Draft:Saad Munawar

Saad Munawar

Personal Information
Born	04 November, 1995 (age 30) Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan
Spouse	Huma Irfan
Mountaineering Career
Expedition Management	Led Pakistan’s first expedition to Annapurna, Kanchenjunga and Lobuche East peak and first-ever winter ascent of Yazghil Sar
Seven Summits	Mt. Everest, Mt. Kosciuszko, Mt. Aconcagua, Mt. Elbrus, Mt. Kilimanjaro
Major Ascents	First and only Pakistani to climb Mt. Everest North Face, 4th Pakistani to summit Mt. Aconcagua
Writing Career
Books	Chogori (2017), Rakaposhi K Saye Mein (2018)
Documentary	Unsung Heroes (2020)

Saad Munawar (born 4th November 1995) is a Pakistani mountaineer, mountain guide, author, and project manager. His professional career is a blend of high-altitude exploration and technical project management of mountaineering projects, with over a decade of experience in the adventure industry.

Saad is most notable for becoming the first and only Pakistani to summit the north face of Mt. Everest in May 2025. During the expedition he suffered from frostbite and consequently lost one and a half fingers. 

Early Life and Education

Saad was born and raised in Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan. He represented his educational institutions, school, college, and university, in various sports including football, basketball, table tennis, squash, and running. He completed his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) in 2017, with a major in Telecommunications. Although he later enrolled in a Master of Science program in Information Security at NUST, and started work at the NOC (Network Observation Centre) at Telenor Head Quarters, he left both to shift his focus toward professional mountaineering and writing. He established himself in the literary world early, publishing his first book on mountain adventures at 21 years of age.

Guiding Career

Saad started organizing trips and tours whilst he was still a student. With time, he turned his passion into profession and started organizing bigger treks and climbing expeditions. As of 2026, Saad organizes and leads expeditions in Pakistan, Nepal, Russia, Tanzania, and Argentina. In 2024, he co-founded Mountains & Beyond, a tourism company, in partnership with Pakistani alpinist, Sirbaz Khan. Through this company, Saad and Sirbaz organize tours, treks, trainings, and climbing expeditions in Pakistan and across the world.

Writing Career

Saad published his first book, “Chogori”, in 2017, at a young age of 21. “Chogori” is a travelogue that covers Saad’s trek to K2 Base Camp and across GGLA in 2016. In 2018, Saad published his second book, “Rakaposhi K Saye Mein”. It was another travelogue that focused on the valleys that lie in the shade of Rakaposhi, a notable peak in the Karakoram range located in the Nagar Valley of Gilgit Baltistan. In 2020, Saad collaborated with a notable Pakistani filmmaker Taimoor Salahuddin to make a documentary film, “Unsung Heroes”. The film was well-received and gave recognition to the work, achievements, and problems of the Pakistani Mountaineering Community. In 2021, Saad co-wrote a four-episode vlog series on the K2 Base Camp Trek with Taimoor Salahuddin. In 2022, Saad co-wrote the Shimshal pass documentary with Taimoor Salahuddin and Meer Farhad Jamali. In 2026, Saad signed a contract with Liberty Publications for the publishing of his new book “Kiya Kuch Nahi Hai” and its translation “More than eyes have met”.

World Record Traverse

On July 16, 2019, Saad achieved a historic world record on July 16, 2019, alongside fellow climber Qudrat Ali. They became the first two people to traverse the three highest mountain ranges in the world, the Himalaya, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush, on foot in a single continuous journey. This expedition covered 665 kilometres in 23 days, connecting Nanga Parbat (Himalayas), Rakaposhi (Karakoram), and Tirich Mir (Hindukush) showcasing that Pakistan is the only country in the entire world that hosts all three highest mountain ranges. During this traverse, the team paused their record attempt to volunteer for a rescue operation to recover the body of their friend and guide, Imtiyaz Ahmad, who had died in an avalanche; Saad subsequently named the endpoint of the trek "Imtiyaz Camp" and a nearby peak "Imtiyaz Peak" in his honour.

Mountaineering and Trekking Career

Over During his adventure career of more than 10 years, Saad has participated in more than 60 trekking and climbing expeditions. His early journeys included the Ansu Lake Trek in 2013 and the Nanga Parbat Base Camp trek in 2014, followed by a certifications in paragliding and a skydiving experience in 2015. Since then, he has completed numerous high-altitude treks, including the K2 Base Camp (2016, 2021, 2024), GGLA Trek (2016 2022, 2024), Kamri Pass (2017), Kacheli Lake (2017), and Mir Shikar Base Camp (2017). His record also features the Shifaktin Sar Winter Climb (2018), Naltar Pass (2019), Asumber Pass (2022-2023), and multiple crossings of the Shimshal Pass (2021-2024), Naltar Pass, and the Three Passes Trek in 2023. In 2025, he continued his extensive trekking log with the Rolwaling Trekking Expedition and Yalung Ri Climbing Expedition.

In 2025, he continued his extensive trekking log with the Rolwaling Trekking Expedition and Yalung Ri Climbing Expedition. In 2021, a four-member team, led by Saad Munawar, succeeded in making the first winter ascent of Yazghil Sar. However, Saad himself did not make it to the summit due to health conditions. He also led Pakistan’s first expedition to Nepal’s Lobuche East Peak in 2023.

Sr.no.	Peak (height)	Date of Ascent
1.	Mt. Kilimanjaro (5,895 m)	8 October 2025
2.	Mt. Everest (8,848 m)	24 May 2025
3.	Mt. Yalung Ri (5,630 m)	21 April 2025
4.	Mt. Kilimanjaro (5,895 m)	14 October 2024
5.	Mt. Minglik Sar (6,050 m)	14 August 2024
6.	Mt. Qoz Sar (6,649 m)	12 August 2024
7.	Mt. Kosciuszku (2,228 m)	19 May 2024
8.	Mt. Aconcagua (6,962 m)	6 February 2024
9.	Mt. Rush Peak (5,098 m)	28 July 2023
10.	Mt. Qoz Sar (6,649 m)	20 June 2023
11.	Mt. Elbrus (5,642 m)	8 June 2023
12.	Mt. Lobuche East Peak (6,119 m)	13 May 2023
13.	Mt. Kilimanjaro (5,895 m)	10 March 2023
14.	Mt. Minglik Sar (6,050 m)	28 June 2022
15.	Mt. Qoz Sar (6,649 m)	26 June 2022
16.	Mt. Odver Sar (6,303 m)	9 October 2021
17.	Mt. Minglik Sar (6,050 m)	17 July 2021

The Seven Summits Project

Saad is currently undertaking a project titled "Appreciating Diversity through Adventure”, which involves summiting the highest peak on each of the seven continents. His May 2025 ascent of Mount Everest was particularly significant, as he became the first and only Pakistani to reach the summit via the technically demanding North Face (Tibet) route.

Peak	Continent	Date	Achievement Notes
Mt. Everest	Asia	May 2025	1st Pakistani to summit via the North Face (Tibet).
Mt. Kosciuszko	Australia	May 2024	Highest peak in Australia.
Mt. Aconcagua	South America	February 2024	4th Pakistani to summit; highest peak outside Asia.
Mt. Elbrus	Europe	June 2023	Highest peak in Europe.
Mt. Kilimanjaro	Africa	March 2023	Highest peak in Africa.

Project Management Career

Saad has worked to professionalize Pakistani mountaineering. As an Expedition Manager, he supervised Pakistan’s historic first-ever expeditions to Annapurna (2021), and Kangchenjunga (2022). He managed the team, finances, operations, and communications. He also managed the Mission Summit 14 project by Sirbaz Khan and the Value of Life Project, which he developed from conception to completion. His management expertise extends to international guiding; he is noted as the only Pakistani guide with experience organizing and leading expeditions across five different continents, having guided more than 70 people to various summits.

Community Work

Saad's record of social activism includes, serving as the Goodwill Ambassador of the Mianwali Education Trust, streamlining systems to support the families of deceased mountaineers, arranging medical camps in remote areas like K2 Base Camp and Shimshal, and organizing training and education sessions for the underprivileged youth. He is currently the Vice President (Operations) of the Karakoram Mountain Guides Association, Pakistan's national association representing mountain guides, climbers, and high-altitude workers, an organization he helped bring from ideation to execution.

Awards

Saad was presented with the PSL "Humaray Heroes" Award in 2021. He took the TEDx stage in 2021 and 2025 to give talks about his experiences in mountaineering.

Books

• Munawar, Saad (2017). Chogori.  
• Munawar, Saad (2018). Rakaposhi K Saye Mein.