General General Mountaineering Thread

[Ghazi52]

Naila Kiani becomes first Pakistani woman to summit 11 8,000m peaks​

Jamil Nagri
May 5, 2024

Naila Kiani becomes the first Pakistani to summit 11 8,000-metre peaks in the world. — Alpine Club of Pakistan Facebook

Mountaineer Naila Kiani on Sunday became the first Pakistani woman to summit 11 8,000m peaks in the world, according to the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP).

Kiani achieved this as she successfully climbed Nepal’s Makalu Peak, the world’s fifth-tallest mountain at 8,485 metres tall.

“Naila [Kiani] summits Makalu, becoming the first woman in Pakistan’s history to summit 11 x 8,000-metre peaks,” the ACP wrote in a post on Facebook today.

“She now holds the record as the fastest Pakistani — both male and female — to have summited 11 of the 8,000-metre peaks, accomplished in under three years,” said the statement, which quoted ACP Secretary Karrar Haidri.

“This remarkable feat also makes her the first Pakistani woman to have summited this incredibly difficult mountain,” Haidri further highlighted.

The ACP secretary noted that “after a challenging climb through the night, Naila has achieved another historic milestone by successfully summiting Makalu” at approximately 9:35am Nepal time (8:50am Pakistan time).

“Naila is grateful for all the prayers and wishes, and she gives special thanks to everyone,” the statement said. “She also thanks Sherpa Gelgen Dai from Imagine Nepal, who has supported Naila every step of the way, making this achievement possible,” Haidri added.

Kiani has a bunch of mountaineering feats to her name.

In April last year, she became the first Pakistani woman to climb Nepal’s Annapurna peak, the world’s 10th-highest peak standing 8,091m tall. The next month, she went on to summit Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain, becoming the second Pakistani woman to do so.

In July, Kiani and Samina Baig attained the feat of becoming the first Pakistani women to climb the world’s ninth-highest peak, the 8,125m-tall Nanga Parbat. The same month, she became the first Pakistani woman to summit Broad Peak, the world’s 12th-highest mountain at 8,051m.

Months later, Kiani and Sirbaz Khan became the first Pakistani duo to summit the 8,201m-tall Cho Oyu, the world’s sixth-highest peak in China’s Tibet.

“I am sharing my achievements to show that no matter who you are … you can accomplish your dreams”, Kiani said in a video posted on ACP’s Facebook account days ago.
She shared her accolades, including being an aerospace engineer, an amateur boxer and a mother to two toddlers.

Emphasising that education was the key to her getting to where she is now, she also called on the prime minister and chief ministers to focus on girls’ education in Pakistan.

 

[Ghazi52]

 

[Ghazi52]

Nepal sherpa scales Everest for record 30th time​

Mountain climbing is a key tourism activity, source of revenue and employment in Nepal

REUTERS
May 22, 2024

Kami Rita Sherpa, 53, a Nepali Mountaineer who climbed Mount Everest for a record 28 times, surrounded by his previous Guinness World Record certificates poses for a picture at his rented apartment in Kathmandu, Nepal May 28, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS

KATHMANDU: A Nepali sherpa guide topped the summit of Mount Everest for a record 30th time on Wednesday, an official said, his second ascent in 10 days.

Ordinary climbers are known to take several days to climb the summit of Everest, and it is very rare for mountaineers to make multiple ascents in a short time.

Kami Rita Sherpa, 54, reached the 8,849-metre (29,032 foot) peak by the traditional southeast ridge route, Nepali tourism official Khim Lal Gautam said.

Kami Rita had climbed the peak for the 29th time on May 12.

He “broke his own record ... this marks his 30th ascent to the top of the world,” Gautam, chief of the expedition monitoring and facilitation field office at the base camp, said in a post on social media website X.

Kami Rita first climbed Everest in 1994, and has done so almost every year since, except for three years when authorities closed the mountain for various reasons.

Another sherpa climber has climbed Everest 27 times, the most summits after Kami Rita.

Mountain climbing is a key tourism activity, source of revenue and employment in Nepal, home to eight of the world’s 14 highest peaks.

Details of Kami Rita’s climb early on Wednesday were awaited, officials said.

 

[Ghazi52]

Everest record-setting female climber receives warm welcome in Kathmandu​

AFP
May 27, 2024

Kathmandu: Mountaineer guide Phunjo Lama greets the crowd upon her arrival at the Tribhuvan International airport, on Sunday.—AFP

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s Phunjo Jhangmu Lama, who smashed the record for the fastest ascent of Everest by a woman, said on Sunday she is not chasing records but climbing for her country.

Lama on Thursday conquered the world’s highest mountain in just 14 hours and 31 minutes — a feat that usually takes other climbers days to rest and acclimatise. The mountain guide and skilled helicopter long-line rescuer — flying in dangling from a rope to extract injured climbers — chopped more than 11 hours off the previous best that had stood since 2021.

Generations of men from Nepal, especially from the famed Sherpa community, have climbed the Himalayas, while their wives and daughters have traditionally kept the home fires burning. But in a sign of changing times, a string of Nepali women are now climbing and breaking records. “I don’t know if my climb will inspire other women,” Lama said, a mother of a daughter.

“But what I want to say is, that if we pursue this profession, there are many opportunities for women trekkers and climbers”.

 

[Ghazi52]

 

[Ghazi52]

K2 Sky Adventour​

·

Congratulations to all on this incredible achievement!
More than 100 climbers scaled Mt #Everest this morning,
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Peak: Mount Everest (8,848.86m)
Date: 19th May 2024
Team: 8kTeam A
*Everest Summiteer Members:

1. Mr. Valentyn Sypavin 2X times
2. Ms. Purnima Shrestha 2X Times
3. Mrs. Jyoti Ratre
4. Mr. Leo Ru Ping Chong
5. Mr. Henrik Lars Oliver Grethe
6. Mr. Nikolai Radutnyi
7. Mr. Alexandre Ben Brahim
8. Ms. Chen Xue
9. Mr. Shamin Umesh Asaikar
10. Ms. Alevtyna Kovalchuk
11. Mr. Volodymyr Petrov
12. Mr. Udaya Kerung
13. Ms. Chhiring Sherpa
14. Mr. Bambahadur BK
15. Mr. Wong Su Chung Nima Adventures
16. Mr. Elmehdi Amezzane
17. Mr. Abdul Samad Jamder
* Everest Summiteers Sherpa:
1. Mr. Dawa Ongju Sherpa
2. Mr. ⁠lakpa Nurbu sherpa
3. Mr. Ming Temba Sherpa
4. Mr. Dawa Geljen Sherpa
5. Mr. Pasrenji Sherpa
6. Mr. Guru Jenjen
7. Mr. Pasang Sherpa
8. Mr. Pasdawa Sherpa
9. Mr. Lakpa Ongjuk Sherpa
10. Mr. Karma Gyaljen Sherpa
11. Mr. Guru Bhote
12. Me. Mingma Dorchee Sherpa
13. Mr. Pasang Sherpa
14. Mr. Sange Sherpa
15. Mr. Ming Dawa Sherpa
16. Mr. Lakpa Gelu Sherpa
17. Mr. Dawa Tenzi Sherpa
18. Mr. Ang Pasang Sherpa
19. Mr. Arjun Karki
20. Mr. ⁠Ming Nurbu Sherpa
21. Mr. Pasang Tenjing Sherpa
14 Peaks Expedition's
At 3:00 AM:
1. Bin Xu
2. Cheng Gao
3. Ngwang Tashi Sherpa
At 5:00 AM:
4. Chunqi Yan
5. Sher Jangbu Sherpa
At 6:00 AM:
4. Hongjun Liu
5. Hui Chen
6. Qingliang Zhang
7. Huijuan Ma
8. Guy Bolton
Additionally, the following Sherpas reached the summit:

• Karma Galje Sherpa
• Dawa Rinje Sherpa
• Furba Kusang Sherpa
• Mingma Tenji Sherpa
• Fur Tile Sherpa
• Nuru Jangbu Sherpa

 

[Ghazi52]

 

[Ghazi52]

KATHMANDU: An Indian climber who was evacuated from Mount Everest after he fell ill last week has died, taking the number of deaths this season on the world’s highest peak to five, officials said on Wednesday.

Banshilal, 47, was brought down without reaching the summit after falling sick and was evacuated from the base camp to a hospital in Kathmandu last week.

The Department of Tourism said Banshilal died during treatment on Monday. The exact nature of his illness was not clear but hiking officials said he had symptoms of acute mountain sickness when he was evacuated.

One Nepali climber, Binod Babu Bastakoti, 37, died last week in the so-called death zone, which has a very low oxygen level, while descending after scaling the peak.

Three other climbers - a British man and two Sherpas – have been missing since last week also in the death zone.

Mountain climbing is a key tourism activity in Nepal, home to eight of the world’s 14 highest peaks including Mount Everest and a source of income and employment.

Nepal issued permits for Everest, each costing $11,000, to 421 climbers this season, which ends on Friday.

 

[Ghazi52]

Kenyan climber's body to be left on Everest - family​

Wycliffe Muia ,
BBC News, Nairobi

Cheruiyot Kirui is the fourth person to die on Everest this climbing season

The body of a Kenyan climber who died on Mt Everest last week will remain on the mountain where he died, his family has said.

Joshua Cheruiyot Kirui died while on a daring mission to reach the summit of Mt Everest without supplementary oxygen.

The 40-year-old mountaineer fell into a crevasse just about 48 metres (160 ft) below the 8,849-metre peak, along with his Nepali guide.

Kirui's family said retrieving his body from such a high altitude would be too risky for the rescue team.

Climbing Everest, the world's highest peak, is considered extremely difficult and risky, even for experienced climbers.
Kirui was trying to become the first African to climb Mt Everest without extra oxygen, accompanied by Nepali climber Nawang Sherpa.

Mr Sherpa is still missing.

In a statement on Wednesday, Kirui's family said they had taken the "difficult" decision to let his remains rest on the mountain after wide consultations and "careful consideration of all the circumstances".

"Retrieving his body from that high up would be risky for the rescue team, the family does not wish to endanger any life," it said.

"Cheruiyot had a deep love for the mountains and they loved him in return. We find solace in knowing that he is resting in his happy place," it added.
The family, however, said there will be memorial services in the capital Nairobi and in his Chepterit village, in Rift Valley region.
There have also been concerns about the cost of retrieving his body to be buried back home.
It would have cost about $190,000 (£150,000) to retrieve the body and it takes about eight people to scale up the mountain to carry out the mission.

Most families who lose their loved ones on Everest prefer to leave them there.
It is estimated that the bodies of nearly 200 of the 330 climbers who have died on the world's highest mountain remain there.

The climb by Kirui, a banker, had been closely followed in Kenya, and fellow climbers had posted frequent updates about the attempt online.
Before his fatal climb, Kirui had told the BBC that he had undergone extensive physical preparations ahead of the challenge.

In his latest Instagram post, he had expressed confidence that he could conquer Everest without additional oxygen.
He however told the BBC that he had emergency oxygen support from Mr Sherpa and an emergency evacuation cover in case he ran into difficulties.

Most people climb Everest in April and May when weather conditions are most favourable.
Four climbers have reportedly died so far this season, which ends in a few days.

 

[Mainerik]

K2 Expedition and Karakoram Climbing- SummitClimb

K2 (8611m) is the second highest peak in the world and highest peak in Pakistan. K2 also known as CHOGORI which is Balti language means the king of mountains.K2 has variously be described as awesome

www.summitclimb.com

• K2 is the second highest mountain in the world, thought by many to be the ultimate climb.
• Organizer and Leader Dan Mazur put the first surviving Briton on the summit of K2 and the first Americans on the summit of K2.
• Leader David O'Brien has led 5 expeditions to the summit of Everest.
• The climb includes full logistics, oxygen and top class Nepalese Sherpas who have summited K2 before.
• Our most recent expedition successfully and safely summited K2. The expedition was led by Dan Mazur. Our 6 Nepali Sherpas and 3 members did an amazing job!

---

Please click here KarakoramNews.com for more information about our expedition.

 

[Ghazi52]

Climber Murad Sadpara succumbs to injuries at GB’s Broad Peak​

Jamil Nagri
August 12, 2024

Climber Murad Sadpara succumbed to his injuries on Monday morning, a day after the Pakistan Army launched an operation to rescue him from Gilgit-Baltistan’s Broad Peak.

Tough terrains and harsh weather conditions in the Karakoram Range — where Broad Peak, the world’s 12th highest mountain at 8,051 metres, and the K2 (8,611 metres) are located — often result in climbers losing their lives.

Last month, two Japanese climbers were feared dead after they went missing during their attempt to scale K2. Another climber had died after falling into a crevice while descending GB’s Golden Peak.

Sadpara was working as a guide for a Portuguese female climber during her summit of Broad Peak when he slipped at an altitude of around 5,000m on Sunday.

Mountaineer Naila Kiani then sought the army’s help to rescue him. She had told Dawn that the Portuguese climber had hired the services of Sadpara and a Nepali sherpa for her summit. The team was returning from the summit when Sadpara fell near Camp 1 during bad weather conditions.

Karrar Haidri, secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP), said in a statement today that Sadpara died while descending from Broad Peak.

Haidri said Sadpara was “severely injured during his descent when a loose rock struck him on the head at Camp One”. He added that “rescue efforts were hampered by the harsh conditions on the mountain, leading to a delay”.

“Despite efforts to save him, the difficult environment and logistical challenges made a quick rescue impossible,” the APC official said.

Recalling the details of Sadpara’s current expedition with the Portuguese climber, Haidri said their “ascent was cut short when the Portuguese climber fell ill, forcing them to turn back”.

According to the APC secretary, Sadpara’s body has been “moved to the Japanese camp, where it will remain until it can be transferred to the base camp”. “It is expected to arrive at the base camp by 2pm today, after which it will be transported to Skardu via an army helicopter,” he added.

“His death is a sobering reminder of the extreme risks involved in high-altitude climbing, where the line between life and death is often perilously thin,” Haidri said. He added that the 35-year-old climber “leaves behind three daughters, a son and a lasting legacy of courage and selflessness”.

Sadpara had been involved in the notable mission earlier this month to retrieve the body of Hassan Shigri, a porter who had died on K2 last year.

Meanwhile, mountaineer Naila Kiani told Dawn.com that Sadpara’s body was found at 6am today.

According to Kiani, Sadpara’s team had “turned around without summiting as conditions near the summit were not good”.

“Murad was hired only to go to Camp Three so he waited there. They were all descending to base camp and Murad got hit on his head by a rock,” she said.

Kiani, however, termed the weather “good” at the time of the incident. Noting that Sadpara had a rope tied to him and was wearing a helmet, she said the team suspected that the rock that hit him “must have been big and caused internal bleeding”.

In an earlier statement, the ACP had said six local rescuers and mountaineers were involved in the rescue mission that was being carried out by the Pakistan Army. Four climbers belonged to Skardu’s Sadpara village while two hailed from Shagar, the ACP added.

“This morning, the Pakistan Army helicopters dropped Ashraf Sadpara and Zakir at Broad Peak base camp,” the ACP said.

According to a post by PTV News on X, Sadpara got “severely injured after being hit by a rock on his head at Camp 1” and later succumbed to his injuries.

It highlighted that the climber had also been leading the K2 Clean-up Expedition this year and had so far submitted four peaks, including K2.

As soon as the report of Sadpara passing away emerged, condolences poured in from various leaders.

President Asif Ali Zardari, in a statement, expressed his grief and conveyed his sympathies to Sadpara’s family.

He hailed the climber’s efforts in the field of mountain climbing and prayed for the deceased.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also extended his condolences to the deceased’s family.

GB Chief Minister Gulbar Khan also extended his condolences, calling Sadpara a “brave adventurist”.

He said Sadpara’s services for mountain climbing would always be remembered.

In a post on Facebook, Kiani said she was “heartbroken”.

“The climber who rescued many others and brought down Hassan Shigri’s body from K2 bottleneck is lost too soon,” she wrote.

 

[Ghazi52]

One foreign climber ‘killed’, two stranded on Gasherbrum IV​

Jamil Nagri
August 19, 2024

GILGIT: Pakistan Army helicopters airlifted two stranded Russian climbers on Gasherbrum IV (7,925m) a day after an avalanche hit a group of five mountaineers who were trying to scale the sixth-highest mountain in Pakistan alpine style.

Out of the five, one was reportedly killed while two received injuries and awaited rescue in critical condition.

Shigar Deputy Commissioner Waliullah Falahi told Dawn that five Russian climbers Sergei Nilov, Mikhail Mironov, Alexy Bautin, Sergei Mironov and Evgenii Lablokov had started their mission to ascend the peak on August 4. On Saturday, a snow avalanche hit the climbers in the morning at a height of 6,400 metres.

As a result, Sergei Nilov went missing while Mikhail Mironov and Sergei Mironov were injured. Alexy Bautin and Evgeni Lablokov remained unhurt and were later rescued by the army and airlifted to Skardu.

Army rescues two mountaineers a day after avalanche hit Russian climbers on peak

Mr Bautin told Dawn they were hit by an avalanche, which started at 7,000m. He said Sergei Nilov lost his life whereas Mikhail Mironov and Sergei Mironov were injured, adding that he was in touch with his colleagues through satellite phone. According to Mr Bautin, his stranded comrades, though in a stable condition, needed immediate rescue.

Tour operator Ghulam Muhammad said helicopters couldn’t be operated on Sunday after the first sortie – which rescued the two climbers – due to poor weather conditions at the mountain. He said the climbers were stranded at an altitude of over 6,400m and helicopters could not land or hover in that area.

According to the operator, the helicopters will drop four local high-altitude climbers at 6,000 metres to rescue the stranded mountaineers. “The rescue team will attempt to bring down the injured Russian climbers from above 6,400m, and the army helicopters will airlift the climbers to Skardu, he added.

According to a press release issued by Karrar Haideri, secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, a dedicated team of five Russian climbers set out on a mission to Gasherbrum IV, driven by a solemn commitment to retrieve the body of their fellow climber, Dmitry Golovchenko, who went missing on the same mountain in 2023. He said their expedition, marked by determination and camaraderie, was meant to bring closure to a tragic loss.

The statement said Sergei Nilov was missing, with no information available about his status whereas two of the climbers sustained severe injuries in the incident. “Their condition is critical, and there is little hope that they will survive beyond the next day, casting a further shadow over the already grim situation,” the statement added.

The alpine club secretary said the army helicopters would launch another rescue effort to locate the three missing climbers, including Sergei Nilov.

“The situation on Gasherbrum IV remains dire, with the outlook for the remaining team members growing increasingly bleak. This tragedy underscores the harsh and unpredictable dangers of high-altitude mountaineering, where even the best-prepared expeditions can face life-threatening challenges,” the statement said.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2024

 

[Ghazi52]

Bodies of 3 climbers who went missing in 2015 recovered from AJK​

Newspaper's
September 9, 2024

ISLAMABAD: Imran Junaidi, younger brother of senior reporter Dawn Ikram Junaidi, was laid to rest at the H-11 graveyard on Sunday.

In 2015, Imran along with two other climbers — Usman Tariq and Khurram Rajput — went missing during their expedition to Sarwali Peak in Azad Kashmir. Search operations conducted in 2015 and 2016 remained unsuccessful.

In August this year, trekkers from Neelum Valley, including Altaf Ahmad Lone and Khawaja Rafiq, spotted the remains of the missing mountaineers.

On the request of the relatives of one of the missing mountaineers, the chief secretary Azad Kashmir directed the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) to provide all possible help and support to bring down the bodies.

A team was constituted that included trekkers Altaf Lone, Khawaja Rafiq and members of the Alpine Club.

On September 3, the team left for Neelum Valley and reached the bodies on Sept 7 and brought them down from the height of 16,000 feet. The bodies were brought to Islamabad on Sunday morning.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2024

 

[Mainerik]

Death of Japanese climbers K2 Pakistan

 

[Ghazi52]

In Pakistan

 

[Mainerik]

Death of Japanese climbers K2 Pakistan

@Lulldapull @ThunderCat @MuHayMin Pakistan is blessed with mountains. @Bilal9

 

[ThunderCat]

@Lulldapull @ThunderCat @MuHayMin Pakistan is blessed with mountains. @Bilal9

yeah i guess.

 

[Ghazi52]

K2 permit and trekking fee hiked for international climbers​

Gilgit-Baltistan govt sets K2 permit fees for foreign climbers at $5000 in summer, $2500 in autumn and $1500 in winter

News
September 15, 2024

Broad Peak is the 12th highest of the world's 8,000-metre-plus mountains. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

The Government of Gilgit-Baltistan has issued a notification detailing new fees for mountaineering and trekking permits, including a significant hike in the cost of permits for climbing K2.

According to the notification from the Gilgit-Baltistan Tourism, Sports, Culture, Archaeology, and Museum Department, the permit fee for foreign climbers to scale K2 has been set at $5,000 for the summer season (April-September), $2,500 for autumn (October-November), and $1,500 for the winter season (December-March).

For Pakistani climbers, the new K2 permit fees are Rs100,000 for the summer season, Rs50,000 for autumn, and Rs 30,000 for winter.

Additionally, the trekking fees for foreigners have increased, now set at $300 for the summer season, $200 for autumn, and $100 for winter.

The notification also specifies several important regulations: climbers can only scale one peak per permit, groups are limited to a maximum of 20 members, and high-altitude porters must now be insured for up to Rs2 million.

Low-altitude porters will be insured for up to Rs1 million. Environmental fees are to be deposited into the GB Adventure Tourism Account, and all expedition briefings and debriefings will be conducted at the tourism offices in Gilgit-Baltistan.

During 2023 and 2024, K2 climbing permits were granted collectively to groups of seven climbers at $12,000.

Each additional climber cost an extra $3,000. For 2025, Gilgit-Baltistan authorities have got rid of the collective fee and established an individual royalty of $5,000 per climber.

A group of seven climbers that paid $12,000 this year will therefore pay $35,000 in 2025. That’s nearly a 200% increase.

The revised fees and regulations are aimed at streamlining mountaineering operations in the region and are set to take effect immediately.