Mountaineer Sirbaz Khan’s journey from cook to ace climber

KARACHI:

Some 20 years ago, when Sirbaz Khan joined a small expedition as a cook, it was not in his wildest imagination that he would become Pakistan’s first climber to ascend 13 out of the world’s total 14 peaks above 8,000 metres (over 26,240 feet).

Khan, who was a Grade 9 student at that time, was hired as a “kitchen boy,” an assistant cook, for an expedition to the base camp of K2, the world’s second tallest mountain.

Born to a carpenter father in the scenic Hunza valley, home to iconic climbers and spectacular treks and peaks, Khan’s muddling journey had taken him to base camps on several expeditions as a high-altitude porter by 2016.

But his eyes were fixed on the snowcapped peaks.

His long-awaited dream came true in 2016 when Mingma Gaylji, a famous Nepali alpinist, sponsored him for an expedition to climb the 8,611-metre (28,251-feet) K2.

Though the plucky duo could not summit K2 after an avalanche hit the base camp, the trip turbocharged Khan’s then-fledgling career as a professional climber.

Read also: Sirbaz Khan becomes 1st Pakistani to ascend 13 peaks above 8,000 metres

In an astonishing move, which many opposed at the time, Khan set out to summit Nanga Parbat, which even hardened mountaineers choose to ascend in the later stage of their careers.

Nicknamed the “Killer Mountain,” the treacherous 8,125-metre (26,657-feet) Nanga Parbat has claimed more climbers’ lives than any other mountain in the world.

Khan, however, made it, becoming the first climber in the world to conquer Nanga Parbat in autumn.

In 2019, he became the first Pakistani to summit Mt. Lhotse, the world’s fourth-highest mountain at 8,516 metres (27,940 feet), in Nepal, without the use of supplemental oxygen.

He then summited K2 in 2018 and the 8,163-metre (26,782-feet) Broad Peak in 2019.

Last year, he scaled Mt. Anapurna, which stands 8,091 metres (26,545 feet) above sea level, the 8,035-metre (26,362-feet) Gasherbrum II, and Mt. Everest, the world’s tallest peak that has a staggering height of 8,848 metres (29,029 feet).

Lack of resources

Gilgit-Baltistan lies at the confluence of the world’s greatest mountain ranges – Karakoram, Himalaya, Hindukush and Pamir – and is home to six peaks that tower over 8,000 metres.

However, local climbers here have long been forced to work as porters for foreign mountaineers, mainly due to financial constraints and lack of training.

Foreign climbers have frequently been accused of exploiting the poor climbers of Pakistan and Nepal, who often go up ahead of the mountaineers but are not rewarded accordingly.

Despite the demands of the job, a porter earns 30,000 to 40,000 Pakistani rupees (roughly $140) for a 12-day expedition – an amount that is even less than what a foreign climber would pay for one of the high-end trousers worn on such expeditions.

“It took me 20 years to reach here at the age of 36 just because of a lack of resources,” Khan told Anadolu.

“Our porters reach the heights ahead of professional climbers. But their work is never recognized unless they are lucky like me.”

Mission 14

Last week, Khan ascended Cho Oyu, the world’s sixth-highest peak, which made him the first Pakistani to scale 13 mountains above 8,000 metres.

Along with his teammate Naila Kiani, he climbed the 8,188-metre (26,863-feet) mountain in over 28 hours in a marathon alpine-style climb – and without supplementary oxygen.

 Read: Naila becomes first Pak woman to scale Cho OyU

The only peak left for Khan is Shishapangma, the 14th-highest mountain in the world at 8,027 metres (26,335 feet) above sea level.

“I am leaving to accomplish my mission number 14 in a day or two. God willing, I will be successful,” said Khan, who counts Pakistan’s legendary climbers Nazir Sabir and Aman Ashraf, the first Pakistanis to summit Mt. Everest and K2, respectively, as his inspirations.

Recalling his early days in the field, he said: “Everyone would call me Sirbaz, the kitchen boy. When I was standing in the (tent) kitchen with the senior cooks, my body would be there but my spirit hovered on the peaks.

“I would consider myself Ashraf Aman and Nazir Sabir, and it was always my aim to conquer the untameable mountains.”

Khan was lucky to pair with Pakistan’s iconic climber Mohammad Ali Sadpara, who honed and improved his mountaineering skills.

Sadpara, along with two other colleagues, lost his life while attempting to summit K2 without supplementary oxygen in 2021.

“I still feel he (Sadpara) is with me, especially when I encounter tough terrain that tests my nerves. He will always be with me to boost my morale,” said Khan.