Pakistani girls can climb too

Photo courtesy PakistanYouthOutreach.com

Pakistan is home to five of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks (there are 14 in all) and looms large in climbing history. Despite this, no Pakistani woman has ever ascended a major peak in her home country. Cultural beliefs and economic realities mean that for Pakistani girls, mountain climbing has been reserved for boys—until now. In August, Samina “Khayal” Baig, an 18-year-old Pakistani girl, ascended a previously unclimbed 6,400-meter mountain in the Hunza-Glingit region of Pakistan. Samina was accompanied by a team that included her brother, Mirza Ali, and a Romanian documentary filmmaker, Stelian Pavalache. A documentary about the ascent is forthcoming. For more details, read the complete story on Explorersweb.com.

Samina’s expedition was a project of Pakistan Youth Outreach, which promotes mountaineering and women adventurers. A major goal of the group is to have a Pakistani woman climb Mt. Everest. Two other organizations that do great work in Pakistan are the Central Asia Institute, which educates children (especially girls) in impoverished areas; and Mercy Corps, which is on the ground now in Pakistan helping with flood relief efforts.