The icy winds howled through the steep and unforgiving cliffs of Gojal, Hunza, when tragedy struck the mountaineering community of Pakistan. Shah Daulat, a fearless and highly respected young climber from Shimshal, lost his life after falling nearly 400 meters during an ice climbing practice session. The incident has sent shockwaves across Gilgit-Baltistan and beyond, leaving fellow climbers, friends, and admirers in deep grief.
According to available details, the 31-year-old mountaineer was practicing on a steep ice wall alongside a foreign tourist on Friday evening when disaster struck. Shah Daulat reportedly lost his footing and slipped, plunging hundreds of meters down the frozen mountain slope. Due to the severity of the fall, he sustained fatal injuries and died on the spot, highlighting the extreme risks associated with ice and high-altitude climbing.
Local volunteers immediately responded to the incident and carried out a challenging recovery operation in the harsh terrain. Shah Daulat’s body was recovered and transported to a government hospital in Sost, located near the Khunjerab Pass on the Pakistan–China border. After completing the required formalities, his body was sent back to his hometown of Shimshal, where he was laid to rest amid scenes of mourning and sorrow.
Shah Daulat was widely admired for his exceptional climbing skills and had already built an extraordinary reputation at a young age. He had successfully summited four peaks above 8,000 meters, including K2, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum II, and Gasherbrum I. These mountains are considered among the most dangerous in the world, making his achievements all the more remarkable.
In 2025, Shah Daulat achieved a rare and elite milestone by summiting Gasherbrum I without the use of supplemental oxygen. This feat placed him among a very small group of world-class climbers and cemented his status as one of Pakistan’s strongest mountaineers. He was also a relative of renowned Pakistani mountaineer Samina Baig and had participated in her historic K2 expedition in 2022.
Following his death, tributes poured in from across Pakistan and the international mountaineering community. Social media users remembered him as a humble, brave, and passionate climber who truly lived for the mountains. Shah Daulat’s untimely death serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of high-altitude climbing, but his legacy will continue to inspire generations of young climbers from Gilgit-Baltistan and beyond.
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