The first from Bangladesh to stand on the world's fifth-highest peak
In the thin air above Nepal's Mahalangur Himal, a climber from Bangladesh wrote a new chapter in his nation's relationship with the world's highest places. On the morning of May 2nd, Babar Ali reached the summit of Mount Makalu — the fifth-highest peak on Earth — becoming the first Bangladeshi ever to do so, and claiming his fifth summit above 8,000 metres. His ascent is both a personal milestone and a quiet signal that the community of climbers who have dared to pursue all fourteen eight-thousanders may soon welcome another name into its rare company.
- Babar Ali pushed through a night-long ascent of over 1,100 vertical metres to reach Makalu's 8,485-metre summit at dawn, navigating one of the most technically demanding peaks in the world.
- The climb carried the weight of national history — no Bangladeshi had ever stood on Makalu before, and each step upward was a step into uncharted territory for his country's mountaineering record.
- His expedition, organized under the banner 'Makalu: The Fifth Frontier,' required weeks of acclimatization rotations before a narrow weather window on April 30th finally allowed the decisive summit push.
- With nine of fourteen eight-thousanders now beneath his boots, Babar stands closer than any Bangladeshi ever has to completing the full set — a feat accomplished by only a handful of climbers in history.
- Expedition officials expect his safe return to base camp by May 3rd, but the mountaineering community in Bangladesh is already looking ahead to the five formidable peaks that remain.
As dawn broke over Nepal's Mahalangur Himal on May 2nd, Babar Ali reached the summit of Mount Makalu at approximately 5:45am Bangladesh time — becoming the first person from his country to stand atop the world's fifth-highest peak. Accompanied by Ang Kami Sherpa, he completed a grueling overnight ascent of more than 1,100 metres from Camp 3, conquering a mountain known locally as the 'Great Black One' for its steep, pyramid-like form and widely regarded as one of the most technically demanding of the fourteen eight-thousanders.
The expedition, organized by Babar's climbing club Vertical Dreamers under the name 'Makalu: The Fifth Frontier,' began on April 7th with a trek to base camp through Tumlingtar and Seduwa. After weeks of acclimatization rotations between camps, a brief window of favorable weather on April 30th opened the path for his final push.
This summit was the fifth of its kind for Babar, whose mountaineering career stretches back to 2014 and was shaped by trekking in the hills of Chattogram and formal training at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in 2017. His recent achievements have been remarkable even among elite climbers: in 2024, he became the first Bangladeshi to summit both Everest and Lhotse in a single expedition, and in 2025 he climbed Annapurna I and Manaslu without supplemental oxygen — another national first.
With nine of the world's fourteen peaks above 8,000 metres now summited, Babar is on a trajectory toward one of mountaineering's most exclusive achievements. For Bangladesh's climbing community, his return to base camp marks the end of one chapter — and the beginning of anticipation for what comes next.
On the morning of May 2nd, as dawn broke over Nepal's Mahalangur Himal range, Bangladeshi mountaineer Babar Ali stood at 8,485 metres—on the summit of Mount Makalu, the world's fifth-highest peak. The climb had taken him through the night, a grueling ascent of more than 1,100 metres from Camp 3, but he had arrived at the top as the first person from Bangladesh ever to do so. Makalu, known locally as the "Great Black One" for its steep, pyramid-like silhouette against the sky, is considered one of the most technically demanding of the world's 14 peaks above 8,000 metres. Babar reached the summit at approximately 5:45am Bangladesh time, accompanied by Ang Kami Sherpa, with expedition officials confirming the success through outfitter Mohan Lamsal.
This was not Babar's first brush with extreme altitude. The climb marked his fifth successful summit of an 8,000-metre peak—a record no other Bangladeshi mountaineer has matched. His journey to Makalu began on April 7th, when he travelled to Nepal and trekked to base camp via Tumlingtar and Seduwa. The expedition, organized by the climbing club Vertical Dreamers under the name "Makalu: The Fifth Frontier," involved multiple acclimatization rotations between camps before Babar made his final push on April 30th, when a brief window of favorable weather opened.
The path to this summit had been built over more than a decade of climbing. Babar's mountaineering career began in 2014, rooted in trekking experience in the hills of Chattogram. He received formal training from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in 2017 and became a founding member of Vertical Dreamers, where he now serves as general secretary. But his recent achievements have been extraordinary even by the standards of elite mountaineers. In 2024, he summited both Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse in a single expedition—a first for any Bangladeshi climber. The following year, in 2025, he climbed Annapurna I and later Mount Manaslu without supplemental oxygen, another national first that underscored his technical skill and physical resilience.
With Makalu now in his record, Babar has summited nine of the world's 14 peaks above 8,000 metres. That puts him on a trajectory toward an achievement reached by only a handful of climbers on Earth: the completion of all 14 eight-thousanders. The remaining five peaks represent some of the most dangerous and remote mountains in the world, but Babar's track record suggests the goal is not beyond reach. Expedition officials expect him to descend to lower camps and return to base camp by May 3rd, marking the end of this particular chapter. But for Bangladesh's mountaineering community, the story is far from over.
Citas Notables
Makalu is widely regarded as one of the most technically challenging among the world's 14 peaks above 8,000 metres— Expedition details
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
What makes Makalu different from the other peaks Babar has already climbed?
It's the technical difficulty. Everest is high, but Makalu is steep and unstable—the rock and ice are constantly shifting. Climbers call it the most dangerous of the 8,000-metre peaks relative to how many people attempt it. That's why being first from Bangladesh matters more than just the altitude.
He climbed Everest and Lhotse back-to-back in 2024. Why is that significant?
Most climbers do those separately, years apart. Doing both in one expedition means your body never fully recovers between summits. It's a statement about conditioning and mental toughness. No Bangladeshi had done it before.
And the Annapurna and Manaslu climbs without supplemental oxygen—how rare is that?
Very rare. Oxygen is what keeps your brain functioning above 8,000 metres. Without it, you're operating on fumes. Annapurna is also the deadliest 8,000-metre peak by ratio. Doing both without oxygen in the same year is elite-level mountaineering.
So he's nine peaks in. What's the realistic timeline for finishing all fourteen?
That depends on weather, funding, and his body holding up. The remaining five include Kangchenjunga, Lhotse's neighbor, and some of the most remote peaks on Earth. If he stays healthy and the seasons cooperate, maybe three to five years. But mountaineering doesn't follow timelines.
Why does this matter for Bangladesh specifically?
It changes what's possible in the national imagination. Before Babar, high-altitude mountaineering wasn't part of Bangladesh's story. Now it is. Young climbers see someone from their country doing what only a handful of people in the world have done.