Andrzej Bargiel announced yesterday he had been forced to end his expedition to ski Mount Everest from the summit to base without supplemental oxygen or Sherpa support due to ‘heavy snowfall and strong wind.’ The attempt was his second in three years.
I am forced to make a decision to end the expedition. The forecast for the next days and weeks is getting worse. Heavy snowfall and strong wind, will make it impossible to reach our goal. Due to the high risk and the tough, unpredictable conditions in the Himalayas this year, I felt that this was the only right decision. Thank you for your support, together with the whole team we felt it at every step.
The Polish mountaineer’s first attempt was in 2019, an expedition that ended after five weeks due to a gigantic overhanging serac over the Khumbu Icefall.
- Related: Andrzej Bargiel Abandons Attempt to Ski Down Everest Due to Unsafe Apartment-Sized Hanging Ice Block
Bargiel is most famous for his ascent and ski descent of K2 in 2019.
He unveiled his 2022 Everest plans at a press conference in August in Warsaw, Poland. The goal was to travel to Nepal with a small team to begin the climb in September.
Bargiel explained that while Everest is more brutal to climb right now during the post-monsoon season, due to excess snow, it is safer to ski down as crevasses will be covered. He would also like to complete the project before global warming makes it impossible.
“Global warming is affecting the conditions of high-altitude mountains and this activity may not be feasible in 10 years.”
– Andrzej Bargiel
Everest has only been fully skied once by Davo Karnicar in 2000, who used supplemental oxygen.
