Dubai adventurer tells how tragedy and 'toxic' climbing culture made her question historic mountain quest

Pakistani Naila Kiani reconsidered 14-peak challenge after deaths of colleagues before taking on Mount Kanchenjunga on May 23

Naila Kiani was 'put off for many months' by the deaths of Anna Gutu, Gina Rzucidlo, Migmar Sherpa and Tenjen Lama. Photo: Naila Kiani

Fierce competition among elite climbers at the rooftop of the world forced one Dubai climber to reconsider her challenge to become the first Pakistani woman to summit the 14 highest peaks on the planet.

Former banker Naila Kiani thought long and hard about resuming her challenge before taking on Mount Kanchenjunga (8,586 metres), the third-highest mountain in the world, on May 23, almost two years since her last climb. With 11 mountain climbs in the bag in 2023, Ms Kiani looked set to achieve her goal before tragedy struck during a competitive climb of Shishapangma that claimed the lives of four of her colleagues.

An avalanche at 7,800 metres cost the lives of Anna Gutu and Gina Rzucidlo, who were racing to become the first American women to achieve the feat of scaling 14 mountains above 8,000 metres. Their Sherpa guides Migmar Sherpa and Tenjen Lama also perished during the climb on October 7.

Naila Kiani on Kanchenjunga (8,586 metres), the third-highest mountain in the world. Photo: Naila Kiani

Mount Shishapangma was the final peak left for both women to complete the big 14. Those tragedies caused Ms Kiani to reflect on her own attempt to join an elite band of 16 women to complete the mountaineering endeavour.

“At the time of the accident there was a toxic competition among climbers to achieve their goals, but the mountain wasn't ready,” Ms Kiani, a mother of two, told The National after arriving back in Dubai from Nepal.

“There was fresh snow, which can be dangerous, but everybody still went ahead because there were two women competing to be the first American to climb the 14 peaks. That year, I had already climbed eight mountains in less than six months. I wanted to complete this challenge as soon as possible, but last year, after everything that happened, I nearly gave up."

One climb at a time

As she returned to training early this year, and after much soul-searching, Ms Kiani refocused on first scaling Kanchenjunga – the highest mountain in India. Before completing her expedition to the peak, she endured a crucial phase of acclimatisation at a 6,400-metre base camp to adapt her body to the extreme altitude.

Former banker Naila Kiani thought long and hard about resuming her challenge before taking on Mount Kanchenjunga. Photo: Naila Kiani

This process underscores the physical and mental discipline required for such a treacherous climb, and is a critical aspect of every climb at altitude. Having already successfully summited 11 of the 14 highest mountains on Earth, including Everest, K2, Annapurna, Lhotse and Makalu, Ms Kiani hopes that by resuming her challenge, she can inspire others.

“Unfortunately the last few years for climbing has turned into this competition to be the best, rather than an opportunity to use the mountains to develop yourself, learn and become a better person,” she said. “What happened in Shishapangma is a really good example of how the mountain conditions were ignored because people got complacent and thought they were invincible after climbing 13 mountains.

“We never imagined for a second there could be an accident. Bad weather conditions are ignored just because of this competitive mindset. Most Pakistani women, especially after getting married and having kids, 95 per cent of them don't follow their passion. I had a lot of messages from around the world encouraging me to continue, which I found inspiring. I have a bigger purpose to carry on, but definitely the incident put me off for many months.”

Before looking towards revisiting the challenge of climbing Shishapangma later this year, Ms Kiani faces weeks of preparation.

Summer training

That will now take place in September, before she plans to complete the set of mountain peaks by climbing the 8,167-metre Dhaulagiri in Nepal in April 2026. Until then, she will spend the summer in Dubai, and use the mountains of Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah as training grounds.

“Living in Dubai, all I can do is go hiking and get in the gym to focus on my strength training and cardio,” said Ms Kiani. “Sometimes I hike during peak summer hours because in the mountain when the sun is out, the UV rays get reflected and we are wearing down suits which makes it really hot, so the training environment is very useful.

“Of course we need to keep in mind the dehydration, and not to put ourselves on risk. I once got hit by a rock in the UAE and I got stuck in a flash flood, so anything can happen, even here.

“Whether it's a small mountain or a big mountain, safety is always priority, but I’m confident I will come back safely to my children. On every mountain, I keep praying for a safe summit.”