AssetID: 55826048
Headline: Polish athlete becomes first person to climb and ski 'Killer Mountain' Nanga Parbat from top to bottom
Caption: BY MARK WORGAN Polish ski mountaineer Andrzej Bargiel has become the first person to climb and ski Nanga Parbat in a single continuous descent without using supplemental oxygen. The 8,126m (26,660ft) mountain in Pakistan is regarded as one of the world's most dangerous peaks, with a long history of fatal climbing accidents. Despite only being the ninth tallest peak in the world it is known as the ‘Killer Mountain’ due to the death toll among those who have attempted the summit. Bargiel completed the ascent and returned by skis from the summit to the end of continuous snow cover as part of his Hic Sunt Leones – Nanga Parbat Ski Challenge 2026 expedition. The Latin phrase Hic Sunt Leones, meaning "here are lions", was historically used on maps to denote unexplored territory. According to his expedition team, no previous attempt had completed an unbroken ski descent from the summit to the point where snow conditions ended. Bargiel began acclimatising on the mountain during the second half of June before leaving Base Camp, at an altitude of 4,200m (13,780ft), on 28 June. Climbing without bottled oxygen, he spent nights at Camps II and III before reaching the summit, where he remained for around 45 minutes before beginning his descent. He skied via the Messner Route, negotiating a traverse beneath a large serac barrier that had prevented previous ski descents from continuing on skis. Bargiel spent around two hours above 7,900m, in the so-called "death zone", where oxygen levels are insufficient to sustain the body for prolonged periods. He completed the ski descent below Camp I on 30 June, marking what organisers say is the first continuous ski line from the summit to the end of skiable snow on Nanga Parbat. The round trip from Base Camp to the summit and back took two days and nine hours. "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 Andrzej Bargiel after completing the expedition. "It was one of the most complex ski projects I've ever seen in the high mountains. Andrzej had to constantly assess and solve the terrain in real time throughout the descent. On Nanga Parbat, there is no room for chance," commented Janusz Gołąb. Nanga Parbat occupies a significant place in mountaineering history and is closely associated with Reinhold Messner's landmark ascent of its Rupal Face in 1970. Bargiel, who was born in Poland in 1988, has previously made the first full ski descents of K2 and Broad Peak. In 2025, he also became the first person to climb and ski Mount Everest from the summit to Base Camp without supplemental oxygen. With the latest achievement, he has now climbed and skied Broad Peak, K2, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, Everest and Nanga Parbat without using bottled oxygen.
Keywords: red bull,skiing,mountaineering,sports,mountain
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