ISLAMABAD: Pakistani mountaineer Sirbaz Khan has made history by becoming the first from his country to summit all 14 of the world’s peaks over 8,000 metres without the use of supplemental oxygen. He completed this extraordinary feat on Sunday with a successful ascent of Kangchenjunga.
A native of the Hunza Valley, Khan reached the 8,586-metre summit at 11:50 a.m. local time, bringing to a close a years-long endeavour.
Although he had previously climbed all 14 of the so-called “eight-thousanders”, he had used bottled oxygen on two of those earlier ascents near the summit. To achieve the no-oxygen distinction, he returned this season to re-climb Annapurna in April and Kangchenjunga in May—this time without any artificial oxygen support.
Completing the mission
“Even though I had climbed all the 14×8000m peaks in the world, something still felt incomplete,” Sirbaz said upon reaching Annapurna earlier. “When I first announced my project after summiting Nanga Parbat in 2017, my goal was simple: to scale all 14×8000m peaks without the use of oxygen—and that’s why I came back.”
With this accomplishment, Khan joins an elite group of around 70 climbers worldwide who have reached the summits of all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres. Fewer than 25 of them have managed to do so entirely without supplemental oxygen—a feat requiring immense endurance and resilience in the oxygen-scarce “death zone” above 8,000 metres.
This achievement comes less than a year after Khan initially completed the full set of 14 peaks, a milestone that had already secured his status as one of Pakistan’s most accomplished high-altitude mountaineers. Not content with that alone, Khan set his sights on re-climbing the two peaks where he had previously relied on supplemental oxygen.
Beginning of mission
Sirbaz Khan began his journey in 2017 with a successful ascent of Nanga Parbat—an 8,126-metre peak notorious for its danger. This marked the beginning of his mission to conquer all of the world’s highest mountains.
He went on to tackle some of the most challenging summits, including K2 in July 2018 and Lhotse in May 2019, becoming the first Pakistani to reach the 8,516-metre summit of Lhotse.
In July 2019, Khan summited Broad Peak (8,051 metres) without using supplemental oxygen—demonstrating his commitment to this purist style of climbing.
Later that year, in September, he ascended Manaslu in Nepal, becoming only the second Pakistani to reach its 8,163-metre summit.
Khan’s determination never wavered. In April 2021, he became the first Pakistani to summit Annapurna—one of the deadliest mountains in the world. The following month, he reached the top of Mount Everest, the planet’s highest peak at 8,849 metres.
Pakistan’s mountaineering community
In July 2021, Khan led an all-Pakistani expedition to the summit of Gasherbrum II (8,035 metres), further reinforcing his reputation as a leading figure in Pakistan’s mountaineering community.
Just months later, in October 2021, he became the first Pakistani to summit Dhaulagiri (8,167 metres).
His momentum continued in 2022, with successful ascents of Kangchenjunga in May and Makalu later that same month, making him the first Pakistani to summit both of these formidable mountains.
In August 2022, he led a successful expedition to Gasherbrum I, marking his 12th summit of an 8,000-metre peak.
In October 2023, Khan added Cho Oyu to his list of conquests, becoming the first Pakistani to reach the 8,188-metre summit. Then, on 4 October 2024, he completed the list with a successful climb of Shishapangma.
Now, by re-summiting Annapurna and Kangchenjunga without supplemental oxygen, Sirbaz Khan has solidified his place among the world’s elite high-altitude mountaineers and added another monumental chapter to his remarkable legacy.
