Babar Ali becomes first Bangladeshi to conquer Lhotse

Babar Ali has successfully conquered Lhotse, the fourth highest mountain in the world at an elevation of 8,516 metres (27,940 ft), becoming the first Bangladeshi to achieve this feat.

He reached the peak of Lhotse at around 5:50am local time (6:04am Bangladesh time) today (21 May), Farhan Zaman, the chief coordinator of Babar's Everest expedition, confirmed the matter to The Business Standard this morning.

Earlier, Babar became the sixth Bangladeshi to raise the red-green flag atop Mount Everest on Sunday (19 May) at 8:30am local time in Nepal. This marks the first successful Bangladeshi expedition to Everest in the last 11 years.

No Bangladeshi mountaineer had previously reached Lhotse's peak, nor had anyone from Bangladesh conquered both Everest and Lhotse in the same expedition. 

Babar has also become the first Bangladeshi to conquer two Eight Thousanders - a group of 14 mountains recognised by the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) as being more than 8,000 metres (26,247 ft) in height above sea level, - in a single expedition.

Farhan Zaman said, "After summiting Everest on Sunday morning, Babar descended to Camp-4 the same day. He was scheduled to push for Lhotse that night, but due to exhaustion from 16 hours of climbing, his guide advised him to rest. He began his ascent of Lhotse around 11:30pm on Monday [20 May] and reached the peak around 5:50am, where he raised the Bangladeshi flag."

"After reaching the peak, he started his descent and is expected to reach Camp-4 by afternoon. He will rest there and then move to Camp-3 tomorrow [22 May]. According to the schedule, he is expected to reach base camp on 23 May," Farhan added.

Babar Ali, a doctor by profession, is the first resident of Chattogram to conquer Everest. He announced his plans at a press conference in Chattogram on 30 March. The next day, on 1 April, Babar Ali departed Bangladesh for Nepal. He arrived in Lukla from Kathmandu on 4 April and reached Everest base camp on 10 April.

Babar's journey to the top of Everest began from the base camp at midnight on 14 May. After crossing the perilous death zone of Camp-4 on 18 May, the final push to the summit started at midnight. On Sunday morning, Babar Ali proudly flew the Bangladeshi flag at a height of 29,031 feet.

He has been trekking for the last decade, conquering various peaks of Nepal and India since the formation of mountaineers' club Vertical Dreamers in 2014.

His journey was sponsored by Visual Knitwear Ltd along with co-sponsors such as Everest Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Dhaka Divers' Club, Beacon Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Blue Jay, Chandrabindu Publishers, Giri and Vertical Dreamers. Many others helped to accumulate necessary funds for the expedition.