Mount Everest is very tall. It is 8,849 metres high. It is the tallest mountain on Earth. Many people have climbed it. More than 6,000 people have climbed Everest. But most people use extra oxygen. Extra oxygen means special bottles of air. The bottles help people breathe.

Only about 200 people have climbed Everest without extra oxygen. Some people have skied down the mountain. But no one has skied down without stopping. And no one has done it without extra oxygen. Andrzej Bargiel did both things.

Bargiel tried to climb Everest before. He tried in 2019. He tried again in 2022. Both times were dangerous. The weather was bad. The conditions were not safe. So he had to stop. This was his third attempt. This time he was successful.

Bargiel talked about his climb. He said: “The summit itself was arduous and difficult.” The summit means the top of the mountain. Arduous means very hard. He also said: “I’d never spent so much time at such an altitude in my life, so that was a challenge in itself.” Altitude means how high you are. High altitude is dangerous.

He also said: “Skiing down Everest without oxygen was a dream that had been growing inside me for years.” This was his big dream. He wanted to do this for a long time.

On Monday, Bargiel climbed up the mountain. It took nearly 16 hours. That is a very long time. He climbed through the “death zone”. The death zone is above 8,000 metres. At this height, there is very little oxygen in the air. The oxygen levels are dangerously low. This is very dangerous for people.

At the top of Everest, the air is very thin. Thin air means there is not much oxygen. Climbers only get about a third of the oxygen. This means much less than at sea level. Sea level means at the beach or in normal places. This lack of oxygen can cause brain damage. It can cause fluid in the lungs. Fluid means water. It can even cause death.

On Tuesday morning, Bargiel skied down. He skied through the Khumbu Icefall. The Khumbu Icefall is very dangerous. It is a maze of ice towers. A maze means it is difficult to find your way. There are also deep crevasses. Crevasses are big cracks in the ice. This is one of the most dangerous parts of Everest.

Bargiel’s brother helped him. His brother’s name is Bartek. Bartek flew a drone. The drone helped guide Bargiel through the icefall. This made it safer.

Bargiel explained his plan. He said: “I split the descent into two parts, as navigating the technically difficult icefall in relatively safe conditions was only possible in the morning.” Descent means going down. Navigating means finding your way. He skied down in two parts. The morning was safer for the icefall.

After the icefall, Bargiel arrived at base camp. Base camp is where climbers start and finish. He was safe.

Bargiel’s team was very happy. They said it was a “groundbreaking milestone in the world of ski mountaineering”. Groundbreaking means very new and important. A milestone means a big achievement. Ski mountaineering means skiing down mountains.

The Polish Prime Minister is Donald Tusk. He celebrated on X. X is a social media website. He wrote: “Sky is the limit? Not for Poles! Andrzej Bargiel has just skied down Mount Everest.” He was very proud.

Bargiel has done amazing things before. In 2018, he skied down K2. K2 is in Pakistan. It is the second highest mountain in the world. He was the first person to ski down K2.

In 2020, Bargiel talked to the Guardian newspaper. The Guardian is a British newspaper. He said: “No one thought it could be done; even my own brother had doubts.” This means people did not believe him. Even his brother was not sure. He also said: “It taught me the value of patience – and that nobody else can make your dreams come true.” He learned to be patient. He learned that you must work for your dreams.