20-Year-Old Pakistani Becomes 'World's Youngest' To Climb 10 Peaks Above 8,000M

A 20-year-old Pakistani on Friday became the world's youngest mountaineer to summit 10 peaks above 8,000 meters (26,247 feet) after he climbed Gashebrum I, the 11th tallest mountain on earth, a mountaineering association said.

The 8,068-meter (26,469-foot) Gashebrum I, also known as the "Hidden Mountain", is located in Pakistan's northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, which borders neighboring China, and is home to five out of a total of 14 mountains above 8,000 meters.

"Heartiest congratulations Shehroze Kashif on summit of Gasherbrum I today (Friday) at 4.09 am (2.09GMT)," announced the Alpine Club of Pakistan.

"Now Shehroze Kashif becomes the youngest mountaineer in the whole world to summit 10 peaks above 8,000 meters," it added.

Hailing from the northeastern city of Lahore, the 20-year-old Kashif is only the sixth Pakistani to scale Mount Everest, the world's tallest mountain in May last year. Among them, Samina Baig is the only woman climber to achieve this milestone, in 2013.

Kashif, the son of a local businessman, started climbing at the tender age of 11, gradually scaling several peaks ranging from 3,000 to 8,000 meters (9,843-26,247 feet) before ascending Mount Everest and K2.

In 2013, he scaled the 3,885-meter (12,746-foot) Makra Peak, situated in Pakistan's northwestern Mansehra district, still just 11 years old.

His 2019 expedition to the 8,047-meter (26,401-foot) Broad Peak, located in Gilgit-Baltistan, earned him the title "The Broad Boy."

Apart from Kashif, two other Pakistani climbers, Sirbaz Khan, and Naila Kiyani also made it to the top of Gashebrum I on Friday.

After scaling Gashebrum I, Khan, 32, has become the only Pakistani to climb 12 mountains above 8,000 meters across the world.

Kiani, who accompanied Kashif and Sirbaz to conquer Gashebrum I, has become the only Pakistani female to scale all 8,000-meter peaks inside Pakistan.

Last month, Kiani, became the first Pakistani mother to summit K2, the world's second-tallest mountain.

A banker by profession, she currently lives in the United Arab Emirates. -