From Doctor to Mountaineer
Babar was born on October 16, 1990, in Burishchar, Hathazari, Chittagong. His parents likely expected him to live a stable life with a doctor’s degree. Life began simply there. He studied at Ispahani Public School and College, then earned his MBBS from Chittagong Medical College. Later, he worked for the International Organization for Migration and then as a public health officer at ICDDRB. But his heart was elsewhere–on mountain trails. His story is not just about climbing rocks; it’s about chasing dreams higher than most of us can imagine.
A Bengali novel, Chander Pahar, sparked his love for peaks. That tale of adventure lit a fire that would only grow. In 2010, he got his first taste of real hills in the Chattogram Hill Tracts. By 2014, he was trekking the Himalayas, and there was no turning back.
Since then, he has scaled countless peaks above 6,000 meters. Names like Mount CCKN, Shiva, Yunam, Ramjak, Chulu Far East, and Lobuche East now sit proudly on his climbing resume. In 2017, he even completed his Basic Mountaineering Course in India. But that was just training. His eyes were set higher–much higher.
On October 25, 2022, Babar became the first Bangladeshi to stand on the 6,812-meter (20,013 feet) summit of one of Nepal’s most stunning peaks. The climb was brutal. He had to push for the top straight from Camp 2, skipping the unsafe Camp 3 where tragedy had struck years earlier. At 9:03 a.m. Nepal time, he stood tall, waving Bangladesh’s flag on a mountain no one from his country had ever conquered.
Picture: Babar Ali.
Two Summits, One Expedition
In 2024, Babar set out to summit both Mount Everest–the highest point on Earth at 8,848 meters (29,035 feet)–and Lhotse, the world’s fourth-highest peak at 8,516 meters (27,939 feet), in a single expedition. No Bangladeshi had ever climbed two eight-thousanders in one expedition before.
His Everest journey began on April 1, when he left Bangladesh for Nepal. From Kathmandu, he flew into Lukla–the sketchy airport everyone fears. From there, he trekked to Base Camp, arriving on April 10. To warm up, he summited Lobuche East on April 16, then completed his acclimatization rotations up to Camp 2 and beyond.
On May 14, at midnight, he began his summit push. By May 19, after days of battling thin air, bitter cold, and exhaustion, he stood on top of the world. Babar Ali became the sixth Bangladeshi to summit Mount Everest.
But he wasn’t done. Lhotse was next. Just two days later, on May 21, 2024, Babar became the first Bangladeshi to summit Lhotse. He reached the top at 5:50 a.m., just in time for sunrise–an unforgettable view of Everest itself, something you don’t get while standing on Everest. With a smile, he admitted, “If I compare the two summits, Lhotse was far better, and I enjoyed it.”
Picture: Babar Ali.
Annapurna: The Deadliest Challenge
But in 2025, he took on his deadliest challenge yet–Annapurna I, the 10th-highest mountain in the world. Among the 14 eight-thousanders, it’s considered the most dangerous. Known as the “Silent Killer,” Annapurna I has the highest fatality rate of them all, 32-33%. In other words, for every 100 climbers who reach the summit, 32-33 never return.
The climb was grueling. He began his final push at 4:10 PM, climbing nonstop for more than 17 hours before reaching the top at 9:40 AM the next morning. That meant ascending nearly 1,700 meters in a single stretch, from 6,400 to 8,091 meters. Imagine running a marathon while wearing an oxygen mask on top of a skyscraper; that’s what it felt like.
On April 7, 2025, Babar made history once again. He stood on the 8,091-meter (26,545-feet) summit of Annapurna I. For him, it wasn’t just about survival–it was about legacy. Exactly 75 years earlier, French climber Maurice Herzog had made the first ascent of Annapurna I, but lost all his fingers to frostbite. Standing in Herzog’s footsteps, Babar felt the weight of history. “It was very emotional,” he said. “Standing on the same spot after 75 years gave me goosebumps.”
There are 14 peaks above 8,000 meters. Babar has already climbed three: Everest, Lhotse, and Annapurna. Now he has his eyes set on the remaining eleven.
Picture: Babar Ali.
Beyond the Mountains
Climbing mountains isn’t just an adrenaline rush for Babar; it’s about awareness. He has witnessed glaciers melting faster than ever. The Himalayas are changing before his eyes, and he’s determined to raise his voice for their preservation. “Saving the snow” has become one of his personal missions.
Babar also founded Vertical Dreamers, a mountaineering club in Chattogram, to train and inspire the next generation. In 2019, he hiked through all 64 districts of Bangladesh in 64 days, campaigning against single-use plastic. He has organized cleanup treks in the Chattogram Hill Tracts, where he and his team collected trash from remote trails.
And that’s not all. In 2023, he cycled 4,000 kilometers across India, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. In 2025, he walked 615 kilometers across Sri Lanka in just 17 days. He is also a photographer and writer.
Babar Ali is not just a doctor, not just a mountaineer. He is a rare mix of dreamer, risk-taker, and adventurer. From the Chattogram Hill Tracts to Everest to Annapurna, his journey proves that limits are only lines we draw for ourselves
