Pakistan’s Sirbaz Khan eyes summiting world’s 14 tallest peaks without oxygen support

KHAPLU, Gilgit-Baltistan: Pakistani climber Sirbaz Khan, who made history by becoming the first person from his country to summit 14 of the world’s tallest mountains, is setting his sights on another record already: becoming the first Pakistani to summit them without supplemental oxygen.
Khan made history earlier this month when he became the first Pakistani to summit all 14 of the world’s highest peaks, with his successful ascent of the 8,027-meter Mount Shishapangma.
The 14 peaks, often referred to as the “eight-thousanders,” are over 8,000 meters high and are considered the ultimate test in high-altitude mountaineering. Khan, who was born and raised in Hunza, embarked on this journey in 2017 with the ascent of Nanga Parbat, one of the deadliest mountains in the world.
Another remarkable achievement to Khan’s name is that he has climbed 12 of these eight-thousanders without supplemental oxygen. While that’s impressive, he wants to do better.
“Out of 14 peaks, I have scaled 12 peaks without using supplemental oxygen,” Khan told Arab News in an exclusive interview over the phone.
“So my next immediate plan is to summit the remaining two peaks without oxygen. And god willing, I will also be the first Pakistani to summit all 14 peaks without using oxygen.”
To achieve that, Khan said he will have to climb mountains Annapurna and Kanchenjunga, both in Nepal, without supplemental oxygen.
The mountaineer’s impressive conquests include the treacherous K2, which he has summited thrice, mountain Annapurna and the towering Mount Everest, which he has climbed twice without supplemental oxygen.
According to Khan, scaling such huge mountains is no easy feat.
“In mountaineering, we should be physically and mentally fit,” he explained. “Sometimes you have to make important decisions at very high altitudes, even in the death zone.”
The Pakistani climber found Nanga Parbat, standing at 8,126 meters and nicknamed the “Killer Mountain,” the most formidable challenge out of all the 14 peaks he climbed.
“Out of fourteen peaks, Nanga Parbat was more challenging for me because of its steepness and sudden change of weather, which were very difficult,” Khan said, adding that it was the first eight-thousander he summited.
The Pakistani climber said mountaineers face various challenges during their ascent, such as wind speeds, sudden snowfall, avalanches and crevasses. He urged people who wanted to pursue professional climbing to seek beginner and advanced training before “storming into this field.”
 Khan said another challenge is when mountaineers are unable to contact their friends and family members for several days during arduous expeditions. His family and friends requested him to give up mountaineering when he initially started.
“However, after summiting a few peaks, their trust was built in me and they always supported me to fulfill my dream, thank god,” he said.
Khan said he was driven to scale all 14 eight-thousanders in Pakistan as no one had done it before from his country, while plenty of Nepalese climbers had achieved the feat. 
He said it was an additional challenge for Pakistani climbers as they did not have access to mountaineering schools in the country. And while there is no dearth of talent in the country, Khan said Pakistan lacked a certified guide. 
“Now we want to make institutions and introduce new programs so that we could also become internationally certified guides,” he said, adding that international guides can work in different countries in all seasons. 
“Because in Pakistan we have only summer season for this field,” he explained. 
Khan hoped his achievement of summiting all 14 of the world’s top peaks would motivate others to pursue mountaineering. 
“This will pave the way for the new generation and attract more people in this field,” he said.