Mountaineering
Andrzej Bargiel conquers Nanga Parbat's impossible line without oxygen
The Polish ski mountaineer has become the first person to complete a continuous ski descent of the 8,126m peak after climbing it without supplemental oxygen.
A decade after beginning his mission to ski the world's highest mountains – and just a year after his historic Everest descent – Andrzej Bargiel has added another world first to the list. The Polish ski mountaineer climbed Nanga Parbat without supplemental oxygen before completing the first continuous ski descent of the 8,126m giant.
While other skiers had reached parts of the route before, none had ever managed to stay on their skis from the summit all the way to the end of the mountain's snow.
Janusz Gołąb and Andrzej Bargiel climbed Nanga Parbat alongside each other
© Bartłomiej Pawlikowski/Red Bull Content Pool
Bargiel made the ascent alongside fellow alpinist Janusz Gołąb, whom he thanked after the climb for supporting him "throughout the entire ascent." He also said the descent completed "a project that has been years in the making", climbing and skiing all of Pakistan's 8,000-metre peaks.
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Why had nobody completed a continuous ski descent of Nanga Parbat before?
The daunting Nanga Parbat has proved deadly over the years
© Bartłomiej Pawlikowski/Red Bull Content Pool
Nanga Parbat is one of the world's highest and most demanding mountains. Rising 8,126 metres in Pakistan's Karakoram range, it has challenged climbers for decades. For skiers, the biggest obstacle has always been the upper Diamir Face. A towering serac barrier blocked every previous attempt at a continuous descent, forcing skiers to carry their equipment on foot before reconnecting with snow.
But Bargiel found a way, navigating a line through the ice and linking the summit to the end of the mountain's skiable snow in one uninterrupted descent.
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Reaching the summit was only half the challenge
Bargiel, 38, spent weeks acclimatising on the mountain before launching a summit push from base camp (4,200m) on June 28. Climbing without supplemental oxygen across two days, he reached the 8,126m summit and spent 45 minutes at the top, before clipping into his skis for the descent. In total, he spent around two hours above 7,900m in the so-called "Death Zone", where the lack of oxygen makes every decision more demanding.
I'd like to thank the whole team and Red Bull for their support
"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," said Bargiel after completing the expedition.
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Why Nanga Parbat is one of the world's most famous mountains
Nanga Parbat has long been one of mountaineering’s most famous peaks. Many climbers have lost their lives attempting it, and it became part of climbing history in 1970, when Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner completed his breakthrough ascent of the mountain’s Rupal Face, the immense south wall of Nanga Parbat and one of the tallest mountain faces in the world.
Andrzej Bargiel has conquered one of the toughest feats in mountaineering
© Bartłomiej Pawlikowski/Red Bull Content Pool
"It was one of the most complex ski projects I've ever seen in the high mountains," said Janusz Gołąb, Bargiel's climbing support on the expedition. "Andrzej had to constantly assess and solve the terrain in real time throughout the descent. On Nanga Parbat, there is no room for chance."
Janusz Gołąb supported Andrzej Bargiel on his quest
© Bartłomiej Pawlikowski/Red Bull Content Pool
Bargiel's descent adds a new chapter to that history by opening a route that had never before been skied continuously from summit to snowline.
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Andrzej Bargiel's history of skiing the world's highest mountains
Andrzej Bargiel enjoys a break during his Nanga Parbat expedition
© Bartłomiej Pawlikowski/Red Bull Content Pool
On Nanga Parbat, there is no room for chance
Bargiel has plenty of previous form when it comes to world-first achievements. In 2018, he became the first person to ski down K2, while in 2025 he completed another historic expedition by climbing and skiing Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen.
With Nanga Parbat now added to the list, Bargiel has completed first ski descents on several of the world's highest peaks without supplemental oxygen, continuing a series of feats that began with Broad Peak more than a decade ago.