{"id":111073,"date":"2025-12-22T19:15:16","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T19:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/explorersweb.com\/?p=111073"},"modified":"2025-12-23T12:35:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-23T12:35:15","slug":"doubts-surface-about-tirich-mir-climb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/explorersweb.com\/doubts-surface-about-tirich-mir-climb\/","title":{"rendered":"Doubts Surface About Tirich Mir Climb"},"content":{"rendered":"

This summer, Pakistani climbers climbed the elusive 7,708m Tirich Mir for the first time. On August 1 and August 19, two local teams reported summits. Recent accusations sent to several media outlets by an eyewitness have now cast doubt on one of these remarkable achievements. The person claims that the team he was involved with never reached the top.<\/p>\n

We contacted both teams for further details and summit proof, with varied results.<\/p>\n

First summit reports<\/h2>\n

The leader of the first summit team, Abdul Joshi, submitted a press release with details of the climb and shared what they reported as a summit picture, below. Unfortunately, it includes no geographical references.<\/p>\n

\"Climbers

Summit picture of Tirich Mir provided by the Pakistani Shimshal Guides Expedition<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joshi climbed with a group of guides from Shimshal: Hameed Ullah, Faryad Karim, Mansoor Karim, and Nisar Ahmed. They reportedly summited after a 20-hour push from Camp 3. Joshi wrote in a press release that the team climbed a new route on the west face of the mountain, which he named after himself (the Abdul Joshi route).<\/p>\n

From 6,700m upward, the terrain became highly technical, with deep crevasses, steep ice, and dangerous glacier crossings, Joshi wrote. \u201cThe most critical part began at 7,450m with exposed rock, followed by a deadly mix of ice and rock at 7,600m.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time of Joshi’s press release, a second Pakistani team, formed by Sirbaz Khan and Abid Baig,<\/a> reported their later success on social media but had not yet submitted a complete report.<\/p>\n

The accusation<\/h2>\n

Last week, we (among other specialized media) received an email from someone who identified himself as a member of the first expedition team (and asked to remain anonymous while the case was under investigation), reporting “serious concerns regarding Mr. Abdul Joshi\u2019s conduct during our recent expedition to Tirich Mir.”<\/p>\n

“Due to deteriorating weather conditions, we were unable to reach the summit and turned back at approximately 7,600m. Abdul asked me to take a photo from below. At that point, Abdul proposed that we falsify our summit success, assuring us of significant financial compensation in return.”<\/p>\n

The team member noted that in the end, they did not receive their promised reward. He also explains that a close examination of the reported summit image reveals that the climbers are not on the summit. The climbers’ sunglasses reflect a snowy slope in front of them and the person taking the picture. We’ll come back to this.<\/p>\n

\"reflection

Summit picture of Tirich Mir provided by Pakistani Shimshal Guides Expedition<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tirich Mir background<\/h2>\n

The highest peak of the Hindu Kush, 7,708m Tirich Mir was first climbed<\/a> by a Norwegian expedition in 1950. In 1967, a Czech team summited via the northwest face from the Tirich Glacier. Nowadays, it’s considered the normal route up the mountain.<\/p>\n

Tirich Mir became quite popular among climbers during the 1970s, but Pakistan’s authorities stopped granting permits soon after due to the closure of the nearby Afghanistan border.<\/p>\n

There were no summit videos or GPS tracks in that era. The information is often not available online, which adds difficulty to any investigation related to disputed summit claims. \"Tirich<\/p>\n

Tirich Mir’s location. Photo: Medium.com<\/p>\n

In the 21st century, Tirich Mir has had only two ascents: Jerome Chazelas and Thomas Quillet<\/a>\u00a0of France obtained a rare permit in 2016<\/a> and summited the main peak via a variation of the 1967 Czech route.<\/p>\n

\"A

One of the French 2016 climbers above Camp 4 on Tirich Mir, 400m below the summit. Photo: Jerome Chazelas\/Thomas Quillet<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The second summit in the 2000s was done by Kayuza Hiraide and Kenro Nakajima of Japan, and it was a good one — the first ascent of the previously unexplored north face. ExplorersWeb highlighted it as the best expedition of 2023.<\/a> It was later awarded a Piolet d’Or — posthumously, since by then, Hiraide and Nakajima had perished on the West Face of K2<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"The

Kazuya Hiraide, left, and Kenro Nakajima on the summit of Tirich Mir. Note the impressive landscape of peaks in the background. Photo: Kazuya Hiraide\/Kenro Nakajima<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

This year, local authorities announced they would waive the climbing royalty fees for Tirich Mir to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the 1950 first ascent. However, a Slovenian team that tried to climb the peak in July was turned away<\/a> from Base Camp by officials, citing safety reasons. The next climbers to set foot on the mountain were the two Pakistani expeditions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sirbaz Khan and Abid Baig’s report<\/h2>\n

ExplorersWeb checked with Abid Baig and Sirbaz Khan, the two summiters of the second expedition, who reached the top of Tirish Mir on August 19. They provided plenty of summit proof: videos, photos with geographical references, InReach tracking data, and a description of their climb.<\/p>\n

\"InReach

Summit InReach track provided by Abid Baig and Sirbaz Khan<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Translated into Google Earth<\/a>, the coordinates do coincide with the summit of Tirich Mir.<\/p>\n

\"Google

Track’s coordinates on Google Earth.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sirbaz Khan was Pakistan’s first 14×8,000m summiter, and Abid Baig is also a professional mountaineer who has summited Gasherbrum I, Broad Peak, and Nanga Parbat without supplementary oxygen.<\/p>\n

For Sirbaz Khan, this was a very special summit. “It is not only the first all-Pakistani ascent of the mountain, but also part of [my] project to climb the highest peak of the three major ranges of Pakistan: K2 in the Karakoram, Nanga Parbat in the Himalaya, and Tirich Mir<\/a> in the Hindu Kush.”<\/p>\n

‘The ropes were a great help’<\/h2>\n

Khan and Baig climbed using the ropes previously fixed by Joshi\u2019s team weeks before.<\/p>\n

“Some of the ropes were partially buried and covered in frost, so we had to replace them in those sections,” Baig said. “Still, the ropes fixed by Joshi were a great help, as they allowed us to follow the route without having to scout it ourselves. It was a significant assistance, especially for direction keeping.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ropes ended at approximately 7,550m, [at the exit of a deep couloir] with no indications [footprints, etc.] beyond that point,\u201d Baig said.<\/p>\n

\"The

The point where the fixed ropes ended and the route to the summit, marked by Abid Baig.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

From that point to the 7,708m summit of Tirich Mir, Khan and Baig needed three more hours.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce out of the couloir, the terrain was less steep and not very technical so we didn\u2019t need our ice tools, but the progress was slow and tiring due to deep snow and several boulders,” Baig said.<\/p>\n

Baig mentioned that there were other climbers on their team, but only he and Sirbaz Khan reached the top.<\/p>\n

Baig also posted details of the climb on his Instagram account:<\/p>\n

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