Peak Perfection: Shehroze Kashif becomes youngest Pakistani to conquer world's highest mountains

Shehroze Kashif, at just 22 years old, has become the youngest Pakistani to summit all 14 of the world’s highest peaks.

On October 9, 2024, at 3:30 am PST, Kashif, also known as ‘The Broad Boy’, successfully reached the summit of Shishapangma (8,027 meters), completing his journey of climbing all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks.

Kashif is only the second climber from Pakistan to achieve this elusive feat, following Sarbaz Khan, who recently scaled all 14 eight-thousanders after summiting Shishapangma.

Kashif's heroics have been widely hailed. In fact his conquest of 14 highest peaks was at top of the trending topics in Pakistan on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday.

“Once again, Shehroze has proudly raised the Pakistani flag on one of the world’s highest peaks, marking a historic moment for him and the nation,” Karrar Haidri, Secretary Alpine Club of Pakistan, said.

“On behalf of the President of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the Executive Board, and all its members, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to Shehroze Kashif, his fellow climbers, and the entire nation,” he added.

The Bilquis and Abdul Razzak Dawood Foundation (BARD) has played a major role in Sheroze's career. And it was hardly surprising when top BARD officials expressed their delight over his achievement.

"All of us are really proud of Shehroze," commented Abdul Razzak Dawood. "We always believed that he had great potential and he has exceeded our expectations and has brought global fame for Pakistan," he added.

Mehreen Dawood, also part of BARD, echoed his words, stressing that Shehroze has made the entire nation proud. "All of us are so happy. It's a huge accomplishment," she told Nukta.

Kashif’s incredible journey began at the age of 17 when he summited Broad Peak (8,047m) on July 27, 2019.

At 19, Shehroze became the youngest Pakistani to climb the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest (8,849m), on May 11, 2021.

Soon after summitting Everest, Kashif scaled K2 (8,611m) on July 27, 2021, becoming the youngest climber to climb the second-highest peak in the world.

List of Kashif’s mountaineering expeditions:

Broad Peak - July 2019

Mount Everest - May 2021

K2 - July 2021

Manaslu - September 2021

Kangchenjunga - May 2022

Lhotse - May 2022

Makalu - May 2022

Nanga Parbat - July 2022

Gasherbrum II - August 2022

Gasherbrum I - August 2022

Annapurna - April 2023

Dhaulagiri - May 2023

Cho Oyu - October 2023

Shishapangma - October 2024

Shehroze Kashif holds the Pakistan flag during one of his mountaineering expeditions. Facebook/Shehroze Kashif

Why is the Eight-Thousander challenge daunting?

Summitting all 14 eight-thousanders is considered one of the greatest mountaineering challenges due to extreme altitude, all 14 peaks exceed 8,000 meters, exposing climbers to harsh and low-oxygen environments.

Additionally, majority of the peaks are located in isolated and hard to reach which makes logistics and rescue operations a daunting task.

Climbers also have to deal with extreme temperatures, high winds and unpredictable storms.

Only people with advanced climbing skills can scale these peaks due to steep terrain, crevasses and exposed ridges.

Physical endurance, mental toughness, financial Burden and risk of altitude sickness are also among the factors which pushes climbers to their limits.