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Climbing Updated: 31 Oct 2018

Carlos Soria celebrates the first anniversary of his Kanchenjunga ascent

It took him three years to set foot on the summit of yet another one of the tallest mountains on Earth. After Mount Lhotse in 2011, Carlos Soria reached the top of the Kanchenjunga (8586m) in May 18th, 2014. One year after, we’re celebrating with the 76 year old mountaineer what became his eleventh eight-thousander.

At 9:00 am, after fourteen hours and a 1000 meters of ascent, Carlos Soria and his BBVA Expedition team made it all the way to the top of the third tallest mountain in the world. And so, the climber from Avila had become the oldest person to ever accomplish this feat.

Behind Everest and K2 in height, the Kanchenjunga stands 8,586 meters tall. However, until 1852, it was thought to be the tallest mountain in the world. It is also the tallest mountain in India, and the second tallest in Nepal. The mountain owes its name – which translates into the “five treasures of snow” to its five peaks, which all tower above 8000 m.

In Luis Miguel López’s - Carlos Soria's expedition cameraman - own words “for the local villagers the region where the Kanchenjunga stands is sacred, worthy of gods”. But “after marveling at this great work of nature, one gets the feeling that more than a dwelling for gods, the mountain is itself a great divinity, deserving of our deepest respect and admiration.”