Shehroz Kashif becomes youngest climber to ascend K2

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s 19-year-old Shehroz Kashif made history on Tuesday as he became the world’s youngest climber to ever stand atop K2 (8611-metre), the world’s second highest peak.

“This is a new world record. This is indeed an amazing achievement. He has made the whole nation proud,” Karrar Haidri, secretary Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) told APP.

Haidri said prior to Shehroz, Sajid Sadpara was the youngest mountaineer to summit K2 at the age of 20 in 2019. Multiple mountaineering outfits are attempting to scale K2 this summer. On Tuesday, another Pakistani climber Muhammad Sharif also summited the peak along with Shehroz.

“Soon after them, another Pakistani team from Hushe Mountaineering School led by Ali Durani and including Muhammad Hassan, Mushtaq Ahmad, and Usuf Meeri also summited the peak and waved green flag there,” Haidri added.

Talking to APP, Shehroz’s father Kashif Salman claimed that his son had actually achieved two world records. “He has successfully scaled K2. I feel proud to tell you that he has set not one but two world records. In a short span of three months, he has summited Mount Everest and K2, becoming the first teenager to do so. This is a proud moment for Pakistan,” he maintained.

In May this year, Shehroz became the youngest Pakistani to summit Mount Everest (8849-meter), the world’s tallest peak.

Hailing from Lahore, Shehroz started climbing at the age of just 11 by ascending 3885m Makra Peak. At 12, he took his passion to the next stage by reaching the 4080m Musa Ka Musalla peak and 4600m Chembra peak (4600m). He scaled 6050m Manglik Sar Shimshal peak at 13; Gondogoro La K2 Base Camp (5585m) at 14; and Khurdopin Pass (5890m) at 15. At 17, he climbed the Broad Peak (8047m), which also earned him the title “The Broad Boy”. He also accomplished the feat to scale Khusar Gang-Alpine Style (6050m) when he was 18.