Sirbaz Khan becomes first Pakistani to summit all 14 peaks without supplemental oxygen

KARACHI: Pakistani mountaineer Sirbaz Khan has become the first from the country to summit all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks without using supplemental oxygen, completing this historic feat on Sunday by reaching the top of Kangchenjunga.

Khan, a resident of Hunza Valley, reached the 8,586-meter summit at 11:50 a.m. local time, marking the culmination of a years-long quest.

While he had previously climbed all 14 of the "eight-thousanders," he had used bottled oxygen on two of those earlier ascents near the summit.

To achieve the no-oxygen distinction, he returned this season to re-climb Annapurna in April and Kangchenjunga in May, both without artificial oxygen support.

"Even though I had summited all 14×8000m peaks in the world, there was still something missing," Sirbaz had said when he arrived at Annapurna earlier.

"When I first announced my project after summiting Nanga Parbat in 2017, my aim was simple: 14×8000m summits without using O2 and that's why I returned," he added.

Khan is now among an elite group of around 70 climbers worldwide who have summited all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters.

Fewer than 25 have done so entirely without supplemental oxygen—a feat demanding extreme endurance in the oxygen-deprived "death zone" above 8,000 meters.

His achievement comes less than a year after he initially completed all 14 peaks—a milestone that had already established him as one of Pakistan’s greatest high-altitude climbers. However, Khan sought to push further by re-climbing the two peaks where he had previously relied on oxygen.

Sirbaz Khan began his journey in 2017 with a successful summit of Nanga Parbat, a notoriously dangerous 8,126-meter peak. This marked the beginning of his mission to scale all of the world’s highest mountains.

He went on to conquer some of the most challenging peaks, including K2 in July 2018 and Lhotse in May 2019, where he became the first Pakistani to reach the 8,516-meter summit.

In July 2019, Khan added Broad Peak to his list of achievements, reaching its 8,051-meter summit without supplementary oxygen—a hallmark of his climbs.

Later that year, in September, he summited Manaslu in Nepal, becoming only the second Pakistani to reach its 8,163-meter peak.

Khan’s determination remained steadfast, and in April 2021, he became the first Pakistani to summit Annapurna, one of the deadliest mountains in the world.

The following month, he successfully summited Mount Everest, the highest peak on the planet at 8,849 meters.

In July 2021, Khan led an all-Pakistani team to the summit of Gasherbrum II, standing at 8,035 meters, further cementing his reputation as a leader in high-altitude mountaineering.

Just a few months later, in October 2021, he became the first Pakistani to summit Dhaulagiri, an 8,167-meter peak.

He continued to break barriers in 2022, summiting Kangchenjunga in May and Makalu later that month, becoming the first Pakistani to conquer both of these formidable mountains.

In August of the same year, he led another successful expedition to Gasherbrum I, marking his 12th summit of an 8,000-meter peak.

In October 2023, Khan added Cho Oyu to his list of conquests, becoming the first Pakistani to summit the 8,188-meter peak. Then, with his successful ascent of Shishapangma on October 4, 2024, he became the first Pakistani to conquer all 14 of the world’s highest peaks.

Now, by re-summiting Annapurna and Kangchenjunga without supplemental oxygen, Sirbaz Khan has added another remarkable achievement to his legacy.