Carlos Soria: a biography in the mountains

When it comes to courage, grit and a young soul, the name of Carlos Soria comes to the fore. Born on 5 February 1939 in Ávila into a family of limited economic resources, this native of Ávila managed to find a refuge from his problems in the mountains, which became one of the great loves of his life.

He was only 14 years old when he made his first adventure in the Guadarrama mountains with a friend. From then on he never stopped visiting the mountains, but it was not until he was 21 that he decided to undertake a long trek through the Alps to begin training as a professional mountaineer.

His talent for coping with the harsh conditions of mountaineering meant that in the 1970s he was part of the group of Spanish athletes who travelled to Russia to conquer the ElbrusIt is considered to be the highest mountain in Europe.

The years passed but the customs remained intact. At five o'clock in the morning, while many sleep, Don Soria wakes up to train in a makeshift gymnasium in his garage. For some, coffee is life-giving, but for this elderly mountaineer, the sport he fell in love with as a young boy is the perfect synonym for happiness.

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It is seven o'clock, Carlos Soria is now ready to do his daily routine. Wearing comfortable sports clothes, he takes his mountain bike to start pedalling around the city, albeit with a few little tricks taught to him by friends to avoid the severe pain in his knee caused by the prostheses left over from an old operation.

Age is no impediment to dreams

Carlos Soria is 81 years old and has countless medals hanging on the wall of his garage. Most of them are for skiing, another of the sports he loves so much. In his long life he has conquered part of what many dream of but few manage to do: to reach the summits of the Everest, Annapurna, K2 and Makalu.

His exploits are an example for the various generations of mountaineers, but unfortunately they have not been valued by the Spanish authorities, so he has had to pay for part of his trips himself.

Did you know that Dhaulagiri was one of the peaks that took humans the longest time to conquer? Yes, as you read it, the summit of this mountain was first climbed in 1960.

Not having financial backing has not been an impediment for this man who is a true superhero, not one of those who has all the powers to save the world, but one of those who build country with their dedication and commitment despite the limitations and fears inherent to human beings.

2020 meant a year's delay for the grandfather of four grandchildren, who will have to overcome the physical toll of confinement imposed as a coronavirus prevention measure to conquer his next goal: reaching the summit of Dhaulagirione of the most challenging peaks in the world.

Carlos Soria's conquests

Carlos Soria proves that when you have a dream there is nothing to stop you, not even the physical limitations of age. At the age of 60, he has managed to conquer three of the world's most important peaks: Gasherbrum I , Everest and Broad PeakHe showed that his fighting spirit and keeping a strong mind were his secrets to never wavering.

His long list of achievements includes the summits of Nanga Parbat in 1990; Cho Oyu in 1994; K2 in 2004; Makalu in 2008; Manaslu in 2010; Kanchenjunga in 2014 and the Annapurna in 2016. Unbelievable, isn't it?

Carlos Soria makes the impossible look easy, but imitating him is a titanic task. To put it in context, he has only two more mountains to go to reach the summit of all those over 8,000 metres high: Dhaulagiri and Shisha Pangma.

Did you know that Carlos Soria has tried to reach the summit of Dhaulagiri several times without success? Many would have given up on the idea, but for him it is just one more push to achieve his dreams..

Source: Wikipedia.

81 years do not pass in vain and the athlete knows it, who assures that his torso is strong but his feet and hands are weakened by the passage of time. In addition, Soria had to undergo surgery on his groin, which prevented him from training for some time, but excuses do not exist in their vocabularyThat is why he gets up stronger every day as he visualises his goal.

During the confinement imposed by the Spanish government, Soria practised day and night in his garage with adapted mechanisms that allowed him to continue with his speed, which has nothing to envy to 20-year-olds. If you need motivation just think of him!

A curious fact that you may not know about Carlos Soria is that at 81 years of age he is still contributing to the social security system as a self-employed worker and is probably one of the people with the longest life span in the system. When we say that there are no excuses, it is because there really are none for him.

A man in a film

Sixty-five years enjoying the mountainsThat is how long Carlos Soria has been immersed in mountaineering, but it is not only a time but also the name of the documentary made in his honour by the non-profit associations Arrastaka Mendi Talde and Akorri Mendei Elkartea with the support of the Beasain Town Council.

The screening of Sixty-five years enjoying the mountains was held for the first time on Thursday 29 October 2020 at 19:30, where the mountaineer revealed parts of his secrets to keep going strong after such a long time.

Reference: Diario Vasco.

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In this audiovisual material you will be able to relive the victories and defeats of a man who definitively is a film for his gallantry, his immense love of life despite adversity and his desire to eat up the world, demonstrating that dreams have no age.