Krzyżowski's accomplishment places him among an elite group of mountaineers who have conquered these two peaks in a single expedition. His ascent of Lhotse (8,516 meters) and Mount Everest (8,848 meters) was completed without descending to Everest Base Camp between summits, making his achievement even more impressive.
He becomes only the second Pole to summit Everest without the aid of supplemental oxygen, following in the footsteps of Marcin Miotk, who achieved the feat in 2005 from the Chinese side of the mountain.
Krzyżowski’s journey began early Tuesday morning from Camp IV on Lhotse, he reached the summit after nine hours. The very next day, he embarked from the same camp towards the South Col of Everest, resting briefly to replenish fluids and food before making his final push. Climbing through the night, Krzyżowski reached the summit of Everest after more than 14 hours.
This dual ascent without oxygen places Krzyżowski in a rarefied company. According to "The Himalayan Database," while about 300 climbers have summited both peaks in a single season, only a handful have done so without supplemental oxygen. These include notable climbers such as Slovakian Jozef Just (1988), Kazakh Anatoly Bukreev (1996), Iranian Mahdi Amidi (2011), and Chilean Juan Pablo Mohr (2019).
An experienced climber, Krzyżowski has previously summited five other eight-thousanders: K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum I and II, and Nanga Parbat, all without supplemental oxygen or Sherpa support.
(jh)
Source: IAR, RMF24