Bartek Ziemski Skis Manaslu Without Oxygen
The autumn season on Nepal’s 8,000ers is officially underway, and while hundreds of climbers line up for their chance on Manaslu, one mountaineer has already made history.
Polish alpinist and ski mountaineer Bartek Ziemski has successfully climbed Manaslu (8,163 m) without the use of bottled oxygen or Sherpa support – and then descended on skis. According to the Polish Mountaineering Association, this marks Ziemski’s seventh 8,000-meter peak skied.
Ziemski reached the summit via the normal route, which had only just been fixed by the rope team, and returned safely to Base Camp. While many climbers are still moving camp-to-camp and facing bottlenecks, Ziemski was already completing his descent with skis on his feet.
This achievement continues his remarkable streak. In 2024, Ziemski made ski descents of both Makalu and Kangchenjunga, also without oxygen. On that expedition, he was accompanied by Oswald Pereira, who filmed Ziemski’s descent before walking down himself.
It is not yet confirmed whether Ziemski managed a complete ski descent of Manaslu. Some observers noted that in the icefall between Camp 1 and Camp 2, there may not have been a clear ski line available. Still, his accomplishment stands as another milestone in modern ski mountaineering.
For Ziemski, this is more than just a record – it is part of his quiet yet steady rise as one of the leading figures in high-altitude ski descents.