Bargiel Completes First Oxygen-Free Nanga Parbat Ski Descent

Two accounts highlight high-risk and high-reward mountain adventures. A photographer escaped wildfire smoke for the North Cascades, documenting scenic hikes at Artist Ridge and Trappers Peak with views of Mount Baker, Mount Shuksan and the Picket Range. Separately, Polish skier and mountaineer Andrzej Bargiel became the first person to climb and continuously ski down 26,660-foot Nanga Parbat without supplemental oxygen, completing the round trip in two days and nine hours. Newly released footage captures the technical and dangerous descent through the mountain’s challenging upper terrain.