Extreme Skier Completes Eighth “8,000er” Ski Descent Without Supplementary Oxygen

Polish skier Bartosz Ziemski (also known as Bartek) has become the first person to complete ski descents of eight of the world’s 14, 8.000m+ peaks in the Himalayas without supplementary oxygen.

Ziemski skied Lhoste (8,516 m / 27,940 ft), the world’s fourth highest peak, without using additional oxygen, as he did his seven previous descents from 8,000m+ peaks.  The mountain had previously been skied by Americans Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson in 2028.

It’s less than four years since Ziemski started his run of epic ski descents in what he calls his MAD Ski Project.  He completed Broad Peak (8,051 m / 26,414 ft) and Gasherbrum II (8,035 m / 26,362 ft) in July 2022. In spring 2023 he skied down Annapurna I (8,091 m / 26,545 ft) and Dhaulagiri (8,167 m / 26,795 ft, first ever full descent from the summit) followed by Makalu (8,485 m / 27,838 ft) and Kangchenjunga (8,586 m / 28,169 ft, it’s first ever ski descent) in 2024. Last year he skied Manaslu (8,163 m / 26,781 ft). All descents have been made without using supplementary oxygen.

Ziemski’s summitted Lhotse solo during a short weather window ascending without fixed ropes, no tracks, no sherpa support and no bottled oxygen. He then skied down, with Seven Summit Treks’ Chhang Dawa Sherpa calling it a “full ski descent from the summit to Base Camp.”