SKARDU, GILGIT-BALTISTAN: Record-breaking mountaineer Naila Kiani, who became the first Pakistani woman climber on July 20 to summit the massive Broad Peak mountain, said on Monday she does not believe anything is impossible to achieve.
Kiani scaled the massive Broad Peak on July 20, which stands as one of the 14 independent mountains on Earth, collectively known as the “8,000-ers,” owing to their elevation surpassing 8,000 meters (26,247 ft) above sea level. The feat made her the first woman climber to summit all five of the 14 mountains above 8,000 meters in Pakistan and eight mountains in total that stand above 8,000 meters worldwide.
Prior to this, Kiani summited the “Killer Mountain” Nanga Parbat, the legendary Mount Everest, the difficult K2, the commanding Lhotse, the perilous Annapurna, the elusive G1, and the G2 in Pakistan.
“Never think that anything is impossible. I started mountaineering only two years ago,” Kiani told Arab News in an exclusive interview. “I don’t have anybody in my family who has any connection with mountaineering.
“And within two years, I am the fastest among Pakistani males and females who climbed all Pakistani peaks in two years and eight overall mountains.”
Growing up, Kiani was an adventurous child who loved to read books and wanted to ride horses. However, the Dubai-based mountaineer never knew one day she would be climbing some of the highest peaks in the world.
Her tryst with mountain climbing began suddenly two years ago, her first peak being Gasherbrum-II, which stands at 8,035 meters high.
“I started climbing all of a sudden two years ago, unplanned,” Kiani said. “I loved the mountains. I loved being in the mountains. But I just wanted to experience the thrill, and the challenge mountaineering offers.”
Initially, no one believed Naila could achieve what she set out to. “One of my main challenges was people didn’t believe in me,” she said, adding that her family’s support kept her going.
“I have been able to climb eight peaks above 8,000 meters mainly because of my husband’s support,” Kiani, mother of two daughters, said. “My kids are very young. I wouldn’t have been able to leave them at home, if I didn’t have support from my family, mainly from my husband.”
Convincing her family, mainly her husband, was difficult at first.
“I go with the best team, so my family has more confidence in my ability, my skill,” she said. “They know I will not take unnecessary risk and if I’m ever in a risky situation, they know that my team and I will somehow be able to come out of the situation.”
Kiani admits being a professional banker, a mother, and a wife took its toll on her before she decided to take a “small career break” and prioritize things.
“I was very stressed out at a point, but I just prioritized things and I’m on a small career break now to complete as many peaks as I can and I’ll go back to my professional life,” Kiani shared. “But juggling everything was really not easy.”
The Pakistani climber had a near-death experience when she attempted summiting Mount Everest in May 2023. According to Kiani, there was a point when several rocks started falling down on her team as they were climbing.
“If one rock hit my head, it would split open my skull because of the speed at which rocks fall down,” Kiani said. “It is sometimes even 100 to 200km/hour.”
Kiani advised people to achieve whatever they wanted to in life, regardless of the situation they find themselves in.
“I mean, dream big and go for the impossible,” she said. “Go for what people say is impossible and make it possible.”
