Polish Mountaineer Make History as First To Ski "Killer Mountain" Without Oxygen

Big mountain skier and alpinist Andrzej Bargiel made history last September when he completed the first ski descent of Mt. Everest without supplemental oxygen.

Now, he’s added another bucket list peak to his legendary resume.

According to Snowsports News via local climbers, the 38-year-old Polish skier completed the first ski descent of the world’s ninth-tallest peak, Nanga Parbat (26,660 ft./8,126 m), today, July 1, 2026. The mountain is known as “Killer Mountain” amongst climbers and alpinists due to its challenging terrain and snow conditions.

The accomplishment makes Bargiel the first skier to summit and descend all five of Pakistan’s 8,000-meter peaks without oxygen.

Bargiel acclimatized on Ganalo Peak, a subpeak of Nanga Parbat, to scout and plan his line. According to Snowsports News, this could have made the difference in his success.

Numerous ski mountaineers have attempted to descend Nanga Parbat in the past, but they have been forced to rappel or traverse bottlenecks and icefalls. Bargiel spent days carefully planning the route, and it paid off.

Nanga Parbat joins his laundry list of notable ski descents, including: Shishapangma, Manaslu, Broad Peak, K2, Gasherbrum II, Gasherbrum I, and Mount Everest.

He hasn’t posted video clips of the descent yet, but given the video he took on Everest, we expect one to drop in the near future. Stay tuned.

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