Pakistani climber Shehroze Kashif, who wants to become the youngest person to summit all 14 peaks above 8000 meters, ticked off his eighth 8,000er, Mount Nanga Parbat (8,126m) on Tuesday, expedition organizer said.
Summit Karakorum said Shehroze reached the top of the world’s ninth highest peak at 8:45 am local time. He also became the world’s youngest mountaineer to summit Nanga Parbat at 20 years old.
In May, Shehroze set a world record by becoming the youngest climber to summit three 8,000ers in 23 days. He summited Kanchenjunga (8,586m), Lhotse (8,516m) and Makalu (8,485m), world’s third, fourth and fifth highest mountains.
In 2021, the 19-year-old Shehroze summited Everest (8,848.86m) and K2 (8,611m), world’s first and second highest peaks. He is the youngest Pakistani to summit Everest, and the world’s youngest to summit K2.
Shehroze summited Broad Peak (8,051m), twelfth highest peak, at the age of 17. Since then he is famously known as The Broad Boy. After recognising Shehroze’s climbing passion and skill, his father Kashif Salman supported his expedition.
“It is very hard to fundraise for mountaineering in Pakistan. Here cricket has overshadowed every sport. Everyone wants to support cricket,” said Salman over phone, adding, “My son has a passion for it and wants to continue (pursuing his dream). A few small companies have supported him but it comes to be a fraction of the cost. At the end of the day, I have to play a big part.”
Shehroze tried raising funds for his expeditions through gofundme, but in vain. The Pakistan government, which takes pride in his world record, also let him down. “I was promised Rs.10 lacs by the government. And I got Rs. 450k only. Pakistanis fall behind due to such lack of support and interest despite proven talent and track record,” he wrote in an instagram post.
Now, Shehroze will attempt Gasherbrum I (8,080m) and Gasherbrum II (8,035m), world’s 11th and 13th highest peaks.
Currently, the record for youngest person to do all 14 peaks is held by Nepali Mingma Gyabu Sherpa, who completed summiting all 14 of the 8000ers at the age of 30.
British climber Adriana Brownlee, who is two years older than Shehroze, is another contender for the title. She also ticked off her eighth 8,000er on July 2.
Pakistan is home to five mountains above 8000 meters—K2, Nanga Parbat, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum I and II. If Kashif succeeds summiting the remaining three Pakistani mountains this summer, it will leave him with only 5 more mountains in Nepal and China.
It was famed climber Ali Sadpara who inspired Pakistani youths to pursue their dreams of climbing mountains. Unfortunately, Ali met a tragic death in Mount K2 in winter 2019 following Nepali climbers’ historic winter ascent the same year.
His son Sajid, who is following his father’s footsteps, is currently in the Karakorum to attempt K2 and Broad Peak.
Sirbaz Khan is the first Pakistani to have climbed 11 of the 14 peaks above 8,000m. Gasherbrum I is the only peak in Pakistan left for him to summit, which he is set to attempt this month. Then only Cho Oyu and Shishapangma, both climbed from China, will be left off in his portfolio of 14 peaks.
