Sirbaz becomes first Pakistani to summit 10 above 8,000m peaks

Islamabad: Sirbaz Khan has become the first Pakistani climber to summit 10 of the world’s highest 14 peaks above 8,000 metre after scaling Kanchenjunga 8,586m on Saturday.

“Sirbaz stood atop the world’s third-highest peak at 7:00 am on Saturday with other members of a team led by Mingma Gyalje Sherpa (Mingma G) of Imagine Nepal,” Karrar Haidri, secretary Alpine Club of Pakistan said in a statement.

Sirbaz, 32, hails from the Aliabad area of Hunza in Gilgit-Baltistan and began his climbing career in 2016.

In 2019, he became the first Pakistani to summit Mount Lhotse, the world’s fourth-highest mountain at 8,516m in Nepal, without the use of supplementary oxygen. Prior to that, he summited the 8,125-metre-high Nanga Parbat in 2017, 8,611-metre-high K-2 in 2018, and 8,163-metre Broad Peak in 2019.

Earlier this year, he climbed the 8,091-metre high Anapurna Mountain, 8,848-metre high Everest, and 8,035-metre high Gasherbrum II.

On four of these expeditions, he had been accompanied by the late Muhammad Ali Sadpara.

Sirbaz is aiming to become the first Pakistani to climb all 14 of the world’s highest peaks.

He plans to climb Makalu 8,485-metre this month and Gasherbrum I (G1) 8,080-metre this summer. However, Cho Oyu 8,188-metre and Shishapangma 8,027-metre are not decided yet.