A 20-year-old climber from Pakistan has become the youngest person to climb 5 peaks above 8,000m by scaling Mount Makalu (8,485m), the fifth highest peak of the world.
Shehroze Kashif reached the summit with five other climbers on Saturday morning, his expedition organizer said. “Our last team on Makalu made a successful ascent this morning,” his outfitter Seven Summit Treks congratulated the team.
Kashif secured the world record for the youngest person to summit Mount K2 last year (at 18 years old). He climbed Everest the same year. He had previously climbed Broad Peak (8,051m), 12th highest mountain in the world, at the age of 17, a feat which earned him the nickname ‘The Broad Boy’.
This season, Kashif summited Mount Kanchenjunga (8,586m), third highest peak, Mount Lhotse (8,516m), fourth highest peak and Mount Makalu (8,485m), fifth highest peak.
His team also had British climber Adriana Brownlee, who is on a mission to become the youngest person to summit all the world’s 14 peaks above 8,000m. Adriana also summited Mount Makalu (8,485m) on Saturday, her seventh 8,000er.
The 21-year-old mountaineer is hoping to become the youngest person to reach all 14 summits above 8000m. Currently, the record is held by Nepali Mingma Gyabu Sherpa, who summited 14 8000ers at the age of 30 years.
Adriana summited four peaks this season. She started off with the summit of Mount Annapurna (8,091m), 10th highest mountain in the world, on April 28. Annapurna is considered a hazardous and technically challenging peak with about 30 % mortality rate.
On May 14, she successfully summited Mount Kanchenjunga (8,586m), third highest mountain of the world. She successfully made it to the top of Lhotse (8,516m) on May 22. Adriana’s attempt to summit Lhotse was called off due to the potential risk of avalanches after the impact of Cyclone YASS last year. She summited Everest, Dhaulagiri (8,167m) and Manaslu (8,163m).
Nepali climbing guide Gelje Sherpa of Seven Summit Treks has been accompanying her on all three peaks. Gelje was one the key persons in Nirmal Purja aka Nimsdai’s 14 peaks project. Last year, Gelje was part of the team to make the first winter ascent of K2.
Other climbers in the team include Polish climber Dorota Lidia Samocko and climbing guides Namja Bhote and Lhakpa Sherpa.
