Pakistani mountaineer Shehroze Kashif faced many dangers climbing the planet’s tallest peaks, but his toughest moment came when he passed the corpse of his hero on the savage slopes of K2.
Kashif was 19 years and 138 days old when in July he became the youngest person to summit both Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, and K2, the second-highest.
It was on K2, just below the infamous stretch known as the Bottleneck, that he passed the bodies of Iceland’s John Snorri, Chile’s Juan Pablo Mohr and Pakistani climbing legend Ali Sadpara.
Photo: AFP
“The most emotional moment for me was going on past those climbers, the dead body of Pakistan’s national hero,” Kashif said in an interview.
Many Pakistanis have crucial roles as high-altitude porters, but Sadpara was one of the few to break into the elite ranks of mostly Western climbers who have long dominated headlines in mountaineering.
He was declared missing along with Snorri and Mohr on Feb. 5. It was more than five months before their bodies were found, on July 26, and Kashif made his summit push as dawn broke the next morning.
“I got emotional, thinking that they had come with the same passion I had,” Kashif said. “But then I thought, why not fulfil their unfulfilled dream? And I took their dream with me.”
This month, the Guinness Book of World Records officially declared him the youngest person to climb K2 and the youngest to climb both the world’s two highest mountains.
Kashif summited Everest, which at 8,849m is Earth’s tallest peak, in May, but the 8,611m K2 — known as the “Savage Mountain” and located near Pakistan’s border with China — is the more brutal summit.
They are “poles apart,” Kashif said, calling K2 a “beast.”
In winter, winds can blow at more than 200kph and temperatures can drop to minus-60°C. Kashif experienced snow blindness and frostbite — and said he was lucky his big toe was not amputated.
“My energy was too low, it was a difficult time... One wrong step and you are history,” he said from his home in Lahore, the sub-tropical, low-altitude Punjabi city where he was born.
Kashif was first entranced by the mountains at 11 years old, when he spotted the scenic 3,885m Himalayan peak Makra while on holiday with his father in northern Pakistan.
“It all started there,” he said.
While standing on top of the world he felt “chosen” — a feeling that he described leaving on the peak, “so others coming behind you can also feel it,” he said.
Everest and K2 are not enough, he added.
He plans to become the youngest person to climb the world’s 14 highest mountains, the only peaks on the planet that are above 8,000m. All lie in Asia, in the Himalayas or the Karakoram range, and five are in Pakistan.
Only about 40 people in history are believed to have climbed all 14, but it can be difficult to verify summit claims and some experts said there could be even fewer.
The youngest is Mingma Gyabu “David” Sherpa, of Nepal, who the Guinness Book of World Records said summited them all by age 30. Kashif still has 10 to go.
He has also climbed Manaslu in Nepal and Broad Peak in Pakistan, the eighth and 12th-highest mountains respectively — and has given himself until 2024 to summit the rest.
He is well aware of the dangers.
Pakistan mourned the loss of Sadpara, but Kashif also lost a friend, Pakistani-Swiss climber Abdul Waraich, on Everest in May.
Still, he refuses to contemplate an urban life at sea level.
“I think mountains are blessings of God,” he said. “I feel tired looking at all these concrete buildings, garbage and pollution. I just go where I feel most alive, and I feel mountains are the most suitable place for me.”
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely