ISLAMABAD: Pakistani mountaineer Sirbaz Khan has become the first person from Pakistan to climb all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks without using extra oxygen. He completed this achievement on Sunday by reaching the summit of Kangchenjunga.
According to the reports, Sirbaz Khan from Hunza valley, reached the 8,586-meter peak at 11:50 am local time, finishing a goal he worked on for years. He had already climbed all 14 peaks, known as the “eight-thousanders,” but used bottled oxygen on two earlier climbs near the top.
To complete his goal without oxygen, he climbed Annapurna in April and Kangchenjunga in May this year, both without extra oxygen.
“When I finished climbing all 14 peaks, I felt something was missing,” Khan said earlier at Annapurna. “After climbing Nanga Parbat in 2017, my goal was clear: climb all 14 peaks without oxygen. That’s why I came back.”
Khan is one of about 70 climbers worldwide who have summited all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters. Fewer than 25 have done this without extra oxygen, which requires great strength in the low-oxygen “death zone” above 8,000 meters.
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He first completed all 14 peaks less than a year ago, an achievement that already made him one of Pakistan’s top high-altitude climbers. But he wanted to re-climb the two peaks where he had used oxygen.
Khan’s journey began in 2017 with Nanga Parbat, a dangerous 8,126-meter peak. This started his mission to climb the world’s highest mountains. He went on to climb challenging peaks like K2 in July 2018 and Lhotse in May 2019, becoming the first Pakistani to summit the 8,516-meter Lhotse.
In July 2019, Khan climbed Broad Peak, reaching its 8,051-meter summit without extra oxygen, a style he often followed. In September 2019, he summited Manaslu in Nepal, an 8,163-meter peak, becoming the second Pakistani to do so.
In April 2021, Khan became the first Pakistani to summit Annapurna, one of the world’s most dangerous mountains. The next month, he climbed Mount Everest, the highest peak at 8,849 meters.
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In July 2021, Khan led a team of Pakistani climbers to the summit of Gasherbrum II, an 8,035-meter peak, showing his leadership in mountaineering. In October 2021, he became the first Pakistani to summit Dhaulagiri, an 8,167-meter peak.
In 2022, Khan summited Kangchenjunga in May and Makalu later that month, becoming the first Pakistani to climb both peaks. In August 2022, he led a team to summit Gasherbrum I, his 12th 8,000-meter peak.
In October 2023, Khan became the first Pakistani to summit Cho Oyu, an 8,188-meter peak. On October 4, 2024, he summited Shishapangma, becoming the first Pakistani to climb all 14 of the world’s highest peaks.
