I feel only absolute happiness and absolute fatigue

Davo Karnicar

Karnicar's adventure was captured on video by cameras set up along the way and on his helmet and was broadcast on the internet.

The father of three has already skied down Mont Blanc and Annapurna in the Himalayas, but lost two fingers to frostbite when skiing down Everest in a failed attempt in 1996.

"I feel only absolute happiness and absolute fatigue," said Karnicar, a ski instructor, upon returning to his base camp at 5,340m (17,519ft).

"At some sections I had to ski very fast to escape from the breaking ice," he added.

Surprises

Although he encountered no major problems, Karnicar said he came across a frozen body of a dead climber during his descent. The identity of the dead climber is not known.

"This mountain is always full of surprises, seeing a dead man out there was a really shocking experience for me," he said.

Maja Ros, a journalist with the expedition, told the BBC that Karnicar was "very tired, but still walking around with a smile on his face".

"I think we will drink a bit of the Slovenian wine we have with us, and have a nice dinner," she added.