Muhammad Ali Sadpara (Urdu: محمد علی سدپارہ; (1976-02-02)2 February 1976 – February 2021)[2] was a Pakistani high-altitude mountaineer. He was part of the team (which included Italian alpinist Simone Moro and Spanish alpinist Alex Txikon) that completed the first winter ascent of Nanga Parbat in 2016.[3] Throughout his career, Sadpara successfully climbed a total of eight eight-thousanders, four of which he ascended in a single calendar year.[4]

Muhammad Ali Sadpara
محمد علی سدپارہ
Sadpara in 2019
Born(1976-02-02)2 February 1976
Disappeared5 February 2021
K2, Pakistan
Diedc. 5 February 2021(2021-02-05) (aged 45)
(officially presumed dead at K2 Bottleneck on 18 February 2021)
Body discovered26 July 2021[1]
OccupationMountaineer
SpouseFatima Sadpara
ChildrenSajid Sadpara

Early life

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Sadpara was born on 2 February 1976 in the village of Sadpara, located near Skardu in Gilgit−Baltistan, Pakistan.[5][6] He was the youngest of eleven children, and eight of his siblings did not survive childhood. He married his wife, Fatima, when he was 19 and had his first son, Sajid, shortly afterwards; he had a total of three children.[7] He completed his FA from a government college in Skardu[8] and was a member of his college football team.[9] He began his career as a high-altitude porter, serving as an assistant in mountain-climbing expeditions.[10] Like most other porters, Sadpara traversed the Baltoro Glacier in flip-flops and castoff gear.[11]

Mountaineering career

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Sadpara on the summit of K2 in August 2018

In 2006, Sadpara climbed his first eight-thousander, Gasherbrum II, located in the Karakoram range.[citation needed]

In 2015, Sadpara's team attempted to scale Nanga Parbat during wintertime and were unsuccessful. The team attempted another winter ascent in 2016 and successfully summited its peak, resulting in the first-ever winter ascent of the mountain. Sadpara would successfully summit Nanga Parbat four times in his mountaineering career.

In January 2018, Sadpara joined Basque mountaineer Alex Txikon [es],[12] in an unsuccessful attempt on Mount Everes during winter without supplemental oxygen.[10][13][14]

In June 2018, he joined French speed climber Marc Batard [fr][15] to undertake a five-year program known as "Beyond Mount Everest". The pair planned to summit Nanga Parbat, K2 and Mount Everest in 2019, 2021, and 2022, respectively.[16]

List of successful mountaineering ascents
Mountain Name Range Country Year of Ascent Notes
Gasherbrum II Karakoram Pakistan / China 2006
Golden Peak Karakoram Pakistan 2006
Nanga Parbat Himalayas Pakistan 2008
Muztagh Ata Pamir China 2008
Nanga Parbat Himalayas Pakistan 2009
Gasherbrum I Karakoram Pakistan / China 2010
Nanga Parbat Himalayas Pakistan 2016 First winter ascent
Broad Peak Karakoram Pakistan / China 2017
Nanga Parbat Himalayas Pakistan 2017 First autumn ascent
Pumori Himalayas Nepal / China 2017
K2 Karakoram Pakistan / China 2018
Lhotse Himalayas Nepal / China 2019
Makalu Himalayas Nepal / China 2019
Manaslu Himalayas Nepal 2019

Final climb

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During the winter season of 2020–2021, Sadpara, along with his 21-year-old son Sajid (who had also climbed K2 in 2019), teamed up with Icelandic mountaineer John Snorri Sigurjónsson[17] and Chilean mountaineer Juan Pablo Mohr Prieto[18] for a joint ascent of K2. After acclimatizing, the team left the highest camp on the evening of 4 February 2021. Sajid was later forced to descend due to an oxygen regulator malfunction,[19] leaving the other members of the team at the K2 Bottleneck, close to the summit. Sadpara, Sigurjónsson, and Prieto continued their ascent to K2's summit, but did not return by night as planned, and were declared missing on 5 February 2021.[20][21] A rescue mission with two Pakistan Army helicopters was organized on 6 February 2021 to search for the team.[22][23][24]

On 18 February 2021, Pakistani authorities announced that the three men were officially presumed dead, but the search for their remains would continue.[25][26] Sadpara's family also declared him as presumably dead on the same day.[27] On 26 July 2021, three bodies believed to be of the missing mountaineers were found on the slopes above Camp 4.[28][29] Sadpara's body was found around 300 meters (980 ft) below the K2 Bottleneck.[30] The bodies were found by a Madison Mountaineering Sherpa Team that was fixing ropes above the camp.[31] Sajid then retrieved the bodies of the three missing climbers including his father.[32]

Tributes

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Jajja, Sumaira (26 July 2021). "Bodies of Muhammad Ali Sadpara, Snorri and Mohr found on K2". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  2. ^ No contact with Sadpara, two others on K2 mission
  3. ^ "Muhammad Ali of Sadpara - Alpinist.com". www.alpinist.com. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  4. ^ "Ali Sadpara becomes first Pakistani to conquer world's seven 8000m peaks". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  5. ^ "Pakistan's Ali Sadpara: The climber who never came back from K2". BBC News. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  6. ^ Jajja, Sumaira (18 February 2021). "Muhammad Ali Sadpara: Porter, family man and tough as nails mountaineer". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  7. ^ "Muhammad Ali of Sadpara - Alpinist.com". www.alpinist.com. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  8. ^ "'My father Ali Sadpara is a survivor'". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Who is Ali Sadpara". Skardu.pk. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  10. ^ a b "Ali Sadpara set to hoist Pakistan's flag on Mount Everest | The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 22 December 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  11. ^ "Muhammad Ali of Sadpara - Alpinist.com". www.alpinist.com. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  12. ^ Alex Txikon
  13. ^ Nagri, Jamil (2 January 2018). "GB mountaineer to summit Everest without supplemental oxygen". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  14. ^ "Alex Txikon, Ali Sadpara begin toughest winter climb on Mt Everest". The Himalayan Times. 26 December 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  15. ^ "Marc Batard - Racing to the top". 6 March 2014.
  16. ^ "Sadpara joins French mountaineer for 'Beyond Mount Everest' expedition". The Nation. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  17. ^ John Snorri
  18. ^ Juan Pablo Mohr Prieto
  19. ^ Jajja, Sumaira (18 February 2021). "Sadpara, two other mountaineers missing on K2 declared dead". Dawn (Pakistan). Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021. The three climbers were last seen on Feb 5 near the Bottleneck on K2 as they attempted to reach the summit of the Savage Mountain. Sajid Sadpara, who was accompanying the three, had to abandon his summit bid after his oxygen regulator malfunctioned and he returned to camp 3.
  20. ^ Markús Þ. Þórhallsson (5 February 2021). "Ekkert hefur heyrst frá John Snorra á K2". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  21. ^ "Pakistani mountaineer Ali Sadpara, 2 others reported missing on K2 expedition". Geo News. 6 February 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  22. ^ "Pakistani mountaineer Ali Sadpara, 2 others reported missing on K2 expedition".
  23. ^ "Pak Army helicopters fail to locate Pakistani climber, two others on K2". Dawn. 6 February 2021.
  24. ^ "Sleeping bag, tents located through satellite imagery did not belong to Sadpara, others: search mission". Dawn. 15 February 2021.
  25. ^ "Sadpara, two other mountaineers missing on K2 declared dead". Dawn. 18 February 2021.
  26. ^ Atli Ísleifsson (18 February 2021). "John Snorri, Ali og Juan Pablo formlega taldir af". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  27. ^ "Pakistani climber Ali Sadpara declared dead by family". geo.tv. 18 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  28. ^ Angela Benavides (26 July 2021). "K2: Third Body Found". explorersweb.com. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  29. ^ Jajja, Dawn com | Sumaira (26 July 2021). "Bodies of Muhammad Ali Sadpara, Snorri and Mohr found on K2". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  30. ^ "Mountaineer Ali Sadpara's body found on K2 after five months | SAMAA". Samaa TV. 7 October 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  31. ^ "K2 Update: Two Bodies Found — Ali Sadpara One of Them". Explorersweb. 26 July 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  32. ^ "Son retrieves body of legendary Sadpara from K2 'Bottleneck'". The Express Tribune. 28 July 2021.
  33. ^ "Climbing wall named after Muhammad Ali Sadpara inaugurated". www.thenews.com.pk. 12 March 2021.
  34. ^ "This well is to honor Muhammad Ali Sadpara, a Pakistani high altitude mountaineer, who lost his life climbing K2 with his fellow mountaineers John Snorri Sigurjónsson & Juan Pablo Mohr Prieto. May their families have peace & patience while remembering their legacies #paaniproject". Twitter. 26 March 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  35. ^ "Sadpara Air Safari inaugurated by Pakistan International Airlines". PlanetMountain.com. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  36. ^ Ali, Shehzad (19 June 2021). "PIA's Sadpara Air Safari takes off from Islamabad". Samaa.
  37. ^ "Muhammad Ali Sadpara park inaugurated in Korangi". The Nation. 27 March 2021.
  38. ^ "Gilgit unveils Ali Sadpara monument for legendary climber". Aaj English TV. 5 May 2022.