Meet Desi Mountaineer – a Lahori man who loves K2, Mount Everest

Sa’ad Mohamed was born in Karachi, and raised in Islamabad but is settled in Lahore. He grew up in close vicinity of the Margallas and was very well-traveled at a very young age. His fascination for snow-capped mountains grew with age but little did he know that he would be climbing the world’s tallest mountains down the road.

He told the Minute Mirror, “Whenever I see a mountain, I feel a natural pull towards it. He is one of a select few Pakistanis from the plains to have attempted Mount Everest, Broad Peak, and the Gasherbrums. His highest summit is Spantik, which is at a daunting altitude of 7,027m.

He says that becoming a climber is difficult for someone living in Lahore. A climber by passion, a keynote speaker by choice, and a content producer by accident, he refers to himself as the Desi Mountaineer.

“My family is naturally apprehensive regarding my climbs, which is quite obvious because of the challenges one faces while climbing high-altitude mountains.”

“Mountaineering is a very risky sport and we try to mitigate those risks through our training and experience.”

He heads up to the mountains whenever he has the time and the money. He went skiing during the winter at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Malam Jabba. He claims that every trekker’s desire is to cross the extremely difficult, 5,630m-high Gondogoro La (Pass), which he has crossed thrice in recent years.

But it was Samina Baih who inspired him to attempt Mount Everest in 2017. In 2012 he was a team member of the Pakistan-China Friendship expedition to Spantik Peak, which inspired him to consider greater adventures.

In 1996, Sa’ad began trekking to base camps, lakes, and high mountain passes. This marked the beginning of his voyage to more challenging climbs. His career as a mountaineer started in 2006, and his ascent of the 7,000-meter-plus peak in 2012 gave him a lot of confidence to embark on more challenging expeditions.

Every time he goes on an expedition, Sa’ad uses a camera and a pen to record his experiences. He wrote a travelogue about his experience climbing Mount Everest for the BBC.

Every trekker’s lifetime goal has been to reach the peak of Mount Everest, which he refers to as the “ultimate trophy.”

“I felt chills run down my spine as I stood at the base camp of K2, the second-highest mountain in the world. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be at the base of the tallest peak in the world,” he claims.

Sa’ad has attempted peaks that are often unexplored.

Because climbing is an addicting activity and his love for the great outdoors has only begun, he declared that he would climb K2 within the next ten years.

Simone Moro is perhaps the most well-known winter expedition of the present, according to Mr. Mohamed, who claims that winter trips are a relatively recent trend in world climbing.

The Shimshal valley is recognized for its hard and steep topography as well as its breathtaking scenery.

“I feel that challenges are a part of any journey, large or little, but the main difficulty is funding climbing excursions,” Mr. Mohamed adds. “We just cannot continue to do this out of our own pocket,” he explained. “With the current security situation in Pakistan, fewer and fewer international expeditions are ready to come here. The tourist business was severely harmed in the aftermath of 9/11, and the Diamir event has nearly brought the once-thriving industry to an end. Companies with a local presence should understand that there is more to life than cricket matches and musical events. “Corporate social responsibility is more than simply photo ops; it’s past year time for corporations to identify themselves with the cause of revitalizing tourism in Pakistan,” Mr. Mohamed added.

Sa’ad proposes a year-long hiking adventure.

“I need to remain fit whether I’m in Lahore or hiking a mountain,” he explains.

“The first hurdle of every trip is to acclimatize to local circumstances,” he explains.

“On an expedition, one must be patient and prepared to face the unexpected – storms and avalanches. Mountaineering fails timelines and plans; this is an area where raw chance is very important.”

This year, he is planning to summit the Killer Mountain – Nanga Parbat. Good luck to him.