Polish mountaineer Andrzej Bargiel has achieved the first continuous ski descent of Nanga Parbat without supplemental oxygen, linking the 8,126-metre summit to the snowline in a single unbroken line. The Red Bull athlete completed the feat on June 30, 2026, during his Hic Sunt Leones – Nanga Parbat Ski Challenge 2026 expedition on the mountain's Diamir Face in Pakistan's Western Himalayas.
Climb and Descent Details
Bargiel, 38, left Base Camp at 4,200 metres on June 28 at 6 a.m., climbing without bottled oxygen. He overnighted at Camp II (6,200 m) and Camp III (6,850 m) before reaching the summit on June 30. After spending 45 minutes at the top, he switched to skis and descended the Messner Route, navigating a serac barrier that had previously forced climbers off their skis. He completed the descent at 3 p.m. below Camp I (4,400 m). The full round trip from Base Camp to summit and back took two days and nine hours, with Bargiel spending two hours above 7,900 metres inside the death zone.
Historic Achievement
Nanga Parbat holds one of the deadliest records among the world's 8,000-metre peaks. No previous expedition had connected its summit to the end of skiable snow in one unbroken line, despite multiple earlier attempts. With this descent, Bargiel becomes the first person to have climbed and skied Broad Peak, K2, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, Everest and Nanga Parbat without supplemental oxygen — a project he began on Broad Peak in 2015.
Athlete's Statement
“I knew that the success of this project would depend on the right timing and the right conditions in the mountains. I’m happy that we were able to find a line that made it possible to complete the entire descent safely. I’d like to thank the whole team and Red Bull for their support,” Bargiel said.
