Pakistani mountaineer Sirbaz Khan set to summit 7th highest peak, Dhaulagiri

• Sirbaz closer to becoming first Pakistani to summit nine out of 14 eight-thousanders of the world.

• The mountaineer intends to climb Dhaulagiri without supplementary oxygen as usual.
• "With your prayers, I'll do everything in my capacity to make this dream come true," he says. 

Pakistani mountaineer Sirbaz Khan is set to add another feather to his cap this week as he gets closer to becoming the first Pakistani to summit nine out of 14 eight-thousanders of the world.

The 33-year-old reached Camp 2 of Dhaulagiri on Monday afternoon.

The Hunza-based mountaineer started his summit push from the base camp this morning and reached Camp 2 in the afternoon. He aims to ascend further to 8,167 metres on Dhaulagiri if the weather remains favourable.

Sirbaz will become the first Pakistani to summit the Dhaulagiri and the first Pakistani to summit nine eight-thousanders if he succeeds in his quest.

The mountaineer intends to climb Dhaulagiri without supplementary oxygen, as he usually doesn’t use it when summiting mountains.

“I have voluntarily chosen to lead and help along with the Sherpa brothers. As I have done so in the past, I'll be climbing without supplementary oxygen,” Sirbaz wrote in an Instagram post he shared before leaving the base camp.

"Going for the 9th 8000m summit has a special meaning to me and all my brothers and sisters from the Pakistani mountaineering fraternity. With your prayers, I'll do everything in my capacity to make this dream come true,": he added.

Earlier while announcing his mission on Instagram, Sirbaz had stated that “it is not purely about getting in the record books anymore, it is about the pride of country”.

“Most importantly, it is about earning respect and honor for the extraordinary yet unsung mountaineering community of Pakistan. When I climb on these mountains where no Pakistani has ever climbed before me, it is not just me climbing alone, it is Pakistan climbing with me,” he had written.

“Each time I raise the green flag on a mountain, that piece of cloth claps in the name of respect and honor deserved by great Pakistani mountaineers – all those who came before me and those who will come after”, the post went on.

The ambitious mountaineer looks forward to becoming the first-ever Pakistani to climb all 14 eight-thousanders in the world. A feat only 44 climbers in the world have achieved before him.

He has so far summited eight mountains ranging above 8000m, including Nanga Parbat, K2, Lhotse, Broad Peak, Manaslu, Annapurna, Mount Everest, and Gasherbrum-II, while Dhaulagiri will be his ninth.

Besides becoming the first Pakistani to climb Dhaulagiri, Sirbaz already has earned the distinction of being the first Pakistani to summit the Lhotse mountain and Annapurna.

He had summited Mount Everest earlier this year.