Veteran Spanish mountaineer Carlos Soria among other climbers left for Mt Dhaulagiri to attempt to climb the world’s sixth highest mountain in the autumn season.
Carlos Soria in Khumbu region. Courtesy: Luis M L Soriano
Carlos (80) is part of the 15-member expedition led by woman climber Sophie Marie Therese Jeanne from France, according to the Department of Tourism. Record holder Spanish climber Sergio Mingote Moreno, Moeses Fiamoncini from Brazil, Mattia Ignazio Conte from Italy, Josette Valloton from Switzerland, Csaba Varga from Hungary, Skatov Atanas Georgiev from Bulgaria, Muhammad Ali from Pakistan, Maria Aguerri, Luis Miguel Lopez, Luis Cortadellas Villagra and Agustin Demetrio Gracia from Spain are among other members of the expedition.
Carlos, who had undergone surgery on his left knee in last October, said that he would be attempting to climb Mt Dhaulagiri with the knee prosthesis. “It’s my tenth attempt on Mt Dhaulagiri,” he said, adding that he found the prosthesis highly compatible while climbing Lenin Peak (7,134 m) in Tajikistan in August.
Carlos, who had done his first eight thousander – Nanga Parbat – at the age of 50, is the only mountaineer to have successfully climbed ten mountains above 8,000 meters after turning 60. “My first priority now is Mt Dhaulagiri and then Shishapangma,” the climber said.
The fellow climbers said they found Carlos very fit and strong. Before heading for Mt Dhaulagiri, five climbers including Carlos spent nearly two weeks in Mt Everest region for acclimatisation. “We along with Carlos trekked to the Khumbu region above 5,000 m,” Luis said.
If Carlos makes it to the top of Mt Dhaulagiri this season, he will have to climb Shishapangma to be the oldest man ever to complete all 14 peaks above 8,000 m. Carlos also claimed that he had, however, reached the central summit at 8,008 m of Mt Shishapangma (8,027 m) in 2005.
Sanu Sherpa. Courtesy: Sanu/Facebook
This season, Mikel Sherpa will be the lead guide with Carlos on Mt Dhaulagiri, said Chhang Dawa Sherpa, Director at Seven Summit Treks.
According to DoT, at least 30 members of two expedition teams have obtained climbing permit for Mt Dhaulagiri this season. “Another 15-member team is being led by woman climber Angelika Herczeg from Hungary,” Rameshwar Niraula, an official at DoT said.
Other members of the Herczeg-led team include Aldona Barbara Drabik from Poland, Akira Saito from Japan, Antonios Sykaris from Greece, Chris Burke from Australia, Anastasila Volkova, Igor Derybas, Oleksii Kelin and Andril Dubok from Ukraine, Juan Pablo Prieto from Chile, Eva Kerekas from Hungary, Karl Debulsson from France, Akio Fujiwara from Japan, Jeannette Mc Gill from South Africa and Brett Martin from UK.
Meanwhile, Sanu Sherpa from Makalu, Sankhuwasabha, also left for Mt Dhaulagiri this season to complete all 14 peaks above 8,000 m. Sherpa completed his 13th eight-thousander by scaling G-I and G-II in August. “I want to be the third Nepali climber to scale all 14 peaks by standing atop Mt Dhaulagiri this season,” Sherpa said.
Being the first Nepali climbers to scale all 14 eight-thousanders, Mingma Sherpa and his brother, Chhang Dawa of Seven Summit Treks, also hold the world record of ‘World’s First Two Brothers’ to successfully summit all 14 mountains above 8,000 m.
CARLOS SORIA’S SUMMIT SUCCESS:
Nanga Parbat – 1990
Gasherbrum II – 1994
Cho Oyu – 1999
Everest – 2001
K2 – 2004
Broad Peak – 2007
Makalu – 2008
Gasherbrum I – 2009
Manaslu – 2010
Lhotse – 2011
Kanchenjunga – 2014
Annapurna – 2016
SANU SHERPA’S SUMMIT SUCCESS:
Cho Oyu – 2006, 2008
Manaslu – 2010, 2011, 2016
Shishapangma – 2006, 2011
Everest – 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017
Lhotse – 2008
K2 – 2012
Gasherbrum I – 2013, 2019
Kanchenjunga – 2014
Broad Peak – 2014, 2017
Annapurna – 2016
Nanga Parbat – 2017, 2018
Makalu – 2019
Gasherbrum II – 2019
by RAJAN POKHREL
This article first appeared on http://thehimalayantimes.com . The original can be read here .