People ski all sorts of things that really push the definition of skiing. I know people who have skied all 48 NH 4000ers. Much of that terrain is simply not skiable, but they made it from the summit to some defined end point (usually a parking lot) with their skis on their feet, and that’s all that matters.
And there was a section at the top, and then that section through the ice fall that were really terrifying.
Thanks. Okay I’m impressed!
Apologies that I only watched snippets, and without sound. But were the tracks he often skied near on the way down those he made on the way up? Did he really ski from the summit? It really seems odd that on this seemingly perfect day, there was not another soul in sight going up or down, nor tracks other than that one narrow set. Not doubting that he did what he says he did. Just saying that looks very odd.
Lots of his descent looks like me on a moderately challenging blue. Which I can attest is murder on the legs. Quite a feat!
Looks like they did it very early in the fall climbing window. There were only two tents at Camp 4.
I assume that was the Hillary Step. I wondered about that. That is one of, if not the only, truly technical climbing spots on the route. 40 feet of vertical climb right before the summit. You could ski that about as well as you can waterski rapids. I thought the video handwaved how he got around that.
Now, maybe he went around it. Maybe the 2015 earthquake altered it enough. Skiing across the steep slope beside it might be easier than climbing it. Per Wikipedia:
Heavy snowfall could enable climbers to bypass Hillary, by way of snow and ice climbing.
Still, the video was not clear.
Right, fall has much fewer climbers. Here’s a chart I posted above of summits by day of the year. You have to look closely to see the little lines in fall – a few in October, and almost none in September when Bargiel climbed.
The Hillary Step was actually relatively straightforward. It looks like he bypassed it (if it even still exists) on slopes where it’s difficult to hike but easier to ski. I think the Step is/was the bit in the center of the screen at 8:27. You can see climbing tracks leading up it in a couple places, while he skiied below it.
The really ugly part was the Lhotse Face.
Here’s more commentary from the Outside Magazine article I mentioned earlier.
Balcony Descent
Time into the Film: 9 minutes
Type of Skiing: Powder Turns
Vibe: Woo Hoo!The opening segment of the film sees Bargiel descend from the peak’s pinnacle, along the jagged summit ridge, and down past the Hilary Step. He moves pretty slowly through this section due to the dizzying exposure—he doesn’t want to careen off the North Face and down into China. Finally, after passing the Balcony, Bargiel encounters a wide-open field of deep snow. He does his best powder S-turns along this ridge, and the skiing actually looks fun! This is the only section of the entire 11,435-foot descent that looks even somewhat enjoyable. Alas, this snowfield sits at 25,000 feet so it’s doubtful that you or I will ever get to shred it.
Lhotse Face
Time into the Film: 13 minutes
Type of Skiing: Controlled Butt-Slide
Vibe: Aaaaaghhh!After a quick stop in Camp IV, Bargiel hits the dreaded Lhotse Face, one of the steepest sections of the Everest ascent. Yes, this is also the slope where Japanese skier Yuichiro Miura filmed his terrifying footage for the 1975 film The Man Who Skied Down Everest, the Academy Award-winning documentary. In that epic film, Miura attempts to ski down the Lhotse Face with a parachute behind him—he slips and then careens several thousand feet over rocks and ice. Bargiel fares somewhat better, but it ain’t pretty. The day is getting late, and he’s having to make it to Camp II before it gets dark, so he must descend it in the fastest and most direct way possible. Yep, he resorts to the same skiing technique that your nine-year-old nephew used to descend his first mogul run: butt-sliding. Hey, we’ve all been there.
Wow! Incredible and amazing accomplishment! I just now watched it; I had not seen it before, so my previous questions and comments were ‘blind’, not having viewed it until now. Thanks for this @N9IWP .
I took these notes as I watched it. Maybe the time stamps will be helpful. They will help me when I go back to watch parts of it again.
My notes follow, to the end of my post —
The notes say it took him longer than expected to negotiate the Hillary Step, and the South Summit.
t = 10:17 — he fell
t = 12:20 — at Camp IV; he’s still above the death zone
t = 13:04 — paused, laying down, coughing fits; this looks like the South Col
t = 13:27 — gets back up, resumes
t = 14:25 — it’s darker now; headlamp is on
t = 14:41 — the film caption says he’s reached Camp II, spending the night, going to negotiate the Khumbu Icefall in the day when it is stable — interesting; because in everything I’ve read about it (Krakauer, Braeshears, Coburn, Gammelgaard, Weathers, etc), the icefall is decidedly unstable in the daylight when the sunlight hits it; but from what I remember in my reading that might be more towards the afternoon, and this is usually in the month of May, not late September when Bargiel skied down
If memory serves, the monsoon season is in the summer months …? That snow would fill in many of the seracs and crevasses.
t = 14:53 — it’s morning, he’s at Camp II, it’s 0700 hours, he resumes
t = 18:48 — broader drone overview of the icefall, large seracs and lots of snow; it looks like many of the typical crevasses seen in the May summitting season are covered with snow but still this looks very treacherous; soon after we see numerous crevasses
There was a note that said Bargiel’s brother, Bartek, flew a drone and guided him through the icefall. That was crucial guidance for him.
t = 22:45 — film caption mentions his brother and the drone, and a safety supervisor Jan Gąsienica-Roj guiding Bargiel through the icefall
t = 23:01 — Bargiel radio comm with his brother, Bartek, that the route they had spotted had collapsed and was no longer there
Yes, these images of the icefall are drastically different from the pictures and films I’ve seen of it, typically during May; there is much more snow covering the massive seracs and deep crevasses usually found in the earlier climbing season each year
t = 23:30 — more radio comm; their planned route through the icefall is gone
t = 24:33 — Bargiel nearly falls between crevasses; he’s at the edges of exposed seracs
t = 25:11 — Bargiel is at a big wall / cliff / ledge
t = 25:25 and the following 10-15 seconds — it’s amazing how footage from the drone disguises how steep some parts of the icefall descent is, but from the helmet cam it is extremely steep
t = 29:05 — Bargiel arrives at and surveys a massive, steep ice and snow ledge; he begins to negotiate his way down it; he’s basically glissading down it on his butt and his skis; very treacherous going
t = 29:54 — he’s now past that steep ice and snow ledge
t = 30:19 — his descent is complete; an amazing feat! It has taken him 1hr 45mins to descend from Camp II, through the icefall, to the end of the snow
It’s time for a celebratory beer!
t = 30:45 — he’s now hiking down on foot, to EBC
t = 30:49 — receives an orange Buddhist blessing scarf
(interestingly, just last week I observed Tibetan Buddhist monks create and then dissolve a sand mandala, and I received a green Buddhist blessing scarf from them; it was my first time to watch such a ceremony; I posted that here ➜ Sand Mandala last week in San Francisco - #2 by pjd ■ )
t = 31:00 — why is he drinking a Red Bull? This should be a beer! (rhetorical question) It certainly helps tremendously to have sponsors!
SMH — wow, such a fantastic feat! And, it’s interesting to see the South Col and Southeast Ridge route in the September season. I usually see imagery from in the May season.
What i interpreted them saying is that it’s most stable early in the morning, before warming up. So he was going to attempt it then.
I mean, maybe it’s even more stable an hour before dawn, but I’m sure there’s value in him being able to see, too.
Thanks, I looked at the AT boots on the Salomon website and they look more like hiking boots than ordinary ski boots.
I would’ve been more impressed if he’d done it blindfolded.
And in boxer shorts.
He probably had some tunnel vision from the lack of oxygen, so there’s that.