Afghan K2 Mountaineer’s Family Support

Allied Shepherd is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of HikeVentures’ Aliakbar Sakhi

22 July 2022 Update

We are devastated to have to report that on July 21 our dear friend Aliakbar Sakhi died while climbing K2 mountain. He was on his way to the summit when he passed away.

Our main focus now is to support his wife and children. Any donations at this point will be used to support Ali’s family.

This is a great loss for Afghanistan as a country because Aliakbar was the first and only Afghan to climb on K2. His dedication, accomplishments, and work for Afghan mountaineers, hikers, and adventurers is unmatched and historic. Afghan youth have lost an inspirational figure, a committed athlete, and an advocate for sports.

By supporting his family, you are honoring a legendary, heroic, and inspirational figure of Afghanistan.

For more information about what happened on the mountain, please visit HikeVentures on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/afghike/.

April 2022 - original description of the expedition

For years Aliakbar had been planning an expedition to become the first Afghan mountaineer to summit K2, the second highest peak on Earth, and in 2021 his aspiration appeared within reach when the Afghan government agreed to finance the expedition. But following the change of government late last summer and great economic hardship, Ali lost the ability to fund the expedition that was scheduled for the summer 2022 climbing season. Now he’s asking for your help to make this dream a reality.

The Dream

Watching the sun rise over the Hindu Kush mountains in 2017, Aliakbar Sakhi sipped his tea and committed to the goal of showcasing the natural beauty of Afghanistan and empowering fellow Afghans through mountaineering and climbing. Later that year he founded HikeVentures , a nonprofit organization with the vision of promoting an active and inclusive mountaineering and climbing community in Afghanistan. By developing their skills in mountaineering, climbing, and trekking, HikeVentures would prepare Afghans to summit the world’s highest peaks while safely conquering their own country’s stunning mountains.

In five short years, HikeVentures had grown to over 250 members from across Afghanistan’s provinces, with 50 professional members training newer climbers. HikeVentures led expeditions to successfully summit dozens of Afghanistan’s highest peaks, including Noshaq, the tallest mountain in Afghanistan at 7,492 meters (over 24,500 feet). The movement was gaining more recognition within Afghanistan, and Ali’s organization had been featured by BBC News, Reuters, and a number of regional media outlets. Yet Ali had even bigger plans to showcase and inspire the Afghan climbing community: to be the first Afghan to summit their region’s infamous K2.

The Expedition

At 28,251 feet (8,611 meters), K2 is the second highest peak in the world and is known as The Savage Mountain. As of February 2021, only 377 people have reached its summit. Ali is prepared to become one of those lucky few, and hopes to become the first Afghan to ever reach the summit. He has been leading expeditions in the region for years to prepare, and is ready for his summit attempt. 

He joins an expedition that will pursue the summit via the Abruzzi Spur route, on the Pakistan side of the mountain. After setting up basecamp at nearly 17,000 feet, Ali will wait for a weather window between 20 June to 10 August. 

While an expedition to climb K2 can cost as much as US$70,000, through detailed analysis, planning, and creative resourcing, we have determined a need for $22,000 in order to fund Aliakbar’s expedition through a local expedition company. In the event we raise excess funds, they will be transferred to HikeVentures for use furthering the organization’s goal of spreading the joy of climbing for an inclusive community of climbers throughout Afghanistan.

About the fundraiser organizer:

Allied Shepherd is a nonprofit organization that provides personalized and sustainable humanitarian solutions with our Afghan partners. Working with other vetted organizations and trusted partners, we advise and empower Afghans like Aliakbar who have done tireless work for their country.

While funds donated through our parent 501(c)(3), Artists for Community Transformation Intl, allow us to provide emergency assistance for food, shelter, and other resettlement efforts, this GoFundMe (gifts to which are not tax-deductible) raises funds specifically to offset some of the cost of Aliakbar’s expedition. Specifically, funds will help with expenses associated with:

Transportation

Gear

Visas

Administrative costs

(We've set the goal at $22,500 to account for the nominal fees collected by GoFundMe. Khyber Khan, listed by GoFundMe as the beneficiary of this campaign, works with Aliakbhar Sakhi at HikeVentures and is the organization's designated financial partner in the US and UK. )