The Denver Climber Who Died in a New Year’s Eve Fall Had a Huge Heart
Every January, we share a tribute to members of our community who we lost last year. Some were legends, others were pillars of their community, all were climbers. Read the full tribute to Climbers We Lost in 2025 here.
Shafiq Noorani, 52, December 31
Climbing partners and friends remember Shafiq Noorani as a climber celebrated for his generosity. He quietly made a meaningful impact on the climbing and global communities.
On December 31, Noorani died while descending The Citadel, a 13,000-foot peak west of Denver. According to reporting in USA Today and CBS News, Noorani fell several hundred feet in a tragic accident. Rescuers described him and his climbing partner as experienced and well-prepared. The exact cause of his fall remains unknown.
Born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and raised in Chicago from a young age, Noorani discovered a lifelong love for the outdoors early on. After meeting mountaineer Don Worsham in the 1990s at a Chicago gear store, the two became fast friends, climbing in Wisconsin’s Devil’s Lake and planning expeditions abroad. But they also collaborated to make a positive impact around the world.
Together, Noorani and Worsham enlisted the support of IBM in the late `90s to deliver donated computer equipment to children at underprivileged schools in Nepal. Many of the schools they helped were originally founded by Sir Edmund Hillary and sorely in need of upgrades. Noorani often combined his mountaineering adventures with efforts like these.
Noorani later trained as a physician assistant. He pursued medical missions in Nepal, South America, South Africa, and Tanzania, while continuing to climb and explore. After moving to Colorado, he embraced the mountains fully. He lived simply, fishing, climbing, and quietly making connections everywhere he went. As Worsham said, “He never gave his heart to one person – he gave little pieces all over the planet.”
A longtime climbing partner, Matt Brooks, recalled, “Shafiq was experienced, exceptionally safe, conscientious, and possessed a level of kindness and patience with others that I could only respect and admire. He was a great reminder that who you’re on the mountain with matters just as much as your own technical ability.”
Noorani’s life was defined not by peaks conquered, but by the care, curiosity, and generosity he brought to every climb, every mission, and every friendship. His absence will be felt in the mountains, in classrooms, and in the countless lives he touched around the globe.
Read the full tribute to Climbers We Lost in 2025 here.
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