KARACHI. Mountaineer Sirbaz Khan has achieved another feat on Friday after he became the first Pakistani to conquer nine of the world’s 14 highest peaks, Anadolu Agency reported.
The Hunza-based climber summited Mount Dhaulagiri, the world’s 7th tallest mountain located in Nepal, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said in a statement.
The massif, which forms part of the Himalayas mountain range, is widely regarded as one of the most difficult mountains to summit, owing to its steep sides and extremely cold climate. Khan was part of the 19-member ‘SST-Dhaulagiri I Expd. 2021 Autumn’ expedition.
The expedition was part of Khan’s ambition to climb all 14 peaks over 8,000 metres across the world. Reportedly, the mountaineer had previously climbed eight peaks above 8,000 metres, including Mount Everest and K-2, the world’s tallest and second tallest mountains, respectively, the statement added.
Lots of congratulations to @Sirbazkhan to climb Daulaghiri .
After summitting Daulaghiri he is first Pakistani to summit nine 8000 mountains.#Daulaghiri#mountains#highaltitude#Sirbazkhan pic.twitter.com/YvZMfxX57W— Sajid Ali Sadpara (@sajid_sadpara) October 1, 2021
Climber Sajid Ali Sadpara, son of late mountaineer Ali Sadpara lauded Khan on his achievement.
The 32-year-old climber, who hails from the picturesque Hunza valley of Gilgit-Baltistan, began his professional climbing career in 2016.
In 2019, he became the first Pakistani to summit Mount Lhotse in Nepal, which stands at 8,516 meters (27,939-foot) and is the world’s fourth-highest mountain.
He continued his mission to conquer Nanga Parbat, Broad Peak, Manaslu, Anapurna, and Gasherbrum II in his 8,000-metre peaks’ expedition.
Khan had accompanied Pakistan’s iconic mountaineer, Muhammad Ali Sadpara, on four of his 8,000-metre peaks expeditions. Sadpara died in February this year while attempting to ascend K-2 without supplementary oxygen. Khan was aiming to become the first Pakistani to climb all 14 peaks over 8,000-metre.