It’s seven in the morning and Carlos Soria, 86, is already at the door of the Sputnik climbing center in Las Rozas, waiting for it to open so he can start his training. “It’s the easiest and most fun way to gain muscle,” … said. At the end of September, he reached the summit of Manaslu, becoming the oldest person to reach the summit of the “eight thousand”, a career-long record that served as a wake-up call. “When I came back, I realized I had gone a little too far.” Now recovered, he goes to ABC to tell about this last adventure and some passages of an extraordinary career.
-What does the world look like from the height of an “eight thousand”?
-Well, from the top it looks very calm. And we are in a moment of immense joy, as is logical. It’s an “eight thousand.” It’s a very exciting moment, which requires a lot of effort because you may have already tried it without success several times, three… or seventeen, like me with the Daulaghiri! But, at the same time, you have in mind that you have to go down, something that is normally more complicated than going up.
-Half of the work is missing.
-Until you are home, or at least at base camp, be careful. Because there are a lot of people who push too hard, who think that they are very close to the top and that they have to try no matter what. I saw people die at the top. It’s crazy. Always, when you are close, the most important thing is to think that in addition to reaching the top, you have to come down and have the strength to do it, because the hardest part is the descent. “I’ve reached the top,” they say. And that’s fine, but do some soul searching to see if you’re really going to get down safely.
-And when you are up there and you see that there are wars down there, politicians accusing each other of being corrupt…
-The world is like that. But I think it gets a little better each time. We’ve been through worse times, especially me who was born in 1939. I think it’s not bad and I think our country is in a pretty good time. I have this thought. I really think it’s a good time in Spain. I would like to live many more years for this, because it is getting better and better.
The world seen from above
“He seems very calm. The world is like this. But I think it gets a little better each time.”
-I was talking about Daulaghiri. Is this your big pending account? Are you going to try for the eighteenth time?
-No. The Daulaghiri remains there. In 2023, I had the big accident of my life. A Sherpa fell and dragged three of us. I was unlucky to come last and the weight of the others fell on me. I broke my tibia and fibula at 7,400 meters. A lot of people stayed there because of that. I was very lucky. I’m not going to do the crazy thing I did again. It’s too much. I didn’t want to break the international record, but rather celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Spanish ascent of Manaslu, in which I also participated. It seemed so beautiful to me… But it was strong. The climb went very well, but afterwards I had a bit of pain, especially in my head. No problem. There are plenty of things to do without making my life complicated.
-So there is no next project?
-My plan is to continue to live as long and as much as possible in the mountains. This is my project. I will always go to the mountains, even if they are easy. I try to be in the best shape possible, maintain my muscles, cycle and rollerblade at home when the weather is bad. come to the climbing wall or go out in the mountains… But all this to live better, not because I now have a project.
-Because you’re not planning to retire to rest, are you?
-I don’t like to rest at all. This seems very sad to me. The sad thing is that I only have time to do a few things.
Isn’t sitting still the secret to your longevity?
-I think I have the desire to live, because there are people who are bored. Many people are bored. I remember, when I had the tapestry workshop, that we had a varnisher who retired and who then came to the workshop every day. He said he was bored at home, that his wife wouldn’t leave him alone… That’s not retirement. It’s horrible. Life is very beautiful and you have to enjoy it.
Carlos Soria, after reaching the summit of Manaslu last September
-And apart from that?
-Play sports, even if it is not to compete, eat well, exercise and have an environment around you as God intended. This is what is needed, nothing else is necessary. That your family cares about you, that they understand what you do. You can’t go to the Himalayas for two months and leave bad faces at home. I have been very lucky in this area. I met my wife in the mountains and never had a problem. And my daughters… I have four and they continue to play sports, as do my grandchildren. In my family there is an interesting sports environment.
-How do we discover the mountain?
-I was 14 years old, I lived very miserably and I started to work. The first time I took a vacation, a friend and I went to La Pedriza. I who had lived only sadness, in a house without water, without toilets inside… I saw that and it seemed to me that it was my world. I wasn’t wrong.
-At that time, I had already left school.
-We had to work. It was more important to work than to eat, there was no other choice. And yet, everything was complicated.
the mountain
“One day they gave me a vacation and I, who had only known sadness, saw this and it seemed to me that it was my world”
-This first job was as a bookbinder.
-Yeah. I have a leather-bound Don Quixote at home. Then I became an upholsterer, which is what I devoted the rest of my life to.
-Do you also consider yourself a mountain craftsman, at a time when Everest ascents follow one another in series?
-Well, I consider myself a mountaineer. The world evolves as it evolves and it doesn’t have to… What’s happening on Everest makes sense. Moreover, Nepal needs the money from this tourism. But there are many other mountains. If you want to be alone, it’s very simple. This happens on Everest one month a year, but nothing happens. The mountain is not going to be damaged by this, it’s bullshit. It is more important to take care of rivers and water, because all the waste ends up in the sea and sometimes that scares us very much, more than the mountains.
-But it is undeniable that mountaineering has changed a lot over the last fifty years.
-Everything has changed. All. If we had all remained the same as fifty years ago, it would be very sad. I don’t like what people say: “It’s not like it used to be.” Of course not, and we should be grateful for that. Medicine has changed, the way of life has changed… When I was an upholsterer, I carried furniture in handcarts and the like on my back, and fortunately that has changed too. Nothing got worse.
-And how did you find Manaslu this time?
-I was there again, when the earthquake happened and when they built the new school. They love us there, and it’s one of the most beautiful things that can happen to you, to come back to a place where you’ve been and to be welcomed with enthusiasm, with impressive affection. There, in the woods. They’re still surprised because I’m going there. They are very grateful. This mountain thing, in addition to climbing, requires you to engage with what’s around you. Otherwise, it’s a very ugly thing. There, the only thing that matters to them is that the potatoes are good that year. And now, there is a little more tourism every time. Fifty years ago, they had only seen Japanese people. Today, there is a lot of movement.
-Has the mountain ever betrayed you?
-No, he didn’t betray me. When I’ve had accidents, I can’t blame them on the mountains.
-And have you forgiven him for any imprudence?
– Yes, I’m sure someone has forgiven me. Of course yes. I tried not to overdo it, but some are possible.
– Do you think that what you do is sufficiently valued?
– Almost too much. A lot of people stop me in the street, they ask me for photos. How can I say it’s not nice? Especially if they treat you with love and respect. There are always clumsy people, but these are the least.
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