Carlos Soria: The 81-year-old conquering the world s highest peaks
By Guy Hedgecoe
image copyrightCourtesy of Carlos Soria
image captionCarlos Soria has summited 11 of the 14 highest peaks in the world since turning 60
When Carlos Soria leaves his house to train in the mountains outside Madrid, wearing a facemask brings back memories of the Himalayas. It s difficult to breathe, so it reminds me of when I m at high altitude, he says with a smile.
The 81-year-old expects to experience the thin air of the Himalayas once again this spring, when he plans to climb Dhaulagiri mountain in Nepal.
Then, in the autumn, he hopes to summit Shishapangma in Tibet. If he manages both, he will become the oldest person to have reached the summit of the world s 14 highest peaks - all of which surpass 8,000m (26,247ft).
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April 2014
As of April 2014, only five people older than 65 have have summitted an 8,000er without the use of bottled oxygen. The oldest of these was Boris Korshunov (Russia, b. 31 Aug 1935), who climbed Cho Oyu on 2 Oct 2007 aged 72 years 32 days. However, as some alpinists dispute Korshunov’s claim, the undisputed record goes to Carlos Soria (Spain, b. 5 Feb 1939), who summitted Manaslu on 1 Oct 2010, aged 71 years 238 days.
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