Aamir Latif Arain 

Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan

Two Japanese climbers who fell from K2, the world’s second-tallest mountain, have been officially declared dead, raising the number of the country’s mountaineers who died in Pakistan this year to five, a tour operator told Anadolu on Wednesday.

Kazuya Hiraide and Kenro Nakajima, who traveled to Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) region to take on the challenge of the west face of K2, using the alpine style approach, fell from a height of 7,500 meters (24,606 feet) off the 8,611-meter (28,251 ft) peak K2 on July 28.

“Their death certificates have been issued (by Pakistani authorities) to their families, who (family members) arrived in Pakistan a few days ago, and are leaving today (Wednesday),” said Naiknam Kareem, the head of Naiknam Tours that arranged the deceased climbers’ expedition.

The climbers’ bodies were spotted last week but could not be recovered due to “extremely” dangerous nature of the K2’s west face terrain, he added.

Waliullah Falahi, the deputy commissioner of Shigar district of G-B, which is home to K2, however, told Anadolu that a ground operation could not be launched due to the difficult terrain.

A Pakistan army helicopter could not land to pick the mountaineers because of high altitude, he added.

Hiraide, a renowned mountaineer, had won three Piolets d’Or awards, the most prestigious accolade in the field of alpinism.

G-B is home to five of 14 highest peaks in the world. It has seen several mountain accidents involving Japanese climbers in recent months.

Apart from the fresh casualties, three Japanese climbers have been killed while trying to scale the 7,027-meter Spantik Peak, also known as Golden Peak, in alpine style since June.

Alpine style, characterized by minimal use of fixed ropes and support, emphasizes speed and efficiency, and is known for its high level of difficulty and risk.

Read: 2 Japanese climbers fall from K2 in northern Pakistan

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Aamir Latif is a Karachi-based senior journalist. He represents Anadolu, a Turkish news agency

Courtesy: Anadolu Agency (Posted on 07.08.2024)  

The post 2 more Japanese climbers die in Pakistan, taking tally to 5 this year first appeared on Sindh Courier.

Aamir Latif 

Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan

Another Japanese mountaineer was killed Wednesday in northern Pakistan, weeks after two of his countrymen died on the same peak, according to an official.

Onishi Hiroshi, 64, fell into a crevasse while descending Tuesday from the 7,027-meter (23,054-foot) Spantik Mountain, Karrar Haidri, secretary-general of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the country’s official mountaineering association, told Anadolu.

Hiroshi and three other Japanese mountaineers began their climbs on June 10, supported by Pakistani porters.

His body was recovered by a fellow climber and a porter.

Two Japanese climbers, Ryuseki Hiraoka and Atsushi Taguchi were declared dead while descending the Spantik Mountain without porters last month.

Formerly known as the Northern Area and once part of the erstwhile Pakistan-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan is home to five peaks taller than 8,000 meters, including K2, the world’s second-highest mountain.

Several mountaineers have been killed in recent years while attempting to ascend the treacherous mountains.

A Japanese climber was killed last August and another injured during an expedition in the region.

Iconic Pakistani climber Muhammad Ali Sadpara, Iceland’s John Snorri and Chile’s Juan Pablo Mohr were all killed in July 2021 while attempting to summit the 8,611-meter K2.

Related report: Rescue operation called off in Pakistan as missing Japanese climber presumed dead

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Aamir Latif is a Karachi-based senior journalist. He represents Anadolu, a Turkish news agency

Courtesy: Anadolu Agency (Posted on July 03, 2024)

The post Another Japanese mountaineer killed in northern Pakistan first appeared on Sindh Courier.

Aamir Latif 

Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan

Naila Kiani exudes confidence, the kind that only comes at the dizzying heights of success she has – quite literally – reached.

She is the only woman in Pakistan to have summited 11 of the world’s 14 mountains higher than 8,000 meters (over 26,240 feet), and only the third Pakistani who has managed to do it.

Kiani is also the fastest among both men and women to achieve the feat, as her mountaineering career began just three years ago, and she has no plans to slow down.

In an interview with Anadolu, she explained how this record-studded journey “began with an adventure.”

That adventure was Kiani’s wedding photo shoot at the K2 base camp in 2018, which went viral and shot her to social media prominence.

The local mountaineers and porters, who helped arrange the entire thing, became her inspiration to enter the world of mountaineering.

“I had no idea growing up that I would be a climber one day … It all began with an adventure, which later turned into a passion,” she said.

Three years later, Kiani had scaled her first peak above 8,000 meters, Gasherbrum II (8,035 meters or 26,361 feet) in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region.

On that expedition she met Ali Raza Sadpara, an icon in the mountaineering community, whom she considers a mentor.

Sadpara, who ascended all five peaks in Pakistan that are above 8,000 meters a record 17 times, died in May 2022 at the age of 56 during preparations for a climb at K2.

“It was Ali Raza Sadpara who turned me into a professional climber,” she said.

Kiani also credits her husband for her success.

“This was not possible without his support. He was the one who supported and encouraged me when I decided to make my first climb,” she said.

“We both thought it (Gasherbrum II ascent) would be the first and the last attempt … but it simply turned out to be a beginning.”

‘So many challenges’

Many professional climbers start off their careers with relatively easier targets and at a much younger age than Kiani.

She, however, took a different path in both respects, going for the daunting Gasherbrum II when she was on maternity leave after having her second daughter.

Born in Pakistan’s northeastern garrison city of Rawalpindi, Kiani studied aerospace engineering at Queen Mary University London, but later drifted toward the banking sector.

She was a senior vice-president of an international bank in Dubai before ditching the corporate world to become a professional mountaineer.

In sports, boxing was her first love.

“I was an amateur boxer and I used to compete,” she said, explaining that the spirit of competition gave her a pivotal push in mountaineering as well.

“That, combined with meeting the climbers on my first trek to the K2 base camp in 2018 and seeing their commitment, inspired me to experience it for myself.”

When she started off, Kiani said her only aim was to “experience climbing a mountain with elite mountaineers.”

“I wanted to feel what the body and mind goes through when you are climbing these high mountains,” she said.

“It’s really hard, especially for women. When people look at me, they see I’m small and I’m quite petite, so if I can do it that means it’s easy. That’s not the case.”

The entire excursion, from beginning to end, is full of obstacles, she said.

“I would say mountaineering can be about life and death sometimes. We overcome so many challenges before going on the expedition and during the expedition,” said Kiani.

Kiani and Samina Baig are the only two Pakistani women to summit the world’s tallest peaks – Mt. Everest and K2.

For women climbers, there is another particular set of challenges, she said.

“Climbing as a woman is even harder because there are not many women who climb, and it’s not easy to learn how to prepare yourself or about whatever challenges we may face as a woman,” she said.

“Lastly, we go through our monthly cycles and it’s even harder going through those hormonal changes while climbing.”

‘An inspiration’

From 2021 until now, Kiani has conquered 11 towering peaks: Mt. Everest (8,849 meters or 29,029 feet), K2 (8,611 meters or 28,251 feet), Lhotse (8,516 meters or 27,939 feet), Makalu (8,485 meters or 27,838 feet), Cho Oyu (8,201 meters or 26,906 feet), Manaslu (8,156 meters or 26,758 feet), Nanga Parbat (8,125 meters or 26,656 feet), Annapurna (8,091 meters or 26,545 feet), Gasherbrum I (8,068 meters or 26,469 feet), Broad Peak (8,047 meters or 26,400 feet), and Gasherbrum II (8,035 meters or 26,361 feet).

Kiani is now only behind fellow Pakistanis Sirbaz Khan and Shehroze Kashif, who have ascended 13 of the world’s 14 highest mountains.

The only peaks she is yet to scale are Kanchenjunga, the third-tallest mountain at 8,586 meters or 28,169 feet; Dhaulagiri, the seventh-highest at 8,167 meters or 26,795 feet; and Shishapangma, the 14th-highest at 8,027 meters or 26,335 feet.

“My aim is to complete all 14 peaks, and I’m planning to do it by next year,” said Kiani, the only female athlete to receive Pakistan’s highest civilian honor, Sitara-i-Imtiaz.

What Kiani has achieved in the field of mountaineering goes beyond the personal, according to Karrar Haidri, secretary of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the country’s official mountaineering association.

“Her phenomenal achievements make her an inspiration to the younger generation … and will also be instrumental in bringing more women into the field of mountaineering,” he told Anadolu.

Related report: Naila Kiani becomes 1st Pakistani woman to summit 11 peaks above 8,000 meters

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Aamir Latif is a Karachi-based senior journalist. He represents Anadolu, a Turkish news agency

Courtesy: Anadolu Agency (Posted on June 6, 2024)

The post Naila Kiani: Trailblazing Pakistani mountaineer sets sights on even greater heights first appeared on Sindh Courier.

Aamir Latif 

KARACHI, Sindh Pakistan

An inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of a Pakistani porter, who fell from a narrow trail while attempting to ascend K-2 late last month, has cleared the Norwegian climber who was accused of walking past the dying porter.

“The inquiry has not fixed the responsibility of the porter’s death on any individual, including the Norwegian climber and her teammates,” said a member of the five-member inquiry committee that launched the probe earlier this month.

The probe stemmed from drone footage showing a Norwegian climber and her team walking past Mohammad Hassan, a high-altitude porter, who could be seen dangling upside down from a rope, and later died.

In the disturbing footage taken by two other climbers, Austrian Wilhelm Steindl and Philip Flaemig from Germany, whose ascent had been canceled that day owing to bad weather, Norwegian climber Kristin Harila and her Nepali guide Tenjin “Lama” Sherpa could be seen walking past injured Hassan, instead of stopping and helping him.

They were on their way to setting the world record that would see them becoming the world’s fastest climbers by scaling the 14 highest peaks in the world in 92 days.

The disturbing episode did not end there as the drone footage also shows them stepping over the body of fallen Hassan, who later died during Harila’s ascent. All of the team members can be seen just walking over it.

Harila, 37, rejected the accusation, contending she and her team “did everything we could for him at the time.”

‘Violation of mountaineering ethics’

Speaking to Anadolu on Wednesday on condition of anonymity as he was not allowed to interact with media, the official said that the probe, however, has found violations of the international mountaineering declaration vis-a-vis the safety of the deceased porter.

The committee that carried out an “extensive” probe into the incident that grabbed international headlines, has submitted its report to the government of the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, home to five above 8,000-meter peaks, including K2. It will be made public within “a few days.”

The investigation that focused on “mountaineering ethics” also recorded statements of Harila and her teammates.

Hassan was not part of Harila’s expedition.

The probe, according to the member, has found a “clear” violation of Article 3 of the 2016 Kathmandu Declaration of the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA), which deals with the safety of the employees hired for an expedition.

Although the inquiry has not fixed the responsibility for Hassan’s death on the Norwegian climber and her teammates, the porter’s life could have been saved if he had been rescued on time, he added.

“There was not the Norwegian climber alone who walked past the injured Hassan. There were many who did that. But this is also true that Hassan was badly injured,” the official said.

Aside from compensation for Hassan’s family, several recommendations have been made, including heavy fines, and cancellation of licenses of the companies who do not ensure the safety of their employees during an expedition.

Porters, also called Sherpas in the Himalayas, are highly skilled professionals who specialize in the logistics of mountain climbing.

The K2, the world’s second-largest peak in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, was the last mountain they needed to climb to set the world record.

The 8,611-meter (28,251-foot) K2, also known as the “savage mountain” due to its treacherous terrain, had never been scaled in the winter until last year when a 10-member Nepali team performed the feat.

It is the last peak of the 8,000-meter (26,246-foot) club to have been climbed in winter, 41 years after Mt. Everest, which was scaled in 1980 during the winter.

Some 300 mountaineers have made it to the top before, but all of them took up the challenge in either the summer or spring.

Even in relatively better weather conditions, 86 climbers have lost their lives trying to scale the mountain, which towers over Shigar valley in Gilgit-Baltistan.

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

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Aamir Latif is a Karachi-based senior journalist representing Anadolu, a Turkish news agency.

Courtesy: Anadolu Agency (Posted on 30.08.2023)  

The post Death of Pakistani porter at K2: Inquiry clears Norwegian climber first appeared on Sindh Courier.

Aamir Latif 

KARACHI, Sindh, Pakistan

A Pakistani climber on Monday became the world’s youngest mountaineer to summit 11 peaks above 8,000 meters (26,247 feet) after he climbed Mount Annapurna in Nepal, the 10th-tallest mountain on earth, a mountaineering association said.

Accompanying an eight-member team, Shehroze Kashif, 21, made the ascent of the 8,091-meter peak in Nepal between 6.30 a.m to 7.30 a.m. local time (0045-0145GMT), the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the country’s official mountaineering organization, said in a statement.

Congratulations to Naila Kiani, the FIRST Pakistani woman on the summit of Annapurna I (8091 m). Kiani achieved this feat earlier this morning 17.04.2023 NPT, according to the expedition organizer Seven Summit Treks. Photo showing Naila Kiani on the summit of Mt K2 (8611 m),… pic.twitter.com/2zUtU9rMnM

— Everest Today (@EverestToday) April 17, 2023

His teammate, Naila Kiani, became the first Pakistani woman climber to summit four peaks above 8,000 meters, the statement added.

Kashif, 21, made history when he summited K2, the world’s second-tallest mountain, in July 2021 to become the youngest climber in the world.

He also became the youngest Pakistani to summit Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain, in May 2021.

Broad boy

Hailing from the northeastern Pakistani city of Lahore, Kashif is only the sixth Pakistani to scale Mount Everest. Among them, Samina Baig is the only woman climber to achieve the feat in 2013.

Kashif, the son of a local businessman, started climbing at the age of 11, gradually scaling peaks ranging from 3,000 meters (9,842 feet) to 8,000 meters before ascending Mount Everest and K2.

In 2013, Kashif scaled the 3,885-meter (12,746-feet) Makra Peak situated in Pakistan’s northwestern Mansehra district, while he was just 11 years old.

His 2019 expedition to the 8,047-meter (26,401-feet) Broad Peak in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region earned him the title “The Broad Boy.”

He is also the youngest mountaineer in the world to climb Broad Peak.

Last year, Kashif and his teammate Fazal Ali went missing after successfully summiting Nanga Parbat Peak in Gilgit-Baltistan. The duo was found shortly after.

‘Mom climber’

Kiani, a Dubai-based Pakistani banker and a mother of two, gained prominence after images of her wedding shoot at the K2 base camp in 2018 went viral on social media.

Kiani, an amateur boxer, also summited Gasherbrum-II, 8,035 meters (26,361 feet) above the sea level, in 2021, and ascended 8,068-meter (26,470 feet) Gasherbrum-I and K2 in July 2022.

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Aamir Latif is a Karachi-based senior journalist. He represents Anadolu, a Turkish news agency.

Courtesy: Anadolu Agency (Posted on 17.04.2023)  

The post Pakistani climber becomes world’s youngest to scale 11 peaks above 8,000m first appeared on Sindh Courier.