Muhammad Ali Sadpara

Biography

Muhammad Ali Sadpara, born February 2, 1976, and died February 5, 2021, was a Pakistani mountaineer. He was part of the team that achieved the first winter ascent of Nanga Parbat. His two teammates, Alex Txikon and Simone Moro, later stated that they could not have done it without Sadpara's genius. He is the only Pakistani mountaineer to have successfully climbed four 8,000-meter peaks in a single calendar year. His 20-year-old son also climbed K2 in the summer of 2019. He was born in the village of Sadpara, on the outskirts of Skardu, in northern Pakistan. He began his career as a porter. His passion for mountaineering led him to accompany foreign expeditions. In 2015, his team attempted a winter ascent of Nanga Parbat, but was unsuccessful. They tried again in 2016 and reached the summit, marking the first winter ascent of Nanga Parbat. He has climbed Nanga Parbat four times. In January 2018, Ali Sadpara and Spanish mountaineer Alex Txikon, along with six Sherpas, attempted to climb Everest in winter without supplemental oxygen, but failed the following month at Camp 4 due to high winds. In June 2018, he was recruited by Marc Batard to participate in the "Beyond Mount Everest" program, a five-year undertaking. They planned to climb Nanga Parbat, K2, and Everest in 2019, 2021, and 2022, respectively. Among his prestigious mountaineering record, Muhammad Ali Sadpara successfully climbed 8 of the 14 peaks over eight thousand meters: Gasherbrum II in 2006 (Pakistan), Spantik in 2006 (Pakistan), Nanga Parbat in 2008 (Pakistan), Muztagh Ata in 2008 (China), Nanga Parbat in 2009 (Pakistan), Gasherbrum I in 2010 (Pakistan), Nanga Parbat in 2016 (Pakistan), first winter ascent of Broad Peak in 2017 (Pakistan), Nanga Parbat in 2017 (Pakistan), first autumn ascent of Pumori in 2017 (Nepal), first winter ascent of K2 in 2018 (Pakistan), Lhotse in 2019 (Nepal) linked with Makalu in 2019 (Nepal), from Manaslu in 2019 (Nepal). He disappeared on K2 with Chilean Juan Pablo Mohr and Icelander John Snorri on February 5, 2021. Pakistani authorities officially announced the abandonment of the search and the deaths of the three climbers on February 19, 2021. His son, Sajid Ali Sadpara, also a professional mountaineer and a national treasure, was 20 years old and the youngest climber to reach the summit of K2. On July 26, 2021, he found his father's body on K2, five months after the tragedy.