Carlos Soria can hardly have come much closer to completing the full set of 8,000m peaks. With 12 of the 14 already to his name, only Shishapangma and Dhaulagiri remain. Soria has already been agonizingly close to the summit of both. In 2005, he made it to the Central Peak of Shishapangma, and at 8,008m, he was just 19m below the main summit. In 2017, he was turned back a mere 100m from the summit of Dhaulagiri by deep snow.
Carlos Soria on Dhaulagiri in 2017. Photo: Correos
Indeed, it has been Dhaulagiri that has proven his most consistent foil. Eight times, Soria has attempted to scale the peak, and eight times he has been thwarted. On April 22, the eternally fit 79-year-old began his ninth attempt.
Soria, Carcavilla and Miguel Lopez at Base Camp last week. Photo: Carlos Soria
Soria had been acclimatizing by trekking with his family in the Khumbu Valley, before heading to Base Camp just a few days before the expedition began. In a Facebook update, the Spaniard set out their plans for the first phase of the expedition:
Tomorrow [we] will depart from Base Camp to Camp 1 on the mountain (at 5,700m). The plan is to sleep for two nights at this point and then to reach Camp 2 (at 6,400m).
More to come.
Previous / Links:
Interview: Carlos Soria, Annapurna Summit at Age 77
Trekking the Khumbu – Everest Season 2018
Top 7 Expeditions in the Spring 2018 Himalaya Season
