Pakistan climbers Sirbaz Khan and Shehroze Kashif continue to achieve more and more milestones as they both have summited mount Makalu, the fifth highest mountain in the world on Saturday morning.
The 8,485-metre Makalu is located in the Maha-langur Himalayas 19 km southeast of Mount Everest, on the border between Nepal and Tibet.
“Another historic achievement by Sirbaz Khan as he has raised the green flag on a record 11th 8000 meter [peak], by scaling Mount Makalu today at 800 am [local time], Karrar Haidri, Secretary Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) said in a message.
According to Haidri, Sirbaz summited the mountain in his usual style without using supple-mentary oxygen. This is his second feet of the month as on May 7, he stood atop the 8,586m Kanchenjunga, the world’s third-highest peak.
Hailing from the scenic Hunza valley of Gilgit-Baltistan, the 32-year-old Sirbaz began his moun-taineering career in 2016. In 2019, he became the first Pakistani to scale Mount Lhotse, the world’s fourth-highest mountain at 8,516m, from Nepal. He ascended the 8,125m Nanga Parbat in 2017, the 8,611m K2 in 2018, and in 2019, and 8,163m Broad Peak.
Earlier this year, he summited the 8,091m Mount Anapurna, the 8,035m Gasherbrum II, and the 8,848m Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak.
Sirbaz targets to become the first Pakistani to climb all 14 of the world’s highest peaks. In another message, Haidri said, “Today at 6:56am PST, She-hroze Kashif has also summited Makalu.”
The 20-year-old mountaineer from Lahore started climbing at the age of 11 by ascending 3885m Makra Peak. At 12, he scaled 4080m Musa Ka Massalah and 4600m Chembra Peak. He summitted Minglik Sar Shimshal (6050m) at 13, and K2 Gondogoro La K2 Base Camp (5585m) at 14 and Khurdopin Pass (5890m) at 15. He shot to stardom when he climbed Broad Peak (8047m) at 17, becoming the youngest to do so. The feat also earned him the name “The Broad Boy”. He also became the youngest climber to scale K2. On 5 May this year, Kashif became the youngest in the world and the first Pakistani to reach the summit of Kangchenjunga, the third highest peak in the world. Ten days later (on 16 May 2022), he ascended the world’s fourth-highest peak, Mount Lhotse (8,516m), in Nepal.
Now he is the youngest in the world to summit the top five and the only Pakistani to summit 3 x8000 in 23 days.—AFP
