“I’ve never been afraid of a climb. There’s adventure and there’s a risk, but it’s not as dangerous as they say,” said this 83-year-old mountaineer, missing only two of his fourteen “eight thousand.”
The day before this interview, Carlos Soria got up at 7 AM and trained for two and a half hours, including a 1,000-meter drop. Then he went out to dinner with friends, which made him miss his usual nap because once he was done, he had to sign books with a publisher. So the next morning he could only train on a bicycle, on a roller. Something that regrets what it means to break the routine of preparation. A routine that has enabled this 83-year-old mountaineer to continue climbing the highest and most difficult mountains in the world, taking on challenges that seem impossible for many younger athletes. His achievements are extraordinary even regardless of his age. But if you look at the DNI, they become almost implausible. Three pieces of information are enough: he is the oldest person to have climbed twelve ‘eight-thousanders’, the only one in the world to have climbed ten of those mountains if he is 60 years or older, and also the only one to accept the challenge of getting to the highest peak of each of the seven continents, ending with 70 years. Now he faces the challenge of entering the peaks of the two ‘eight thousand’ that are missing from his file: the Shisha Pangma and the Dhaulagiri. And the latter opposes him.
– This spring he tried again, for the thirteenth time, to climb Dhaulagiri. Looks like he’s resisting. Did it affect you much if you didn’t get it?
– It’s over, but I came back touched. I don’t believe in jinxes, but in the circumstances of each case. This year’s attempt was very difficult, we had a terrible night, but I always leave happy with what I did. I want to get there, I’ve been very close to it, just over 100 meters.
– Doesn’t it demotivate you that you haven’t succeeded in so many attempts?
– I have been in complicated mountains and I climbed the first one when I was quite old… The Dhaulagiri has two very special things: the day of the summit is quite long and it is done with a diagonal crossing which is dangerous. I’ve gone into groups where people have died going up or down. And it is a mountain where it usually snows a lot.
– What is the mountain to you?
– Almost a way of life, although I’ve never been strictly a professional since I had my job. I first climbed a mountain when I was 14 years old and open spaces have caught my attention ever since. I had a very difficult childhood and childhood because my family was very poor. From the age of 11 to 14 I worked in a company in Madrid and traveled a very long distance during lunch to get to the Manzanares and enjoy that space. After that I did a lot of sports, not just climbing. I also practiced skiing and until I had a knee replacement I often did a wall of La Pedriza.
– The mountain has a high risk, you just need to see how many accidents happen. If there is no risk, there is no adventure?
– The mountain is adventure and has risks, but not as much as is said. If it were, I wouldn’t have gone climbing with my daughters. It’s not something dangerous, but you need to know where you’re going and be prepared. The risk is in the avalanches. The problem is that there are people who only think about getting to the top, and you also have to think about coming back.
– You were talking about your job. You were a bookbinder and upholsterer. How did he find the time to go to the mountains?
– Actually, I started seriously with the mountain when I was already an upholsterer, and in the beginning I devoted my vacations to it every year. I set up a workshop with my father and discovered that you can always find free time if you want to. I am strict when it comes to working hours, I get up early… As an upholsterer I had prestige and I worked outside Spain. If he had spent more time on it, he would certainly have started a bigger company.
– Most of his career as a mountaineer was after his retirement. Did you ever imagine it would be so?
– I adapted to what I could do at a given moment. I’ve been on long journeys since I was 60. It’s great to have met almost the whole world and so many interesting people thanks to the mountain.
– «I can’t sit still,» he often said. Is that why you keep climbing the mountains at your age with a knee replacement and problems with your hands?
– Of course, and I’m trying to improve my circumstances. That’s why I train every day.
– And your body is being studied. Do you feel like a guinea pig?
– No, I’m a happy person. On the last expedition, the doctor who operated on my knee went with me. He saw me moving between the rocks and told me no one did that with a prosthesis. I have overcome my limitations. I know that the ideal of going to snowy mountains is not not to have a prosthesis, but I am defending myself.
– Film director Billy Wilder shot his last film at age 75 because after that age, although he was doing very well, the producers feared he would die on set and lose their investment. Do you have the impression that the same is happening to you? That you can’t find sponsors because they look at your ID and not your fitness?
– Everyone who talks about my life loves it… but before that I had companies sponsoring me and now there is only one person to support me and I have to fund my travels. It is what it is, and I don’t know why. It won’t be because I’m not visible all over the world. I’ve had good sponsors in other times, that’s true, and now I don’t understand why I don’t have them, with the money moving in other sports.
– Made many climbs with very small teams or alone. How is the loneliness at the top of the mountain? Does it allow one to find themselves or instill fear?
– I do not recommend a climber to go alone. But it is true that I have done many expeditions with a single Sherpa, or consented with other colleagues, but at my own pace. It’s not ideal. The only place I’ve been was on Everest. I had a Sherpa who was heavily drunk drop me off at Camp 3 and from there I went alone. I reached the top, I passed people going down, but I also went down alone. I never thought anything would happen to me. I just thought I had to do it right.
– Have you ever feared for your life?
– I was a little scared on the Annapurna, because you have to go through a place where there are avalanches. And that is always noticeable in the environment because it generates a certain nervousness. The night before that stage, I had Meunier syndrome and was a little dizzy in bed. They gave me medicine and I forgot. I’ve never been afraid in the mountains, but I’ve always been very careful. During the last expedition I lived in Camp 3, the most difficult situation I have ever experienced.
– That moment when decisions have to be made…
– If I thought there was trouble, I always turned back. I’ve never had to come down a mountain and I’ve never had frostbite. In difficult moments, I put all my interest in how to get out of there. Many people like to pretend to be a mountain climbing hero. I don’t see it that way, I’m not, although now, because of my age, what I do has more value.
– You set yourself great challenges: seven mountains on seven continents, the fourteen eight-thousanders… And when will you reach them?
– Being one of the seven continents was not just something sporty. It was a chance to get to know Indonesia or Antarctica, and I also considered finishing it when I was 70 years old. There were several things in that project and that’s why I’m telling you it was more than pure sport.
– There is postpartum syndrome and whoever takes a hard exam or completes a dissertation knows that later the downturn will come, the feeling that there is no purpose in life. What happens to him when he climbs a mountain and returns home?
– I feel great joy and I immediately think about the next one I’m going to do and if I can have sponsors for the expedition. For example, after returning from Dhaulagiri, I started thinking about the idea of going to Shisha Pangma in the fall. I’ve already been to the central peak, but not the main peak, and it’s the other ‘eight thousand’ that I’m missing. But I think the Chinese have closed it because of the pandemic and I don’t know if it will be open in the fall.
– How do you know to stop climbing? Or don’t you know?
– I will no doubt know. It’s not happening right now. This week I did a tour of the area around my house and I cut down the time I needed a year ago. Of course I will try not to embarrass myself. I walk oddly because of the prosthesis, but my physical shape is above average for those who go to those peaks. How will it happen? Well, I think I’ll be aware that I have to stop if I notice too much fatigue or the feeling of unwillingness overtakes me. The body knows these things. And the mind too.
Source: La Verdad
I’m an experienced news author and editor based in New York City. I specialize in covering healthcare news stories for Today Times Live, helping to keep readers informed on the latest developments related to the industry. I have a deep understanding of medical topics, including emerging treatments and drugs, the changing laws that regulate healthcare providers, and other matters that affect public health.
