There is more to Naila Kiani than meets the eye. Originally from Pakistan, now living in Dubai, Kiani is a woman of many traits. She is a trained aerospace engineer, an amateur boxer, an entrepreneur and a mother of two. But she also happens to be one of Pakistan’s most accomplished mountaineers.
Since conquering her initial peak just two years ago, she has gone on to ascend nine eight of the world’s highest summits. What sets her apart, even more so, is that she is the fastest Pakistani woman to accomplish this impressive feat.
Yet, her journey into the world of mountaineering has been far from straightforward. In an exclusive interview with Arabian Business Traveller, Kiani shares what conquering 8,000m+ mountains have taught her, and how her experiences have turned into a source of inspiration for Muslim women worldwide.
“I feel a bit tired” Kiani admits as she arrives for our interview. A humble response for someone who just summited Broad Peak Mountain, one of Pakistan’s five 8,000m+ mountains, less than 24 hours earlier. A summit that she not only climbed in two and a half days, but also one that no other Pakistani woman has dared climb before.
It’s an accomplishment that also concludes her list of conquered major Pakistani mountain ranges. She’s also topped Mount Everest, Annapurna, and Lhotse and Manaslu.
Yet adventure was never really on Kiani’s radar. “I was working in the banking industry with a full– time job and young family,” she recalls. Societal expectations left little room for risk–taking pursuits, let alone those as dangerous as mountaineering.
“Women in Pakistan or in the Muslim world, don’t usually do adventure sport. They may practise a certain sport growing up, but after having kids there are not many women who continue. And adventure sports after having kids — you don’t even think about it.” And so never really occurred to Kiani that she would one day be climbing extreme peaks around the world. “I had a perception that you either have to be a mountaineer from young age or have the guidance from somebody to teach you about equipment,” neither of which Kiani knew or had.
The first 8,000m+ peak
It was amid a chance maternity break that Kiani’s path diverged, quite literally, onto an upward trajectory. On a whim, she joined an expedition to scale K2, her first 8,000m peak, simply hoping to experience high altitude.
“I didn’t tell anyone I was going to do it,” she says. “I was nervous of what people would think, I was married and a mother leaving my kids behind. Straightaway people stopping
me from climbing,” she confesses.
Fatefully, she reached the summit — to her own disbelief and that of experienced climbers around her. A seed was sown. Encouraged by her fellow mountaineers to continue her pursuit and climb more peaks, she has never looked back. Proving that women, or individuals from all walks of life, are capable of achieving what they set their mind to.
But while her summit made headlines worldwide and was televised on the news, she faced
intense criticism and doubt from viewers in her country back home.
“There were some individuals who were initially sceptical. They didn’t believe that I had reached the top of K2. Some thought I had been carried to the top, or that there was an agency behind my success or that I was lying about it” she states.
It took over a week for her story to be fully believed. Only when she returned to her home village and presented personal photographs as evidence did the skepticism dissolve. For Kiani, sharing tangible proof of her climb through images was key to validating what she had accomplished against immense obstacles.
Motivated by the impossible
Despite receiving widespread praise in both Pakistan and the UAE, with her videos going viral on social media and features on numerous news outlets, Kiani still faces criticism and doubt from some.
“It makes me angry, but it also motivates me,” she admits. “The negative comments have fuelled me to carry on.” She remains determined, stating “They think what I am doing is impossible, but I’m making it possible.” a message amplified by her success
against the odds as a Muslim mother blazing trails in a male–dominated field.
Climbing mountains brings Kiani great joy personally, but the criticism has taken on a higher purpose — giving a voice to females mountaineers in Pakistan who often struggle with negative societal views.
“I don’t want my two daughters, or women in general, to grow up in a society that believes women cannot do adventurous activities,” she says. “I want them to know that they can do whatever they want.”
Having received thousands of supportive messages on social media, Kiani is inspiring other women to challenge norms and pursue their dreams. She notes that women in Pakistan and
elsewhere often sacrifice their own passions for others by nature. Many stop dreaming or having aspirations at some point. However, Kiani’s message through her mountaineering is that this does not have to be the case.
She emphasises to other women and men alike: “Don’t stop living fully and pursuing
your passions, no matter your circumstances. Go after your dreams and make sure that those around you continue supporting and believing in you.” Her goal is to promote empowerment and living life to the fullest for all people.
Lessons from the mountain
Through her climbing adventures, Kiani has learned many valuable life lessons.
“We learn so much from sports,” she says. “We learn how to take risks, how to deal with failures and convert them into success. But it also plays a role in mental health and gaining
greater confidence”
And this transcends far beyond the peaks of the mountains.
“Mountaineering is one of the most dangerous sports, and when you are faced with a challenge ahead you just have to solve it, but before I started mountaineering I didn’t apply that mind–set in other areas of my life,” she says.
A few years ago Kiani could never consider starting a business, taking that first step was really hard. “I kept de
laying it, but I thought if I can climb the highest peaks in the world, I can do anything.”
Today she is the co–founder of Reself, an organisation aimed at encouraging empowerment through outdoor adventure.
Climbing toward a greater purpose
Through her organisation, Kiani has set an ambitious goal: making outdoor sports a mainstream pursuit in Pakistan and GCC. For her, taking part in sport was far from the norm while growing up.
In fact, it wasn’t until university that she was first exposed to athletic activities. This disconnect from nature is what she aims to address through her mountaineering expeditions and through Reself.
The group brings coaching retreats to the base of Pakistan’s formidable peaks and other places of nature. There, against a backdrop of soaring mountains, Reself seeks to empower young men and women.
“I wanted to do something that gave back,” Kiani tells Arabian Business Traveller. “Through
Reself, I work to instil the belief that people can achieve whatever they set their minds to.”
With her sights set on a historic goal — Kiani plans to conquer all 14 of the world’s 8,000–meter peaks quicker than any other female climber in Pakistani history — her journey continues as she sets her eyes on China’s Shishapangma and Cho Oyo later this month.
But Kiani’s ambitions reach beyond treacherous mountainsides. Through pushing past doubts on rocky cliffs, she empowers people to believe in their ability to craft lives of possibility. By inspiring fulfilment through her own feats of determination, Kiani aims to reshape mind–sets… one summit at a time.
Naila Kiani’s top tips for mountaineers
- Always listen to your body. Climbing extreme peaks is challenging, weather conditions can change suddenly and low oxygen levels make it harder to breathe. Try not to take risks unless there is no other option.
- Research with caution. Before you attempt an 8,000m+ mountain be careful what online articles and other people’s experiences tell you. Many websites will talk about the fatality rate and instil fear. Kiani advises you to experience the mountain yourself, “everyone’s experience will be different”.
- Prepare in advance. Kiani prepares herself with a personal coach for months beforehand. Climbing 8,000m peaks requires strong physical and mental power.
