GILGIT: Polish ski mountaineer Andrzej Bargiel has made history by becoming the first person to climb and ski down all five of Pakistan’s 8,000-metre peaks without using supplementary oxygen, completing his latest feat on Nanga Parbat.
According to expedition organiser Seven Summit Treks, the 38-year-old reached the 8,126-metre summit of Nanga Parbat on June 30 before making a continuous ski descent via the Messner Route to Base Camp without the aid of bottled oxygen.
30 czerwca, po wielogodzinnej akcji górskiej, zdobyłem szczyt i wykonałem pełny zjazd narciarski z Nanga Parbat. Ponad 3700 m deniwelacji Drogą Messnera do poziomu bazy.
Tym samym zamknąłem swój projekt: zdobyłem i w pełni zjechałem na nartach ze wszystkich ośmiotysięczników w… pic.twitter.com/3Ti6cektjd— Andrzej Bargiel (@JedrekBargiel) July 2, 2026
“Climbing without supplemental oxygen, he reached the summit of Nanga Parbat and then completed a full, uninterrupted ski descent all the way back to Base Camp on June 30, 2026,” the company said in a statement.
Seven Summit Treks described the achievement as historic and congratulated Bargiel on what it called an “unbelievable achievement”.
Historic Milestone
Sources at Nanga Parbat Base Camp said Bargiel was part of a seven-member international expedition organised by Seven Summit Treks.
He began his summit push after the route had been opened by the company’s rope-fixing team before completing the descent without supplementary oxygen.
The achievement makes Bargiel the first mountaineer to complete ski descents from all five of Pakistan’s mountains that rise above 8,000 metres.
His previous descents include Broad Peak, Gasherbrum II, K2 and Gasherbrum I, adding to earlier ski descents from Nepal’s Shishapangma and Manaslu.
Last year, Bargiel also became the first person to ski from the summit of Mount Everest without using supplementary oxygen.
‘Years in the Making’
In a post on Instagram, Bargiel described the expedition as the culmination of a long-term ambition.
“On June 30, after a long summit push, I reached the top of Nanga Parbat and completed a full ski descent from the summit via the Messner Route, skiing over 3,700 vertical metres all the way to Base Camp,” he wrote.
“With this descent, I completed a project that has been years in the making: climbing and skiing all of Pakistan’s 8,000-metre peaks.”
Bargiel also thanked fellow climber Janusz Gob, who accompanied him during the ascent, as well as his support team for providing route guidance, weather updates and logistical assistance throughout the expedition.
