@krash This attempt by a Pakistani national is without the aid of oxygen cylinders.
This Pakistani is Muhammad Ali Sadpara, a national hero and one of the best climbers in the world today. And like most of our national heroes, no one knows his name.
He claimed the first winter ascent on Nangaparbat!!! I cannot emphasize how big an achievement that is. IMO, it is still the most impressive feat yet achieved in mountaineering, keeping my above rant in mind. He did it with his teammates Alex Txicon and Simone Moro. He waited a few meters below the summit for Txicon and Moro to join him so that they could summit together. According to them both, he led them to the top and there was no way they could have done it without him. Txicon and Moro are two of the best and most celebrated climbers today.
I've been following Ali Sadpara's climbs for years now. His story is of a textbook Pakistani climber. In fact, exactly the same as almost all of our climbers. As his name suggests he was born in the dirt-poor village of Sadpara. He started portering for foreign teams because you don't have many economic opportunities in his region. He carried massive loads for foreigners across glaciers and to higher camps for peanuts. He did this while wearing something like this,
As he climbed higher and higher with the foreigners, he realized he loved it and was quite good at it. He could not afford his own equipment so he would climb using discarded and donated gear left behind by foreign expeditions. Such was his ability and sheer talent that foreign climbers started noticing him (Not the first time for a Pakistani high altitude porter. The village of Sadpara is full of these guys). Then, they started offering him spots on their teams as an equal member and not just a lowly porter. This meant that his climbs were now funded by foreign sponsors that the foreign teams had arranged and that he would have equal opportunity at the summit.
His first +8000 meter ascent was of Gasherbrum II in 2006. In 2008 came Gasherbrum I and Nangaparbat. Nangaparbat again in 2009 and 2011. In 2016 came Nangaparbat yet again but in
winter!!! In 2017 he did Broad Peak, Nangaparbat's first ever autumn ascent (Not as celebrated as the other firsts), and Pumori's (7,161m. Nepal) first winter ascent. In 2018 he completed the Pakistani circuit of the five +8000 meter peaks by summitting K2. But he wasn't finished here. He now wanted to become the first Pakistani to climb all the 14 eight-thousanders (It's a pretty big achievement). So in 2019 he summitted three of them in Nepal; Lohtse, Makalu, and Manaslu (Sponsored by the Pakistan Army). He has now climbed 8 out of the 14 +8000 meter peaks in the world. He would've had 9 had his winter attempt on Everest with Txicon not failed in 2018. It would've also made him the 2nd person ever to climb Everest in winter without O2. I cannot wait for the day when he finally summits the fourteenth. In total, the man has successfully summitted +8000 meter peaks twelve times. He also has a bag full of winter attempts on various Pakistani +8000 meter peaks.
He did all this without any support from the gov or the Alpine Club of Pakistan. This man became the most accomplished mountaineer in Pakistan's history on 'hand me downs'. The corrupt, self-serving degenerates in the gov and ACP don't care. The Pakistani people don't care either. Thankfully, the international community is more appreciative and cognizant of his achievements. The man is known as the Maestro of the 'Killer Mountain'. He is a legend.
Yes, he is currently on K2 with his son Sajid (youngest Pakistani and the 3rd youngest person ever to summit K2) and John Snorri (Iceland). I've been following them through
Sadpara's twitter and Snorri's
Garmin and
Facebook pages. I've been waiting for him to attempt winter K2 since 2016. Was praying and hoping with all I had that his team would be the first to the summit. How fitting would it have been? The poor Pakistani porter rises yet again and takes what is rightfully his, just like he did on Nangaparbat. When the climbers attempting Broad Peak went missing a few days ago, Sadpara and Snorri paused their K2 attempt to help in the rescue. They are back on K2 now. Still praying for them to make it to the top. Didn't mention it in my last post because it would've made what I was saying seem biased. Maybe it even was.
They made their first summit push yesterday but failed due to the winds. They are now back in base camp and will attempt the summit again between the 3rd and 5th. When they summit, which Insha' Allah they will, I will probably bawl my eyes out like a little kid. May Allah protect them and grant them success. Ameen.
Btw, Elia Saikaly is currently filming a documentary on Sadparas' and Snorri's climb.
Muhammed Ali Sadpara,
Sajid Sadpara,
John Snorri,
PS: That twitter account you posted is fake. Also, the video is clearly from a summer attempt and I doubt it's on K2.