through thick snow with the high peaks in the background.

Bargiel announced the "Everest Ski Challenge" on Aug. 19 and landed in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Aug. 23, per his social media. Bargiel began his ascent from Everest Base Camp on Sept. 19 and reached Camp 4 on Sept. 21.

This was Bargiel's third attempt at Everest after previous expeditions in 2019 and 2022, according to a press release by Red Bull, Bargiel's sports partner.

“It’s one of the most important milestones in my sports career. Skiing down Everest without oxygen was a dream that had been growing inside me for years," Bargiel said in a statement. "I knew that the difficult autumn conditions and plotting the descent line through the Khumbu Glacier would be the greatest challenge I could ever face.”

'Sky is the limit? Not for Poles!'

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk lauded Bargiel for his daring expedition.

"Sky is the limit? Not for Poles! Andrzej Bargiel just skied down Mount Everest," Tusk wrote in a post on X.

In 2018, Bargiel was the first person to ski down the world's second-highest mountain, K2, without taking off his skis, according to Reuters and Bargiel's website.

Contributing: Reuters

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Watch Polish man make history by skiing down Mount Everest without an oxygen tank

Reporting by Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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