Pakistani mountaineer Sirbaz Khan has made history by becoming the first Pakistani to summit all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks without using supplemental oxygen. He completed this extraordinary achievement on Sunday by reaching the summit of Kangchenjunga, the world’s third-highest mountain at 8,586 metres.
Khan, who hails from Hunza Valley, had already climbed all 14 “eight-thousanders” previously, but he had used bottled oxygen on two of them. Determined to meet his original goal, he returned this year to re-climb Annapurna in April and Kangchenjunga in May, both without any oxygen support.
“When I first set out after summiting Nanga Parbat in 2017, my mission was to complete all 14 peaks without oxygen,” Khan had said. “Even though I had done them all, something still felt incomplete.”
Globally, only around 70 climbers have summited all 14 of the world’s highest peaks, but fewer than 25 have done so without supplemental oxygen. Sirbaz Khan has now joined this elite group, demonstrating incredible physical and mental endurance in the so-called “death zone” above 8,000 metres.
Over the past eight years, Khan has consistently broken new ground for Pakistani mountaineering. From summiting K2 in 2018 to Mount Everest in 2021 and Cho Oyu in 2023, he has pushed past national and global boundaries with each climb. His leadership and commitment have also inspired a new generation of Pakistani climbers.
Now, by returning to Annapurna and Kangchenjunga and completing them without oxygen, Khan has fulfilled his original vision and sealed his legacy as Pakistan’s greatest high-altitude climber. His achievement is a proud moment not only for the country but for the global climbing community.