Doha, Qatar: Qatari mountaineer Sheikha Asma bint Thani Al-Thani marked her 11th 8,000-metre summit on July 30, 2026, after reaching the summit of Gasherbrum II in the Karakoram mountain range on the Pakistan and China border.
Sheikha Asma has now successfully summited 11 of the world’s 14 mountains exceeding 8,000 metres, known as the "Death Zone" due to the extreme conditions and low oxygen levels at such altitudes. The achievement also marks her journey and goal towards completing all of the world’s highest peaks.
Apart from the new feat, in a social media post following the climb, Sheikha Asma’s thoughts turned to the Broad Peak tragedy.
“Gasherbrum II became my 11th 8,000-metre summit, but the summit isn’t what comes to mind first. I keep going back to Camp 1,” she wrote.
Photo credit: Sheikha Asma Al Thani on Instagram
She recalled spending five days waiting for suitable weather before beginning their summit push.
“We made peace with staying and accepted that we would climb when the mountain was ready,” she captioned on Instagram.
“Every morning we gathered outside Mingma Tenzing’s tent, our barista in the Karakoram. We drank coffee, laughed and checked the forecast. Nobody rushed the mountain. We all wanted the same thing: to climb safely and come home together,” she added.
Sheikha Asma also shared that she had exchanged messages with Wang, who had left for Broad Peak the night before her summit push.
Photo credit: Sheikha Asma Al Thani on Instagram
She recalled sending a message to Wang after reaching the summit of Gasherbrum II at around 5am, saying, “We summited at 5am and on my way.”
She later learned, while descending towards Base Camp, that contact had been lost with the Broad Peak team. “At first we hoped it was a radio, a battery, anything,” she wrote. “Only later did I understand it would be the last message I would ever send him.”
Reflecting on the climb, she said: “When I think back to Gasherbrum II, I’ll remember the waiting, the coffee, the moon, the team, Broad Peak across the valley, and one ordinary message I never imagined would be the last.”
“To Pakistan, thank you for welcoming me to these mountains. I never take the Karakoram for granted,” she added.
