Renowned Pakistani climber Sirbaz Khan on Sunday successfully summited Mount Kangchenjunga (8,586 metres), the third highest peak in the world situated in Nepal this morning without supplemental oxygen.
With this latest accomplishment, he becomes the first Pakistani in history to complete all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks — commonly referred to as the eight-thousanders — without any oxygen support, a feat achieved by only a handful of elite mountaineers globally.
Sirbaz had earlier become the first Pakistani climber to have summited all 14 mountains with the height of over 8,000m in the world in October last year.
Imagine Nepal, the tour organisers of Sirbaz in a statement congratulated the climber, saying, “ We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Mr Sirbaz Khan — our dear friend, client, and partner from Pakistan — on his incredible achievement of summiting Kanchenjunga (8,586m), the world’s third-highest mountain, without supplemental oxygen this morning, May 18, 2025.
Alpine Club of Pakistan Secretary Karrar Haidri, said, “With this summit, Sirbaz Khan becomes the first Pakistani to climb all 14 highest peaks without oxygen.
“Sirbaz Khan has made the entire nation proud. Completing all 14 eight-thousanders without oxygen is a rare and heroic achievement. He is a symbol of Pakistani resilience, skill, and courage on the highest peaks of the world,” he added.
Sirbaz achieved a landmark in the history of high-altitude climbing by successfully summiting Mt. Kangchenjunga this morning at 5:00am local time (4:15am PKT).
What makes this feat extraordinary is that Sirbaz scaled the world’s third-highest mountain without the use of supplementary oxygen, in true alpine style — marking a defining moment in Pakistan’s mountaineering legacy.
Sirbaz’s journey to this historic milestone has spanned over a decade of determination, discipline, and sheer courage. He has successfully scaled the following 14 peaks over 8,000m — all without bottled oxygen:
Everest (8,848m)
K2 (8,611m)
Kangchenjunga (8,586m)
Lhotse (8,516m)
Makalu (8,485m)
Cho Oyu (8,188m)
Dhaulagiri (8,167m)
Manaslu (8,163m)
Nanga Parbat (8,126m)
Annapurna I (8,091m)
Gasherbrum I (8,080m)
Broad Peak (8,051m)
Gasherbrum II (8,035m)
Shishapangma (8,027m)
This record-breaking summit of Mt. Kangchenjunga not only cements Sirbaz Khan’s place among the greatest mountaineers of all time but also brings immense pride to the people of Pakistan, particularly the mountaineering community of Gilgit-Baltistan, where Sirbaz hails from.
His accomplishment was made in the spirit of pure alpine climbing — minimal gear, no fixed ropes or camps set by Sherpas, and no oxygen support — a style that represents the truest and most demanding form of mountaineering.
Sirbaz’s mission has always been to represent Pakistan on the world’s highest stages and inspire the next generation of climbers to follow his path with the same passion and perseverance.
Sirbaz, 35, hails from the Aliabad area of Hunza in Gilgit-Baltistan and began his climbing career in 2016.
On four of these expeditions, he had been accompanied by late Muhammad Ali Sadpara.
Before setting on the mission to summit Dhaulagiri peak last year, he had said: “I am looking forward to his expedition and reaching closer to the dream of my mentor Ali Sadpara, who had the similar dream of scaling the 14 highest peaks, but tragically lost his life earlier this year during a winter expedition on K2.”
Pakistani climbers including Naila Kiani, Sajid Sadpara, civil society members, and politicians have congratulated Sirbaz for his historical feat.
