Polish daredevil skies down K2 mountain in world first

Daredevil Andrzej Bargiel has become the first person to ski down the world's second-highest mountain, the Polish national said today.

Bargiel whizzed down from the summit of Pakistan's 8,611-metre (28,251-feet) K2 to the mountain's base camp after reaching the peak with around 30 others on Saturday.

"Andrzej Bargiel reached the base of the mountain. The first complete descent on ski from K2 is done!" he posted on his Facebook page.

The feat was the 30-year-old's second bid to enter the record books, after an attempt last year was scotched by bad weather.

Three years ago Bargiel became the first skier in the world to descend from the nearby 8,015-meter Broad Peak.

He has now skied from the summits of five of the 14 highest mountains in the world after earlier conquering Shishapangma and Manaslu peaks in the Himalayas, according to Polish media.

Known as "Savage Mountain" among climbers, K2 is often deemed a more challenging ascent than Mount Everest, the world's highest peak. Less than 350 people have made it to the top of K2 since it was first summited in 1954.

A further 80 have died trying, including a Canadian national who fell to his death earlier this month.