Andrzej Bargiel made history back in September when he became the first person to climb Mount Everest without oxygen and then ski down to Everest Base Camp. His descent followed a 16-hour climb through the notorious “death zone,” where oxygen levels become dangerously low above 8,ooo meters. According to his sponsor, Red Bull, more than 6,000 people have climbed Everest but just 200 have done so without supplemental oxygen.
“I split the descent into two parts, as navigating the technically difficult Icefall in relatively safe conditions was only possible in the morning. The summit itself was arduous and difficult. I’d never spent so much time at such an altitude in my life, so that was a challenge in itself,” Bargiel said.
Bargiel has shared select highlights from the accomplishment before, but now he and Red Bull have released a full-length film documenting it all. The 30-minute film shows just how unique of a challenge his run down Everest was. At this elevation, humans can only survive without supplemental oxygen anywhere between 16 to 20 hours. When Bargiel reached the summit and clicked into his skis at 3:20 p.m., he’d already crawled into the lower end of that time limit.
Oxygen levels are just 33 percent compared to sea level, which brings threats of brain damage, getting fluid in the lungs, and of course, extreme fatigue. About two hours later, Bargiel finally descended below the “death zone,” but he still had a significant ways to go. By the time he’d finally wrapped up and reached Base Camp at 8:45 p.m., Andrzej Bargiel’s entire Everest journey had spanned four days, four hours, and 15 minutes.
“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. 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.”
