Mountaineering

In 2018, a video went viral on social media showing a woman in a wedding jorra in front of the mighty K2, deep in the mountains of Gilgit Baltistan, surrounded by porters singing wedding songs. This woman was Naila Kiani. And it was his first big trek.

Fast forward three years, and Naila is now the first Pakistani woman to reach a peak of 8,000m in Pakistan – Gasherbrum II (8,035m). She peaked with Sirbaz Khan, for whom it was her eighth 8,000m peak, and Ali Raza Sadpara, a local legend who has now officially climbed 8,000m peaks 16 times, more than n any Pakistani living or deceased.

“A year after that [K2 base camp trek], I started to think seriously about climbing, ”she told me over the phone. Naila is looking forward to a return flight to Dubai, where she is currently based.

Naila is an avid sportswoman – she is a trained boxer, a climber and she runs for fun. But her transition to a great mountaineer was done fairly quickly and against all odds.

“I did research for two years,” she says of her obsession with the mountains and mountaineering. “I was training but… then I got pregnant. It was okay, it was the year of Covid-19. Not much has happened. I rested for two months after giving birth, then I trained for four months. And then it was time to go. Just like that.

Naila Kiani became the first Pakistani woman to climb an 8,000m mountain in Pakistan. Incredibly, this was the first great mountain she climbed. She shares her experience with Eos

Right after having a baby, I ask incredulously. “Yes,” Naila laughs. “My daughter was six months old when I left for base camp and 7.5 months old when I reached the top of Gasherbrum II.”

But the shocks don’t stop there. Most climbers spend their time conquering smaller peaks before attempting larger ones, but, according to Naila, “this is the first mountain I have ever climbed.”

What made her so confident that she could climb an 8,000m on her first mountaineering attempt? “I did the Gondogoro La Pass [en route the return from the K2 base camp trek] which was at an altitude of 5850 m. I can feel how my body is doing and my body has worked well at close to 6000m.

So, naturally, she first decided to aim for a summit of 7,000m. But the time it took to reach a peak of 7,000m was the same as a peak of 8,000m, or four to six weeks. In addition, it was only 1000 m more. But that’s a thousand yards from the death zone (when the air has so much less oxygen, your cells literally start to die), I remind him. “This is the biggest challenge I can take on! ” she laughs.

Although she was training for an 8,000m summit, Naila didn’t really believe she would make it to the top. “I was just thinking about pushing myself as far as I could go,” she says. “Mentally, I knew I wouldn’t give up quickly because in boxing, I wouldn’t give up. I lost badly in one of the fights, but I didn’t give up and kept going until the last lap. I knew it myself. I would give everything to the end. So I knew I was mentally strong at boxing. I was conditioning myself physically.

Normally, when trying to pick an “easy” (still incredibly difficult) 8,000m peak in Pakistan, climbers go for Broak Peak (8,047m). Why did she choose Gasherbrum II (G2)?

“[Because] Sirbaz [Khan] was doing G2, ”she says. “I’m not a professional mountaineer and I didn’t know what the other teams would look like. So, I decided to go with someone I knew. Sirbaz had a great team with him.

Having the right team helped; Sirbaz would have more than its share of work to do on Gasherbrum II. “The ropes had not been attached to G2,” says Naila. “Normally, Nepalese sherpas [along with local guides] attach the ropes to the mountains for expeditions. But we didn’t have one on G2. So Sirbaz Khan and Ali Raza Sadpara were also fixing the ropes. ”

Smiling photos from the summit hide the insurmountable effort it takes just to reach the top and return safely. You are pushed to your limits – physically and emotionally – and onto hostile ground, where you are constantly at risk of dying. “The longest day was summit day,” says Naila. “[We climbed for] 17 hours.

At very high altitudes, due to thin air and lack of oxygen, it is difficult to eat and it is even more difficult to sleep. When the time came for their push to the top, Naila and the team hadn’t slept or ate properly for three days.

“We only had three hours to sleep, but we couldn’t,” she says. “We left at 2 am and it took us 17 hours to get from Camp 3 to the top and back. The next day, getting off Camp 3 was also very exhausting. We were almost dead when we got to base camp.

As a novice mountaineer, Naila observed firsthand how the altitude affected other mountaineers. “After about 8000m the death zone begins,” she said, “There was not much distance. [35m] left. But I saw the other climbers. Some were crawling. Others abandoned 100m before the summit. I couldn’t understand it, they were so close.

Their summit also carried an additional risk: there were no fixed ropes after about 7,536 m. “It was my first summit, so I had no idea it wasn’t normal,” says Naila. “We had to use safety ropes attached to each other and we had to move really fast. It was very risky. If one fell, the others would fall too… it wasn’t easy.

“A lot of other climbers were shocked. It never happened in Nepal [where the ropes are fixed all the way to the summit]. Our team repaired most of the ropes. And the foreigners didn’t help much. Sirbaz said he thinks it is more difficult than Everest. Because [in addition to climbing] he had to fix the ropes for everyone.

At the top, Naila was faced with incredible views that only a select few can see – above the clouds, in one of the 14 highest points on Earth, being able to see both China and India. “I was very dizzy,” says Naila. “How did it happen? I’m the least experienced person here. I couldn’t believe I could have made it to the top. It was like a dream.”

This level was not pure, however. “I was so exhausted. I didn’t really appreciate it. In addition, it was too windy. The team was very uncomfortable. We wanted to go down very quickly.

As she climbed to the top of the G2, there were at least five other women from Pakistan attempting other 8,000m peaks at the same time. They did not succeed. When Naila finally arrived at base camp, she discovered that she had set a record: she had become the first Pakistani woman to climb an 8,000m mountain in Pakistan.

“I never even thought about making a record or anything,” she says. “I don’t really care about that. I just wanted to test my body.

And what does she plan for the future? “When I left for this expedition, I thought about trying to climb an 8000m then dekha jaey ga [we’ll see], says Naïla. “I certainly didn’t think I would go to another peak, but now I am! “

Here is wishing him good luck in conquering more heights and beyond.

The writer is a staff member She tweets @madeehasyed

Posted in Dawn, EOS, August 22, 2021

The forest of the town of Yoroz, which has become more attractive thanks to the efforts of the Metropolitan Municipality of Ordu, is opening up to mountaineering and climbing sports. With the works prepared by the Metropolitan Municipality, it aims to train new athletes by creating a climbing track in the forest of the city of Yoroz.

Located in Saraycık district of Altınordu district of Ordu and the mayor of Ordu Metropolitan Municipality, Dr. Declared as an urban forest in June 2006 during the period of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of Mehmet Hilmi Güler, the 900-meter-high Yoroz took on a whole different identity with the work carried out by the metropolitan municipality of Ordu.

YOROZ’S ATTRACTION IS INCREASING

The work initiated by President Güler in the forest of the city of Yoroz to make the existing tourist areas in Ordu more attractive and to increase the tourist recreation areas has been completed. In this context, the teams of the metropolitan municipality of Ordu completed the renovation of the steps, of the cycle path which provides access to an area close to the summit and closed to automobile traffic except in emergencies, of the horse safari trails. and seated benches and picnic table on the walking track.

EVERYONE IS LIKE

Construction of the observation deck at the highest point and camellia work to be built along the hiking route continues. The forest of the city of Yoroz, which has acquired a new identity with the work carried out, is appreciated by its visitors.

OPEN TO CLIMBING AND CLIMBING

At the initiative of the Metropolitan Municipality, the Municipal Forest of Yoroz, which increased its attractiveness after the works, is opening up to mountaineering sports. Yoroz, which attracts the attention of all those interested in mountaineering with its natural climbing areas, will serve the sports of mountaineering and climbing with the climbing tracks to be created.

ORGANIZED CLIMBING EVENT

A climbing event was organized in cooperation with the Metropolitan Municipality of Ordu and the Ordu Mountaineering Specialization Sports Club with the aim of determining on site the planned works in the urban forest of Yoroz. Ordu Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Advisor Asım Suyabatmaz, Ordu Mountaineering Specialist Sports Club President Yılmaz Seferoğlu, and club members participated in the ascent.

ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT SUYABATMAZ: “WE BRING YOROZ TO CLIMBING AND CLIMBING”

Evaluating the works carried out by Yoroz Metropolitan Municipality, Mayor Advisor Asım Suyabatmaz said that the attractiveness of Yoroz is increasing day by day.

Stating that they have started preparations to open Yoroz to mountaineering and climbing sports, Suyabatmaz said: “As the Metropolitan Municipality of Ordu, we continue to increase the attractiveness of the Yoroz Town Forest. . The road being opened thanks to the work which we carried out in collaboration with our General Direction of Forests in Yoroz, we facilitated the interventions of first aid in the event of emergency and the intervention of the firefighters against fires. At the same time, we have opened up this road to the cycling safari activities. In addition, we have made Yoroz an adventure space, a place where you can spend pleasant moments with your family, with the improvement of hiking trails, stairs and benches to sit on.

Now we bring Yoroz to mountaineering and rock climbing. In this sense, we will increase the attractiveness of our army by bringing the necessary teams to examine and the tracks to be determined by the professional teams under the name of Yoroz Climbing Track. We will make the designated areas available to all sports enthusiasts and adventurers as soon as possible. With this track, we will create a new area of ​​attraction and destination for climbing athletes and adventure seekers outside of Ordu.

PRAISE TO THE YOROZ TRACK FROM THE MOUNTAINS

Yılmaz Seferoğlu, President of Ordu Mountaineering Specialty Sports Club, who participated in the event and climbed with club members, pointed out that Yoroz is very suitable for climbing training.

Stating that the athletes who will go to the Federation will receive their preliminary training in Yoroz, Seferoğlu said, “We use Yoroz to train our athletes in basic rock climbing training and downhill rope techniques. We plan to create new climbing routes in Yoroz with the support of our metropolitan municipality. We send a lot of athletes to federation training. Yoroz is very important for us to give the preliminary training of these athletes. We will continue our trainings here making this place very special with the cooperation of our metropolitan municipality. “

Expressing their satisfaction with the trails, athletes who climb Yoroz added that they are happy that the area is open to mountaineering and rock climbing.

The forest of the town of Yoroz, which has become more attractive thanks to the efforts of the Metropolitan Municipality of Ordu, is opening up to mountaineering and climbing sports. With the works prepared by the metropolitan municipality, it is about training new athletes by creating a climbing track in the forest of the city of Yoroz.

Located in Saraycık district of Altınordu district of Ordu and the mayor of Ordu Metropolitan Municipality, Dr. Declared as an urban forest in June 2006 during the period of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of Mehmet Hilmi Güler, the 900-meter-high Yoroz has taken on a whole different identity with the work carried out by the metropolitan municipality of Ordu.

YOROZ’S ATTRACTION IS INCREASING

The work initiated by President Güler in the forest of the city of Yoroz to make the existing tourist areas in Ordu more attractive and to increase the tourist recreation areas has been completed. In this context, the teams of the metropolitan municipality of Ordu completed the renovation of the steps, of the cycle path which provides access to an area close to the summit and closed to automobile traffic except in emergencies, of the horse safari trails. and seated benches and picnic table on the walking track.

EVERYONE IS LIKE

Construction of the observation deck at the highest point and camellia work to be built along the hiking route continues. The forest of the city of Yoroz, which has acquired a new identity with the work carried out, is appreciated by its visitors.

OPEN TO CLIMBING AND CLIMBING

At the initiative of the Metropolitan Municipality, the Municipal Forest of Yoroz, which increased its attractiveness after the works, is opening up to mountaineering sports. Yoroz, which attracts the attention of all those interested in mountaineering with its natural climbing areas, will serve the sports of mountaineering and climbing with the climbing tracks to be created.

ORGANIZED CLIMBING EVENT

A climbing event was organized in cooperation with the Metropolitan Municipality of Ordu and the Ordu Mountaineering Specialization Sports Club with the aim of determining on site the planned works in the urban forest of Yoroz. Asım Suyabatmaz, adviser to the mayor of Ordu Metropolitan Municipality, the president of Ordu Mountaineering Specialized Sports Club, Yılmaz Seferoğlu, and club members participated in the ascent.

ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT SUYABATMAZ: “WE BRING YOROZ TO CLIMBING AND CLIMBING”

Evaluating the works carried out by Yoroz Metropolitan Municipality, Mayor Councilor Asım Suyabatmaz said that the attraction of Yoroz is increasing day by day.

Stating that they have started preparations to open Yoroz to mountaineering and climbing sports, Suyabatmaz said: “As the Metropolitan Municipality of Ordu, we continue to increase the attractiveness of the Yoroz Town Forest. . The road being opened thanks to the work that we carried out in collaboration with our General Directorate of Forests in Yoroz, we facilitated first aid interventions in case of emergency and the intervention of firefighters against fires. At the same time, we have opened up this road to the cycling safari activities. In addition, we have made Yoroz an adventure space, a place where you can spend pleasant moments with your family, with the improvement of hiking trails, stairs and benches to sit on.

Now we bring Yoroz to mountaineering and rock climbing. In this sense, we will increase the attractiveness of our army by bringing the necessary teams to examine and the tracks to be determined by the professional teams under the name of Yoroz Climbing Track. We will make the designated areas available to all sports enthusiasts and adventurers as soon as possible. With this track, we will create a new area of ​​attraction and destination for climbing athletes and adventure seekers outside of Ordu.

PRAISE TO THE YOROZ TRACK FROM THE MOUNTAINS

Yılmaz Seferoğlu, President of Ordu Mountaineering Specialty Sports Club, who participated in the event and climbed with club members, pointed out that Yoroz is very suitable for climbing training.

Stating that the athletes who will go to the Federation will receive their preliminary training in Yoroz, Seferoğlu said, “We use Yoroz to train our athletes in basic rock climbing training and downhill rope techniques. We plan to create new climbing routes in Yoroz with the support of our metropolitan municipality. We send a lot of athletes to federation training. Yoroz is very important for us to give the preliminary training of these athletes. We will continue our trainings here making this place very special with the cooperation of our metropolitan municipality. “

Expressing their satisfaction with the trails, the athletes who climb Yoroz added that they are happy that the area is open to mountaineering and rock climbing.

Every time I walk into the American Mountaineering Museum in Golden – and have visited it on several occasions since it opened in 2008 – my eyes are immediately drawn to the remarkable model of Mount Everest towering above the ground floor. .

It is my favorite attraction there, representing to me a symbol of the human spirit. Measuring 12 feet long and 11 feet wide, this is essentially a 3D topographic map with pieces of white polyurethane cut to precise specifications, each one quarter inch pitch representing a line of topographic elevation in five meter increments.

It has special meaning for me because it triggers memories of my own experiences on the world’s highest mountain in 1985. But I would like to think that it can inspire all who see it because of the exploits of the adventurers who have marked the story there before guiding operations ended in the 1990s.

The museum beautifully tells the story of the mountaineering adventure, from the Rockies to the Himalayas. An exhibit from the first American Everest Expedition in 1963 contains a mannequin wearing climbing gear worn by Jim Whittaker when he became the first American to reach the summit, complete with his bag, boots and crampons. He also has an oxygen mask worn by Tom Hornbein of Estes Park, a hero of mine who pioneered a new route on the West Ridge of Everest with Willi Unsoeld – on that same 1963 expedition – after Whittaker climbed via the Edmund Hillary Road on the Southeast Ridge.

There’s a lot more to love: artifacts that include an oxygen canister from a 1922 Everest expedition and an ice ax that was used to stop a fall of five climbers on the K2 in 1953; a 10th Mountain Division exhibit dedicated to “ski troops” who trained for mountain combat during WWII in Colorado; exhibitions on the evolution of climbing equipment, big wall climbing and ice climbing; a false “crevasse” that visitors can walk through and a “porta-ledge” attached to a simulated rock wall to show how climbers sleep when climbing large walls.

There are beautiful works of art, including 18 Colorado climbing scenes drawn by Jon MacManus for a Colorado Mountain Club history book, and a print from an 1874 painting of the Mount of the Holy Cross, a fourteen from Colorado who rose to fame across the United States in the 19th century.

There are some wonderful mountaineering quotes, including my favorite from George Leigh Mallory when asked a century ago why he wanted to climb Everest:

“If you cannot understand that there is something in man that responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself, upward and forever up, then you won’t see why we’re going. What we take away from this adventure is pure joy.

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Mountaineering club member collapses and dies in Snowdonia despite frantic efforts by fellow walkers to revive him

• Club members tried to save his life as rescue teams rushed to the scene
• Rescue teams have been called to Aran Benllyn, south of Llanuwchllyn, Gwynedd
• He suddenly collapsed and the team’s attempts at resuscitation began immediately

By Matt Drake For Mailonline

Posted: 2:42 p.m. EDT, July 4, 2021 | Updated: 2:43 p.m. EDT, July 4, 2021

A man has tragically died after collapsing while on an outing at a mountaineering club in Snowdonia.

Other club members desperately tried to save his life as mountain rescue teams rushed into the area.

Rescue teams were called to Aran Benllyn, south of Llanuwchllyn, in Gwynedd just before 10 a.m. on Saturday.

The man and members of the Hill team were evacuated from the scene and the situation was brought to the care of North Wales Police.

Aberdyfi search and rescue team call managers learned that the collapsed walker was part of a well-equipped and experienced mountaineering club group walking the Aran Ridge.

He suddenly collapsed and attempts at resuscitation by other members of the group began immediately.

A spokesperson for the rescue team said: “Due to the remoteness and potential severity of the incident, assistance from the coastguard helicopter Rescue936 has been requested, and although being the first in the area, the helicopter was unable to reach the victim’s site due to poor cloud cover.

“As members of the rescue team began to arrive at the foot of the hill, the paramedic was dropped below the base of the cloud to walk to the victim.”

A stretcher and other medical supplies were then transported to the scene.

Rescue teams were called to Aran Benllyn, south of Llanuwchllyn, in Gwynedd just before 10 a.m. on Saturday

Unfortunately, the spokesperson said: “Despite immediate, prolonged, high-quality CPR performed by group members, and other interventions once the paramedic was on site, the man remained unconscious and was was declared deceased at the scene. “

The man and members of the Hill team were evacuated from the scene and the situation was brought to the care of North Wales Police.

Publicity

The image of an initiated mountaineer on a rock in the Czech Republic has beaten hundreds of other astonishing, and sometimes dizzying, entries in a prestigious mountaineering photo competition.

Organized by the Vasco mountaineering club of Camping Elkartea in Spain, the competition brought together 372 photographers from 58 countries, with the first prize awarded to an image taken by Polish snapper Marcin Ciepielewski of his friend.

“I was fascinated by the geometric shapes of the large Vraní věže crag fireplace in Adršpach, an incredible place full of huge peaks and edges,” Ciepielewski said of the picture he simply called The ex.

“My idea was to balance the available light with a flashlight to illuminate the dark shadows of the fireplace. I wanted to create a ray of light on the edge of the rock and connect all the lines – rock edges and ray (s) of light in (one) letter X with the climber – my friend Paweł Zieliński – in the center of (the) composition . “

READ MORE:
* Stunning Image of Climbing Orangutan Wins Best Photo Award
* Kiwi’s Milky Way photo named one of the best in the world

Ciepielewski wins € 1,400 (NZ $ 2,370) and a trophy.

In second was Mill by Alex Buisse who took the photo of Jeff Mercier emerging from a deep crevasse formed by summer meltwater at Mer de Glace in France.

Third place went to Italian Alessandro Cantarelli for his moody image of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo rock formation in the Dolomites.

“I wanted to photograph the Three Peaks as they had never been seen before, so we decided to climb the summit of Monte Paterno.”

Contest organizers said despite the many challenges of trying to take pictures during the pandemic, entries had been “exceptional.”

They stated that the aim of the competition was to promote mountain activities using photography, and the competition is organized in collaboration with two mountain film competitions – BBK Mendi Film Bilbao Bizkaia and FIFAD (Festival International du Film Alpin des Diablerets).

You can see more finalists in the video at the top of this article or go to cvcephoto.com for more details.

Everything I know about mountaineering came from a day of team building in which management hired a banker who had climbed Everest to tell us how he left most of his group to die for reach the top. It was not an admission of guilt. Apparently, there comes an altitude where stopping becomes so dangerous that it condemns all loiterers. You continue or exhale in place. As the editor of a failing games magazine, I saw no reading of the metaphor where I wasn’t the fighter and my website peers were not being told to leave me. Hilariously, it wasn’t the darkest time of the day (he was a nervous guy in IT yelling “Show me the money!” To earn pound tokens or similar bullshit) .

What stood out to me was how an ascent can be all or nothing, something that you commit to until you have a murderous anecdote or end up like another grain of colored polyester in Rainbow Valley. In this sense, Insurmountable’s decision to equate mountaineering with a survival roguelike is a shrewd one: a life, a race, while facing the random luck or misfortune of an unpredictable landscape. It’s not a polished hobby where you count your progress for another day, and in that sense doing or dying a roguelike race feels more honest than the rolling Death Stranding simulations or the myriad of VR climbing walls. currently available. Just as a concept, I want to celebrate the intelligence of it all.

More →

Home to the third highest mountain in the world, Mount Khangchendzonga, Sikkim’s landscape is adorned with peaks like Lama Wangden and Frey’s Peak, which have been climbed by many climbers over the years. The state also has the prestigious Indian Himalayan Center for Adventure and Ecotourism (IHCAE) which is a world-renowned training center that offers basic and advanced mountaineering and mountain biking courses, in addition to other programs.

Obviously, there is ample opportunity for those looking to take on exciting expeditions around the state. Here we list some of the best along with the information you will need.

Climbing the summit of Mount Frey
An exquisite peak close to the Rathong Glacier, Frey Peak lies near the sister of the Kabru Peaks with two towering peaks namely Kokthang and Rathong Peak. The trek consists of crossing the absorbent Frey glacier. The trail is mostly rocky and has some snow in the gaps. The summit is named after the famous mountaineer George Frey who attempted to climb the summit with Tenzing Norgay. The ax and crampons they used are still present at the base of the peak as a memorial. The trail offers stunning scenery and allows hikers to savor the undulating beauty of nature.

Expedition to Mount Thinchenkhang
Mount Thinchenkhang (6,010m) is located in western Sikkim and is part of Khangchendzonga National Park, which has rich biodiversity, sacred lakes and snow-capped mountains. This peak can be seen from Okhlathang Valley on a hike to Goecha La (pass). The government of Sikkim declared this summit a trekking summit in 1990 and since then it has caught the imagination of many climbers.

Read: The Jewel of Sikkim: Lake Gurudongmar

Climbing Mount Jopuno
Mount Jopuno is located in the western part of Sikkim at an altitude of 5,603 m. This towering peak lies beneath Khangchendzonga National Park. On a hike to Goecha La, this spectacular peak is clearly visible from the Okhlathang Valley. It is one of the main attractions for mountaineers or climbers around the world after it was recently opened by the government of Sikkim. During this expedition, hikers and adventure seekers will enjoy captivating views of some fascinating peaks from the Himalayas to Sikkim.

Sikkim also promises great opportunities for anyone who has always wanted to feel the adrenaline rush of mountain biking. And if you want to hike a trail here, you can take the following route:

Gangtok – Rumtek – Sang – Sirwani – Temi – Damthang – Rabong – Kewzing – Tashiding – Yusum – Pelling – Dentam – Rinchenpong – Soreng – Sombaria – Jorethang – Namchi – Rangpo

In addition to these, Sikkim is also known for sublime treks including the Goecha la. Check out our three-part guide to the state’s best walking trails. You will need permits for mountaineering and trekking expeditions (well worth it), but our comprehensive guide to permits will make it easy for you to understand everything.

HELICOPTER RIDE
Taking a helicopter ride over the magnificent views of Gangtok is one of the most thrilling experiences one can have in Sikkim. A special thrill is discovering the glorious charms of Sikkim through the flights of the Sikkim mountains. Sikkim Helicopter Services (SHS) use five-seater helicopters for these mountain flights. We promise great views and photo opportunities.

Flights offered include West Sikkim flight, Yumthang flight, Khanghchendzonga flight and Gangtok flight.

Make your reservations here:
Tourist Information Center: 03592-203960 STDC (Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation) Cell 09593272738, 09775952722, 09475011220, 09775901379 RESERVATIONS FROM BAGDOGRA TO GANGTOK Tourist Service Agency (TSA): Bagdogra Airport 0353-2698036 / 2698030
Reservations from Bagdogra to Gangtok Tourist Service Agency (TSA) Phone 0353-2531219 Bagdogra Airport Tel 0353- 2698036/2698030

It sounded like thunder. A loud crash shook the ground beneath Sirbaz Khan and Abdul Joshi on the first day of their expedition to Mount Annapurna in Nepal (8,091m), the tenth highest peak in the world. They had just worn their crampons – a serrated traction device that attaches to boots, allowing them to climb over snow and ice – and were about to start climbing when that happened.

Their team from Sherpas had left a few hours before, to repair the ropes at the top of the mountain. Sirbaz and Abdul looked up in the direction the sound was coming from. “This was where our Sherpa team was crossing the mountain under some seracs,” says Sirbaz.

Seracs are large blocks of glacial ice that typically form on the edges of some of the world’s largest mountains, such as Mount Annapurna. They are usually the size of a house and are extremely dangerous for mountaineers, as they are often perched quite precariously and collapse with little to no warning.

The accident was caused by the fall of a serac. “We couldn’t see the Sherpas anymore,” Sirbaz said. “It was as if they were covered with a white blanket. We couldn’t spot any movement for a full minute.

They desperately reached the radio and called their team. “I shouted ‘Mama Sherpa! Mom Sherpa! ‘ on the radio, ”says Sirbaz. “I finally got the answer that they were okay and that we had to keep going up.

“It happened on day one,” laughs Sirbaz incredulously. “We hadn’t even started and avalanches and seracs had started to fall. Of course, we were a little scared.

Sirbaz Khan and Abdul Joshi are the first Pakistanis to stand on top of the tenth highest mountain in the world, Mount Annapurna in Nepal. Eos caught up with Sirbaz on his return, and he describes the grueling climb up a mountain considered even more dangerous than K2

This was not going to be the end of the danger they would face on a mountain known to be – in Sirbaz’s own words – “khoonkhaar” [bloodthirsty]. It is more lethal than K2 (8,611 m), which has a death rate of 29% – that of Annapurna is 32%. This means that for every three people who reach the top, one person dies.

What makes Annapurna so deadly is that the entire mountain is avalanche prone. Hundreds of avalanches take place on the mountain every year. Climbers should not only watch out for snow masses, they should also be aware of rapidly falling boulders and ice.

Climbing Annapurna is a dance with death that occurs from the moment you set foot on the mountain.

Due to its inherent dangers, for most climbers climbing Annapurna is no more than a dream. Such a difficult dream to translate into real life, it is better to leave it alone.

As if to hammer home the unpredictability and precariousness of the mountain, Sirbaz recounts an incident told to him by Mingma Gylaje Sherpa, one of the best mountaineers on the planet. He was part of the group that took part in the first historic winter summit of K2. By the time Mingma and two of his friends – Finn Samuli Mansikka (with whom Sirbaz had also worked) and Nepalese Pemba Sherpa – returned from the summit, night had fallen.

A seasoned climber with several 8,000-meter peaks to his credit, Mingma advised others to spend the night where they were, as there was blue ice in front of them. “But they insisted and said they preferred to cross it and reach Camp Four,” Sirbaz explains. “Although both were securely tied to the rope, they both slipped on the blue ice and died.

“That’s why only those who participate in Mission 14 attempt this summit,” Sirbaz explains. Mission 14 is a global mountaineering challenge to reach the top of all 14 mountains in the world over 8,000 meters.

The dangers on the mountain for Sirbaz and Abdul were just beginning. It was as if the serac crashing in front of them as they began their ascent was a sign of things to come.

They were joined by other teams as they climbed higher up the mountain. Teams of sherpas were busy securing the ropes in front of them, and at a dizzying height of 4,750 m, they decided to have lunch – standing on a slope, hanging from the rope.

And then Sirbaz heard a terrifying and familiar growl, which quickly turned into a roar. “It was an avalanche!” Sirbaz said. The climbers quickly tied all of their gear and gear to the ropes with them, lest they be blown away by the icy wind blowing past the wall of snow, almost as if announcing its arrival.

“It was as if a storm had hit us,” Sirbaz says. “The wind that comes after the avalanche is very strong. He throws large objects from one place to another. We started to notice that our bodies started to shake and shake from the coldness of the wind. Our bodies were covered with about half an inch of snow.

The avalanche came from the left side and for a moment it looked like it was going to envelop them. Fortunately, the avalanche spared the climbers. “Two incidents in one day,” Sirbaz says. “On the way up, we were even more scared than before.”

At that point, the Sherpas team turned around. There was no more rope and about 2,500m of rope was still needed to complete the route to Camp One. The mountain’s overall unpredictability with avalanches, fresh snowfall, and rockfall, among other factors, makes it very difficult to accurately assess how much rope would be used. Sirbaz and Abdul decided to climb without the rope – very risky indeed – using only their equipment, skills and experience to guide them, and spent their first night on the mountain at Camp One.

The lack of ropes on the mountain would be a recurring problem for the teams. Sirbaz and Abdul first attempted to push for the summit on April 13, but the ropes could not be mended. The team then ran out of rope at Camp Four (6,900m) on April 14. The ropes must have been helicoptered to them. Finally, on April 16, they became the first Pakistanis to climb to the top of Annapura.

For Sirbaz, a native of Hunza, it was his sixth 8,000m mountain. Its previous peaks include Lhotse (8,516m) and Manaslu (8,163m) in Nepal and K2, Nanga Parbat (8,126m) and Broad Peak (8,051m) in Pakistan.

Annapurna was Abdul Joshi’s first 8,000m peak. He comes from Shimshaal and has worked as a professional climber, high altitude porter (HAP) and has participated in several 8000m expeditions in Pakistan. He is also known as the go-to person for leading mountain rescues.

“For me personally, after K2 and Nanga Parbat, Annapurna was the most important peak of my Mission 14,” says Sirbaz. He then posted a video of him and Abdul Joshi on his Instagram, atop Annapurna. They dedicated their summit to their friend and mentor, the late Ali Sadpara.

One of the world’s best known mountaineers, for his skill, tenacity and experience in the mountains, Ali Sadpara was officially presumed dead on February 18 this year during a winter summit on the mountain he loved. the most – K2. He was last seen by his son in a section below the summit called the bottleneck, before his group lost contact and was never seen or heard again.

Ali Sadpara was the first person to climb Nanga Parbat in winter, in 2016, and is the only Pakistani to have stood on top of eight mountains over 8,000 meters – Nanga Parbat, K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum 1 and 2, Lhotse, Makalu and Manaslu.

” All the others [previous] pics i did, i did with ali bhai, ”says Sirbaz. The loss he felt from his former climbing partner was immense. “We have known each other for a very long time. I have been participating in climbing camps since 2001-2002. At the time, I was working as a mountain guide and as a member of the kitchen team. I became a professional mountaineer much later. Ali Bhai is considered a very great man. Not just in Pakistan, but all over the world.

The dedication of the Annapurna summit was important to Sirbaz, Abdul Joshi and their team. They each knew Ali Sadpara well. “Before his accident, we worked on a documentary with Mooroo [Taimoor Salahuddin] called Unsung Heroes, during the ‘Value of Life’ expedition to Chitral, ”says Sirbaz. The documentary is available for viewing on YouTube. “It was shot in Chitral. It was called that because, until then, Pakistani mountaineers who died… their insurance – the value of their lives – was only 200,000 rupees.

“We were working to try to change that and make things better for the HAP community. He was incredibly unhappy that his accident happened on K2. We will do our best to advance Ali Bhai’s work for the climbing community, his vision.

For now, Sirbaz doesn’t plan to stop climbing anytime soon. He recently announced the next 8,000m mountain he will attempt to climb. Sirbaz Khan has his eyes on Everest.

The writer is a staff member She tweets @madeehasyed

Posted in Dawn, EOS, May 2, 2021