© Kuno Lechner/Creative Commons
A Polish man recently became the first person ever to ski down from the summit of K2, the world’s second-tallest mountain after Mt. Everest at 8611m above sea level. Andrzej Bargiel had already attempted the treacherous descent of K2 in 2017 but had had to turn back due to weather conditions. This July he was finally successful, navigating crevasses, glaciers, avalanches, hypothermia, lack of oxygen and steep cliff faces to bag the title of first-ever skier to successfully ski down from the summit of this imposing mountain in the northwest Himalayas. Meanwhile, K2 Sports missed out on a huge marketing opportunity – Balgiel used Salomon skis! Oops.
Right after Mt. Everest, which is a scant 237m higher at 8848m. Located in the Himalayas, K2 is also known as ‘Savage Mountain’ and is notorious for being even more difficult to climb than Everest. K2 is the only mountain above 8000m that has never been climbed in winter, in large part due to its combination of extreme storms and exposed cliff faces. Unlike Everest, which has been summited by around 5000 people, K2 has only been conquered by about 300 climbers and it has claimed the lives of 77 people in the past. So we're thinking... definitely a black run.
Bargiel is far from the first person to try skiing down K2 all the way from the summit, but unfortunately the last few people weren’t successful. Several people have died in the attempt, and only Dave Watson of the USA came close, skiing down from a height of 8350m in 2009. Of course, there are no ski lifts up to the K2 summit, so anybody daring to try skiing down from the summit has to be an experienced mountaineer as well. Bargiel hails from the mountains in the south of Poland and has a few impressive accomplishments under his belt already, including the fastest-ever time for completing the Snow Leopard challenge (climbing the five highest mountains in the former Soviet Union).
In addition to the normal things like crevasses and steep walls, Balgiel and his team also had to contend with arêtes (sharp ridges) and seracs (huge, unstable chunks of ice that form on glaciers). Unlike last year, they got lucky with the weather and only had to wait for the clouds to clear at Base IV. Bargiel expressed no desire to repeat the experience, quipping, ““I feel huge happiness and, to be honest, it was my second attempt, so I’m glad that I won’t be coming here again.”
Inspired? Maybe try these relatively easier black pistes first >
© Kuno Lechner/Creative Commons
A Polish man recently became the first person ever to ski down from the summit of K2, the world’s second-tallest mountain after Mt. Everest at 8611m above sea level. Andrzej Bargiel had already attempted the treacherous descent of K2 in 2017 but had had to turn back due to weather conditions. This July he was finally successful, navigating crevasses, glaciers, avalanches, hypothermia, lack of oxygen and steep cliff faces to bag the title of first-ever skier to successfully ski down from the summit of this imposing mountain in the northwest Himalayas. Meanwhile, K2 Sports missed out on a huge marketing opportunity – Balgiel used Salomon skis! Oops.
Right after Mt. Everest, which is a scant 237m higher at 8848m. Located in the Himalayas, K2 is also known as ‘Savage Mountain’ and is notorious for being even more difficult to climb than Everest. K2 is the only mountain above 8000m that has never been climbed in winter, in large part due to its combination of extreme storms and exposed cliff faces. Unlike Everest, which has been summited by around 5000 people, K2 has only been conquered by about 300 climbers and it has claimed the lives of 77 people in the past. So we're thinking... definitely a black run.
Bargiel is far from the first person to try skiing down K2 all the way from the summit, but unfortunately the last few people weren’t successful. Several people have died in the attempt, and only Dave Watson of the USA came close, skiing down from a height of 8350m in 2009. Of course, there are no ski lifts up to the K2 summit, so anybody daring to try skiing down from the summit has to be an experienced mountaineer as well. Bargiel hails from the mountains in the south of Poland and has a few impressive accomplishments under his belt already, including the fastest-ever time for completing the Snow Leopard challenge (climbing the five highest mountains in the former Soviet Union).
In addition to the normal things like crevasses and steep walls, Balgiel and his team also had to contend with arêtes (sharp ridges) and seracs (huge, unstable chunks of ice that form on glaciers). Unlike last year, they got lucky with the weather and only had to wait for the clouds to clear at Base IV. Bargiel expressed no desire to repeat the experience, quipping, ““I feel huge happiness and, to be honest, it was my second attempt, so I’m glad that I won’t be coming here again.”
Inspired? Maybe try these relatively easier black pistes first >
Born and raised in the ski paradise of Vancouver, Canada, I learned to ski before I can remember, balancing precariously on my parents’ skis as they sailed down the hill. I started snowboarding in my teens and am now delighted to be exploring everything Europe’s ski scene has to offer!
