Words by Epic Expeditions Founder, Chris Lininger
In Memory of my friend Sohail
On July 30th, the Avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan took the lives of 10 climbers and has rocked the outdoor adventure community around the world. This tragedy has hit the Epic Expeditions family very close to home indeed.
One of those climbers involved was Sohail Sakhi from Hunza Valley, Pakistan. Sohail was one of my oldest friends in Pakistan, a trip leader for Epic Expeditions for 5 years, a skilled mountaineer and athlete, and one of the most intelligent and interesting people I have ever met.
In this same accident, we also lost a two-time former Epic client, Mallory Geis. Sohail was guiding Mallory up Broad Peak for his brand new expedition company when the accident happened.
The loss of Sohail on Broad Peak has me asking myself some real questions and has also confirmed everything I thought to be true about him prior to his death. There are just those rare souls who have an ability to inspire, to connect, to listen, to push beyond, to make something out of nothing, to somehow make the mountains seem less intimidating, to summon an energy from another realm, and to define what it means to be human in a way unmatched by others.
How does one measure a full life when that life has been cut short? How does one make sense of a person so full of potential and hunger for life suddenly taken by the mountains he lived and breathed like a lover who turns off the lights without a word and walks out the door with no time left?
The hourglass has run out and we have not got the chance to give it another turn.
Brother Sohail, your journey in life and now through death has a metric all its own. You cast a shadow higher than the mountains you loved. Even in death you have the ability to make people dream, as much as it hurts to say goodbye.
We never got a chance to hike the full Karakoram Trail or hang out in Madeira or climb an 8000er together. I guess we will just have to save those for the next life, brother.
Until we meet again, rest easy, friend. The mountains now have their son forever and I am sure he would not have wanted it any other way.
Early Life in Aliabad and Beyond
Sohail Sakhi was born on May 15, 1994 (per his identity card). He grew up in Aliabad, Hunza, in the far north of Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region — a valley long associated with the country’s mountaineering tradition.
In Pakistan, it is common for people to put a different birthday on official documents than their actual birthday so they appear younger than they are, so I actually don’t know if Sohail was born in 1993 or 1994!
His father was a well-known local tour guide, and sadly he passed away suddenly when Sohail was still a teenager, around seventeen or eighteen and still in school.
After finishing high school, Sohail went on to university, where he studied mathematics. The guy was insanely good with money and calculations; I remember counting big stacks of tip cash with him to distribute to the porters on many occasions, and he could always memorize large sums in his head.
At some point in his early 20s, his path shifted toward the mountains — he began spending his free time trekking, then moved into guiding and the adventure tourism trade, and he never looked back for one second.
Origins of Sohail joining the Epic Team
From the moment I met Sohail during my first-ever trip out to K2 in 2018, I could feel he was different.
While walking into the campsite at Urdukas, I set down my pack, and began to look around. I could see the Trango Towers off in the distance as the midday sun beat down on my neck and the mules nearby kicked up dust.
A few moments later, a guy with an epic beard and orange Wayfarer sunglasses came up to me and asked where I was from, and the rest is history.
We chatted, sipped instant coffee, and he told me a bit about Hunza, a place that I had been several times before at that point with some of our first-ever Epic group trips. My first impression of him, was, damn this guy laughs a lot. I liked that.
He told me that I needed to come see him there and that we should go do some crazy trek called Snow Lake sometime. We hung out a few more times briefly at other camps including a glacier cleanup at Goro 2 that he helped me organize, and then I did not think much more of it or him.
Fast forward, and I did end up seeing him in Hunza the following year, though Sohail did not start working with Epic Expeditions right away. In fact, it would be three more years until he officially joined the team.
When he did eventually join us toward the end of 2021, his impact was felt right away. He was a natural leader, very smart, and could connect with people with ease. He just got it, and he fit right in.
Sohail started off co-leading our flagship Hunza Valley trip, and he was such a natural fit, and he and I vibed so well in person that it was clear from day 1 that we had a long future ahead together. Those many trips in Hunza I got to lead with Sohail seemed less like work and more like two old friends showing a bunch of new friends around the mountains that felt like home to both of us.
On his home turf, Sohail knew everybody in the street and vice versa. He knew where to find the best chapshuro (A baked dish from Hunza that resembles a stuffed flatbread, quesadilla, or double-crusted meat pie), the best apricots, and where to find one of the few places in Hunza at that time that served real espresso.
He continued to lead our Hunza Valley trips multiple times a year until the start of 2025, and in turn touched the lives of hundreds of people who were fortunate enough to have him as their trip leader.
K2 Trek and Snow Lake - The Big Arena
Year two of Sohail working with Epic, he dove right in to leading our bigger, more challenging trips – ones that he had prior experience doing – and where his heart really lay: the big mountains of the Karakoram.
Like his leadership in Hunza, Sohail quickly became one of our best trip leaders out on the Baltoro. He thrived in this environment as few people can. His unique skillset and way with people – both local and foreign – made him excel at his role as a trip leader. I also think he enjoyed the hell out of it. He was living his dream, getting paid well while spending time in the mountains he so admired.
The positive, sometimes life-changing experience he gave our clients during the K2 Trek was not just a one-off thing. He stayed in touch with many of the past participants of his trips, and more still came to visit him in Hunza during the years ahead.
In 2022, my friend Jackson Groves and I via Epic decided to launch a trip to Sohail’s fabled Snow Lake. It was an application-only trip and, to this day remains one of the greatest expeditions and trip rosters we have ever had. Most, if not all of the people on that trip have traveled with Epic again or hung out again together somewhere out in the world. Each year we get together – be it in Nepal, Chile, or Ecuador – the topic of Snow Lake and that initial trip with Sohail comes up.
To this day, there has never been another trip with the vibe of that initial Snow Lake trip (except maybe the trip that followed) and Sohail’s leadership, decision-making, and ability to laugh in the face of grim weather, tough camp conditions, and, potentially protesting porters had a great deal to do with that.
Oh yeah, and directly before the Snow Lake trip started – I mean less than 5 days before the trip actually started – Sohail climbed his first 8000-meter peak: Gasherbrum II. That summit would come to define the coming years for Sohail. It is the moment he showed himself that he felt good above 8000 meters and that he definitely wanted more of it.
Nepal: Into the Himalayas
2023 brought another big step for Epic and for Sohail’s journey. Following the success of Snow Lake, we decided to launch our first-ever expedition in Nepal with a group under the Epic flag. I had been to Nepal three or four times at that point and could not wait to get back with a group of friends.
Of course, I invited Sohail.
This expedition to Nepal to climb Island Peak marked Sohail’s first time out of Pakistan, and one could tell that it was love at first sight. He loved everything about Nepal and was so stimulated by everything new we came across.
The temples, Tibetan Buddhism, Sherpa culture, the crazy streets and bars of Thamel, tattoo shops, and whiskey sold at the supermarket were all new for him, and he was there for all of it. I could tell he took the time to enjoy it.
As a lover of animals as well, on day 2 of the trek into the Everest region in Namche, he promptly became attached to a small puppy the group named Momo. It’s a small detail in this story but one that is indicative of Sohail’s character. The dude loved puppies and dogs, and they loved him back. He has a beautiful husky back in Hunza right now who was always hanging around with him.
I still remember the summit push day on Island Peak very well. Despite being the strongest member of the team, Sohail hung in the back with the members who were struggling with the steepness and altitude.
He managed to get one member to the top on sheer will after she had very little left in the tank, energy-wise. That was all Sohail. Without him there, she would not have made it. Once again, his presence simply made a difference in outcomes for people.
Time and again throughout his career with Epic and beyond, he would do the same for others. Helping them achieve their climbing and trekking dreams while being an encouraging, dialed-in leader attuned to their feelings.
This initial trip to Nepal for Sohail set in motion many other expeditions to Nepal in the coming years where he had a no-O2 attempt on Manaslu (that was also aborted due to an avalanche; it was the year Hillary Nelson died on Manaslu) and Kanchenjunga (successful no-O2 summit, 2026).
If Sohail remained on this earth longer, I have a strong suspicion we would have climbed for decades in Nepal; a country whose people and mountains he loved dearly.
Starting His Own Company and Business Journey
For years, Sohail talked about starting his own expedition company. He had worked hard for years for Epic and other international companies like Imagine Nepal. He was conflicted about it and he openly spoke of it to me. On one hand, Sohail was the kind of guy who hated emails, Whatsapp messages, and admin work, and he did enjoy being able to just “show up” on day 1 of the trip and not have to think about the logistics and client communications beyond that.
On the other hand, he was ambitious and had a big vision for the future of Pakistani mountaineering and how to train and prepare the next generation for work in the mountains.
At the start of 2025, Sohail left Epic Expeditions to pursue his dream: the founding of his own company with a long-time former Epic client as his co-founder.
His 2026 expedition to Broad Peak with Mallory (also a former Epic client) marked his first expedition with a one-on-one client under his own brand. Tragically, it would also prove to be his last.
The fact that Sohail’s dream of operating his own company was cut short before it even got started compounds this tragedy in my eyes.
Sohail and I talked for hours and hours about business, about the potential of Pakistani tourism, about all the obstacles standing in our way (Pakistan is not a country where things operate smoothly), about new, interesting routes in the Karakoram and Hindu Kush, and about the future of our own paths – both separate and together – in this industry. I can still hear his voice, sounding off his big plans, dreaming big, and everything he was thinking about for the future.
The day he left Epic for his own ventures, I was at once initially gutted since we had just lost one of the best trip leaders in our history, but also felt immensely proud of him for following his own dreams and for writing his own story. He was 100% ready to do big things, and I am deeply saddened that he will never get to see his dream realized fully.
Anybody who chooses the scary, risky path of entrepreneurship has to want it and hunger for it. He did, and if anyone was going to find success doing it their way, it was Sohail.
His exact words to me when starting his new company were, “Well, I will take the risk and see what happens. If I fail, I will just move deep into the mountains and be a hermit, hahahaha”.
Sohail's Legacy in Hunza
There is no doubt that Sohail Sakhi touched the lives of thousands of people.
If you have ever spent time in Hunza in Northern Pakistan, then you almost certainly spent time with him. He was deeply proud of his home, loved hosting foreign visitors, and wanted nothing more than to see young people from his community thrive in the adventure tourism industry in Pakistan.
Sohail made the people in his circle in Hunza dream, and dream big.
I have made it my mission to ensure the future generations of young people in Hunza know his name, his story, and just what they are capable of when they work hard, train hard, study hard, and follow their own dreams, just as Sohail preached and actively did for so many years.
Though he is no longer with us today, Sohail’s memory, spirit, and legacy will live on in the mountains he gave everything to. I have no doubts about that.
Reflections, Memories, Stories of Sohail from the Epic Family
Below, I have compiled a list of words, memories, and photographs from people who knew Sohail from past Epic Expeditions trips.
Olly Gaspar, Australia
I remember I almost didn’t get out of the tent that night at Concordia. It was freezing and I’d already shot K2 about a million times. Sohail came knocking on my tent asking if he could borrow my tripod so I came out with my camera too. After about half an out of photographing the stars and peaks together he yelled over and told me to point my lens at Broad Peak – where he’d spotted headlamps moving around Camp 3.
We stayed out there most of the night watching and photographing them. It was a beautiful clear moonlit night so we could see the peaks clearly. We spent hours as he talked me through every ridgeline in the Karakoram, all the routes and who’d done what, I didn’t get much of a word in but didn’t really need to. I couldn’t really see his face, but i could hear the light in his eyes as he spoke about this place. Anyone who’s known him knows those eyes.
He had the same passion for Hunza, and he asked me many times that night to come and visit him there, and many times after that.
He’d always ask me, “When are you coming to Hunza bro”?
Many people will remember Sohail as a climber. He’s the most capable climber I’ve ever met and everyone will speak about how humble he is but Sohail had a special type of humility. It was never a just him holding an ego back. He’d be the strongest climber on any trip but you’d always see him at the back of the pack walking alongside the slowest member with that big bearded smile, cracking jokes and being able to laugh about any situation. Even when they were completely exhausted he had an ability to get them to laugh. He has a passion for the mountains and wild places and an ability to feel them in a way I hadn’t even comprehended before I met him. Sohail is the escense of an explorer and he wanted to share that with everyone he met.
I’ll remember Sohail for a lot of things, he’s taught me a lot about humility, kindness, and sincerity. It’s true Clarke, Sohail was terrible at wolf he didn’t have an ounce of dishonesty in him. He also taught me how important earplugs were in a tea house – I’ve never heard a man snore the absolute roof off a tea house room like Sohail could.
I never went to visit him in Hunza, I always thought I had more time, and that’s now something I’ll live with. Just as with everyone else, this whole thing has shattered me and its a reminder that we really don’t have as much time as we think. But I know that Sohail would tell me to stop worrying about it, don’t take it all too seriously, and go and live.
Nikki Bate, New Zealand
Sohail helped lead two of my trips with Epic (2021 Hunza Valley, Pakistan and 2023 Island Peak, Nepal), and on both trips he left a pretty big imprint on me as I spent a lot of time with him on those trips.
He was one of the most kind hearted and genuine people I’ve met, and he had a huge heart for not just people but animals too. This past trip on Island Peak I remember collapsing around 100m below the peak. Through my tears of exhaustion, Sohail just sat with me, gave me a hug, and some gentle words of encouragement. He never made me feel like a failure for not making the summit, just had a quiet understanding I reached my limit.
I will cherish those moments and all the conversations we had. This is an absolute tragedy, and he will be missed by so many
Joe Dodge, USA
We had pretty much a private trip with him in 2024 so we were able to spend a lot of time together.
His smile and laughter were infectious. He was such a humble person who was doing as much as he could to help the people of Pakistan.
Rebecca Glechner, Austria
I have never met anyone with such a big heart and such a pure character.
He always took care of everyone else first before taking care of himself. He left a huge impact in my life, and I could always talk to him about anything in the past two years.
I was a true inspiration, and I feel so grateful that I got the chance to meet him.
Lidia Pasieka, USA/Poland
I only had the privilege of doing one expedition with Sohail. He made the expedition so special because of the laughter, kindness, and positive energy he brought every single day.
He had a way of making everyone feel comfortable and connected. I feel incredibly grateful that our paths crossed. Rest easy, Sohail. You will be deeply missed.
Chris Tashuk, Canada
Sohail was a great dude! We spent a lot of time with him when he guided our 2024 K2 Base Camp Trek. This pic was on the other side of the pass, which Sohail had promised would be full of rich vegetation. After about 10 km of yet more rocks, Sohail let me know he wasn’t fibbing. Great memory.
Clark Tyler, Canada
Thank you all for your stories and memories, shows exactly who he has always been with everybody.
A legendary human being. I will share more of that shortly, but we need a laugh.
I will state that Sohail was the absolute worst wolf while we played the group interactive game called “The Village” (if you are the wolf, the goal is not let others know you are the wolf). The guy had the worst poker face; it was so obvious with his facial expressions and controlled excitement. The denial in his “me? No, no” while holding back his default facial expression, a smile. The smirk, continuous stares of suspicion, which erupted into laughter made for some of the best laughs in a mess tent that was a nonstop laugh factory.
The night of the below picture, in Hunza was following the night of his first return home after summitting Gasherbrum II this same summer season. We rode back into civilization, started getting pulled out of vehicles by locals into the streets lined with family, friends, and probably all of Hunza welcoming Sohail home after his 8000m summit. Streets full of jubilation, traditional celebration garments thrown all over our team joining in the parade that was all for Sohail. Truly a remarkable experience to witness and be immersed in that energy. Was a party for the ages and the following night our local celebrity joined us for another Epic evening at Mountain Story for more laughs, memories hanging out with some local Hunza delicacies. Ouer so called Wolfpack was something special
Joāo Freitas, Portugal
Hello, dear magic notebook,
Today I leave here a few lines of sadness, pain and grief.
My dear friend and brother, Sohail, left while doing what he loved most. An avalanche on Broad Peak, in Pakistan, claimed the lives of ten mountaineers, including him. His body has still not been found and may never be recovered because of the risks involved in such an operation. The fact that his body has not yet been found leaves a small glimmer of hope, but reality is often harsher than what we hope for. If he has truly departed, then he left at home, in his own country, in his own mountains, doing what he loved and what he had been doing more and more.
Sohail Sakhi was my companion and colleague in Pakistan on several expeditions, but above all, I came to know him and feel him as a brother. My brother from Hunza. I do not say this because of what happened. Long before this tragedy, I had already written and spoken about how fortunate I was to have found a brother of the heart high in the mountains of Pakistan.
My deepest connection with that country and those mountains has always been, and always will be, Sohail. There are simply too many memories to fit into these few lines, written in a time of grief. In 2023, we completed the K2 Base Camp Trek and crossed the Gondogoro La Pass twice in succession. Around fifty days in the mountains.
Seeing K2 standing there, so imposing, with Broad Peak so close beside it. In Hunza, at his home, there are also memories that now seem to carry an even deeper meaning.
I am not writing these lines in shock, because both he and I knew that anyone who walks among the highest mountains in the world knows that the risk of losing one’s life is always just around the corner. That is obvious and well understood. It does not, however, lessen the pain or the sadness of losing a brother. These have been difficult days, and I have carried them with a heavy heart.
Over the last few years, Sohail raised the standard and achieved truly remarkable feats in the world of mountaineering. He climbed K2 twice, Gasherbrum I, Nanga Parbat and, more recently, Kanchenjunga. Most of these expeditions were completed without supplementary oxygen and in alpine style. His achievements speak for themselves. At first, I thought it was simply his own ambition, but perhaps the mountains loved him just as much as he loved climbing them. This time, it was Broad Peak.
These words are my farewell to Sohail, an acceptance that I have lost a brother in this earthly life, while holding on to the hope that one day, with greater joy, I may reach the heavens above and find him again.
Rest in peace, brother Sohail.
A hug from the island of Madeira, a place you never had the chance to visit.
João
3 August 2026
XXI Century
Planet earth
Camacha
Below is another entry from Joāo in the form of a poem.
Sohail
A white emptiness
Vast lands of beautiful nothing
The Glacier sounds
A shelter and misty winds
Just you and the Gods
Maybe one of the Gates of Heaven
The existence curtain fades
A Universe apart
Cold outside
Fire inside
Breathing low
You are the flow
Now maybe you can jump
From mountain to mountain
I know where to find you,
Brother
I will find you
In the high mountains of God
Or in deepest glaciers of Heaven
I know where to find you,
Brother
I will find you
One day, I will find you…
Evelien Verheecke, Belgium
I’ll always remember Sohail’s warm smile. It had a way of making everyone around him smile too. What made him truly special was his kindness, generosity, and warmth he shared so naturally with everyone around him.
He left a lasting mark on my life, and on the lives of so many others. I’m incredible grateful that our paths crossed. You will never be forgotten
Cass Hay, Australia
I first heard of Sohail in Nepal, on day one of the Island Peak expedition. Chris mentioned his name, and instantly I knew Sohail was a really special human; he completely lit up the room without even being there.
And when he DID arrive? He had a way of truly connecting with you. And kids. And animals. And the universe. A deep listener and enthusiastic story-teller, he had boundless energy; minutes after arriving in Namche Bazaar, he was deep in a game of volleyball, and then an impromptu boxing lesson. This is the thing… he knew so much about so much but always hungered for more.
It’s funny that I can remember so many details about him on that trip; how strong his body felt under all his jumpers when he gave you a hug, his floppy boots, his jagged broad smile framed by his big moustache. But mostly, I remember how he made me feel, with his pure generosity of spirit and huge heart. Like we could talk about anything and everything, cartwheeling from huge laughs to wide-eyed curiosity, and there would be time for it all. Reading all these stories, it seems he touched many of us in the same way. I keep wanting to say that Sohail was larger than life, but I keep hearing him reply, with a deep twinkle in his eye, “but what IS life?”
I only spent time with him on that trip, though we stayed in touch afterwards, and I really looked forward to when our paths would meet again. Now I’m so grateful they got to meet at all.
Peggy Wang, USA
I adore Sohail for his kind heart, infectious personality, and badass problem-solving. He jumped out, ran down the hill, and somehow caught the rotor that fell out of Captain Khan’s bus on the Karakoram! And having a good laugh, re-enacting him throwing out the dead rat that was floating in my shower bucket. Fortunate to have known such an incredible soul.
Jonathan Chan Su-Min, Singapore
Hunza and Pakistan has lost a fine son and legend. A good human being… It’s an honour.
Thank you for everything. Thank you for showing and sharing with us your beautiful home, Hunza, it’s people, and its majestic mountains.
We love you and miss you and will always be remembered in our fond memories.
We will climb mountains again soon brother …..see u at the top.
Be with Allah in Paradise now.
Lea Staub, Switzerland
It is incredible how many lives Sohail touched with his extraordinary kindness and incredibly big heart. He seemed to have a rare gift for leaving a lasting impression on people, even after only a short time together. So many of us shared meaningful conversations with him, and some of his words have stayed with me for years.
After the initial shock and overwhelming sadness, I also feel an immense sense of gratitude that our paths crossed with such an extraordinary human being. I will always be thankful to have known him.
Sending love and strength to his family, his friends, and everyone who is grieving.
Rest in peace, dear Sohail 🕊️🖤 You will never be forgotten
Final Thoughts
One thing is clear: Sohail touched a lot of lives during his time on earth. He had an unmatched lust for life and love for the mountains, now his final resting place.
Thank you to all who contributed to this article and shared photos and memories of our dear brother, Sohail.
Until we meet again, brother, see you in the mountains.
Chris
Founder, Epic Expeditions
August 5, 2026
