KATHMANDU: Veteran Spanish mountaineer Carlos Soria among other climbers today left for Mt Dhaulagiri to attempt to climb the world’s sixth highest mountain in the autumn season.

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.

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