ISLAMABAD: Jabbar Bhatti, who is attempting to summit all seven highest peaks around the world, has conquered Mount Aconcagua in Argentina.

Alpine Club of Pakistan officially confirmed on Sunday that Jabbar Bhatti climbed 6,962 metre-high Mount Aconcagua on January 17, the highest peak in South America.

“According to our records, Jabbar Bhatti is the third Pakistani after Samina Baig and her brother Mirza Ali, to conquer Mount Aconcagua. He reached Argentina on January 5, to climb this mountain,” Alpine Club of Pakistan Secretary Karrar Haidri told Dawn.

On May 21, 2017, retired Col Abdul Jabbar Bhatti became the fourth Pakistani to stand atop 8,848 metres tall Mount Everest. However, Jabbar Bhatti and his Nepalese Sherpa had to be rescued from the death zone, where he was stranded at 8,600 metres.

It took nine rescuers to bring them down to safety of the base camp. Both climbers, who had run out of bottled oxygen, got frost bites on their hands and toes. It took him one-and-a-half months to complete the Everest expedition. Jabbar Bhatti has lost all of his fingers on both hands after Mount Everest.

He has already scaled Broad Peak, which is 8,051 metres in 1985, 8,035 metres tall Gasherbrum II in 1986 and Spantik Peak in 2012.

Jabbar Bhatti has not shared which peak he will attempt to climb next, Karrar Haidri said, adding that his adventure to climb all seven highest mountains in the seven continents has been delayed due to funding and paper work.

“Climbing to the top of all of them is regarded a mountaineering challenge,” the official said.

The seven highest peaks in the seven continents are Mount Everest 8,850 metres in Asia, Aconcagua, 6,962 metres in South America, 6,190 metres tall Denali in North America, Kilimanjaro, 5,895 metres in Africa, the 5,642 metres tall Mt Elbrus in Europe, Mount Carstenszm, which is 4,884 metres in Indonesia, and 4,892 metres high Mount Vinson in Antarctica. According to ACP, Jabbar Bhatti, has descended safely.

Batura Peak

Another winter expedition has arrived to climb Batura Peak, which is the 10th highest peak in Pakistan. Situated in the Karakorum Range, Batura Peak pierces the horizon at 7,795 metres.

“While there have been attempts to summit Batura Peak in summers, this Polish expedition will be the first to attempt to climb it in winter,” Karrar Haidri said.

According to the official, most climbers preferred technically challenging 7,000 metre and 6,000 metre peaks compared with the 8,000 metre-plus high peaks in Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2020