Dr Babar Ali Becomes First Bangladeshi to Scale 8,000m Without Oxygen

Photo: Babar Ali/Facebook

Bangladesh has reached a new milestone in mountaineering as Dr Babar Ali became the first Bangladeshi to summit an 8,000-metre peak without supplemental oxygen. Early on Thursday, he reached the top of Mount Manaslu, the world’s eighth-highest peak at 8,163 metres in the Himalayas.

This achievement marks Babar’s fourth successful ascent of an 8,000-metre peak, following his climbs of Everest-Lhotse and Annapurna I. Alongside him, fellow Bangladeshi climber Tanvir Ahmed also stood on the summit, achieving the feat on his very first 8,000-metre expedition.

The climbers began their journey on September 5, trekking from Tilche village to base camp. After acclimatisation and rotations up to higher camps, they launched their final push. On September 24, they reached camp 4 at 7,400 metres, and in the early hours of September 26, guided by Bire Tamang and Phurba Angdi Sherpa, they stood atop Manaslu.

Babar, a graduate of Chattogram Medical College and general secretary of the club Vertical Dreamers, has already established himself as one of Bangladesh’s foremost mountaineers. Tanvir, the club’s mountaineering secretary and an assistant manager at VF Asia Bangladesh, hails from Kishoreganj and previously climbed Ama Dablam in 2022.

Both climbers are determined to continue their mountaineering pursuits. Babar dreams of completing all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks, while Tanvir is eager to attempt more expeditions.