Guinness World Records has recognised Pakistan’s Shehroze Kashif as the world’s youngest climber to summit the world’s two tallest mountains — the 8,849-metre-high Everest and 8,611-metre-high K2 — in the same year, according to a press statement issued by the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) on Wednesday.
The statement said that Kashif, who hails from Lahore, achieved the feat aged 19 years and 138 days. He also holds the record for being the youngest person to have climbed K2.
The 19-year-old became the youngest Pakistani to scale Everest — the world’s highest peak — on May 6 this year and summitted K2 — the second highest mountain in the world — on July 27, climbing both the mountains within a span of nearly three months.
ACP Secretary Karrar Haidri congratulated Kashif on being recognised by Guinness World Records.
Kashif is also the youngest Pakistani to have climbed Broad Peak (8,047m) at the age of 17. He used supplemental oxygen on his climbs at Broad Peak, the Everest and K2.
His first climb was at the age of 11 when he climbed the 3,885-metre-high Makra Peak, followed by Musa Ka Musalla, a 4,080-metre-high mountain.
Continuing to train for longer and harder treks, he did the Gondogoro La K2 Base Camp trek at the age of 14 and at 15, he was able to complete the Khurdo Pin Pass (5,800m) trek. At 18, he did Khusar Gang, a 6,050m peak Alpine style.
Nepal, China and Pakistan are home to14 of the world’s highest peaks, called the 8,000ers.
While the world’s tallest mountain, the Everest, is located in Nepal, Pakistan is home to five mountains more than 8,000m tall, namely K2, Gasherbrum-I, Gasherbrum-II, Broad Peak and Nanga Parbat.
Climbers most rely on bottled oxygen to summit these death-zone peaks as the pressure of oxygen is insufficient to sustain human life for an extended time span above the altitude of 8,000m.
