Mountaineer Naila Kiani conquers Kanchenjunga, nears historic 14-peak goal

KARACHI: Pakistan's top and most successful female mountaineer Naila Kiani has scaled Kanchenjunga, the world's third-highest peak, marking her 12th summit above 8,000 metres.

With her latest feat, Kiani has moved closer to her dream of joining the elite group of women who have conquered all 14 of the world's highest mountains.

Standing at 8,586m (28,169 feet), Kanchenjunga straddles the border between India and Nepal and is also the tallest peak in India. However, it is not permitted to climb the mountain from the Indian side.

Naila Kiani began her final ascent from Camp IV on Thursday evening and successfully reached the summit at around 6am PKT, hoisting Pakistan's flag at the top of the world's third highest, Nepal's second highest and India's highest peak.

According to her basecamp team, the final summit push began at approximately 6:30pm PKT and continued through the night in severe high-altitude conditions, including intense snowfall and sub-zero temperatures. 

Despite the challenges, Kiani remained firm and reached the summit, driven by unshakable determination.

"From Pakistan to Kanchenjunga, this summit is not just a personal milestone, it's a message to every girl and woman in Pakistan and beyond: you are stronger than you think," said Kiani, in a message shared via her team. "I'm proud and I'm grateful, but the journey is far from over. Pakistan, this is for you."

With this achievement, Kiani becomes the only Pakistani woman to summit 12 of the 14 peaks above 8,000m. 

She is now two summits away from joining just 17 women worldwide who have completed the challenge. Only Shishapangma and Dhaulagiri remain for her to make history.

She began her high-altitude climbing career in 2021 by summiting Gasherbrum II. Since then, she has conquered some of the world's most formidable peaks, including K2 (2022), Gasherbrum I (2022), Annapurna (2023), Mount Everest (2023), Lhotse (2023), Nanga Parbat (2023), Broad Peak (2023), Cho Oyu (2023) and Mount Makalu (2024).

Kiani is also the only Pakistani woman to have summited all five peaks of over 8,000m inside Pakistan. She also holds the record of being the first Pakistani woman on at least nine peaks of over 8,000m in the world. This feat makes her the undisputed leading female climber of the country.

Her relentless pursuit of mountaineering excellence has made her a symbol of perseverance for women in Pakistan and beyond.