But climbing isn’t the only thing in his life—he combines it with other adventure sports like skydiving or, more recently, BASE jumping, which you can learn more about here.
As if that weren’t enough, he balances his profession and hobbies with other mountain-related pursuits, such as writing books (he has four to his name), giving talks, or collaborating on some La Sexta TV programmes alongside journalist Sara Carbonero.
Below, we leave you with the interview so you can get to know this climbing legend a little better.
Yumping.- From a very young age, just 13 years old, you’ve been dedicated to the mountain world. Were the early days tough?
Carlos Suárez.- No, not at all. I was lucky that my mum paid for a course with Ramón Portilla, and I had great mentors from the start, as well as the Peñalara club.
Y.- Mountaineering requires a lot of safety measures and can sometimes be risky. Was it hard to get your family to accept your lifestyle as a profession?
C.S.- Yes, it’s always been difficult for them to understand.
Y.- How did it feel when you first found yourself over 8,000 metres high, on Cho Oyu?
C.S.- I felt like I didn’t have as much strength to spare as I usually do in the Alps or similar places. Normally, you’re operating with a much smaller margin.
Y.- Which summit do you remember most fondly?
C.S.- Mount Asgard, for what it represented, and the BASE jump I did afterwards.
Y.- When was the hardest moment to keep going?
C.S.- A few years ago, I couldn’t see a way forward despite years of trying to make a living professionally. There are other professions around the mountain world that are far more lucrative.
Y.- You have an enviable track record in climbing. You’ve kept racking up successes and are still unstoppable. Which title brought you the most joy?
C.S.- More than the titles, it’s the experiences I’ve had—even some that weren’t successful, like on Cerro Torre, but taught me a lot.
Y.- Is it hard to make friends in the competitive world?
C.S.- It usually boils down to one or two, which is honestly more than enough.
Y.- How far would you like to go in the world of mountaineering?
C.S.- After coming back from the Himalayas in winter, I’ve felt the urge to return to a big mountain like K2.
Y.- You’ve won titles in speed climbing. Could you explain to our readers what that involves?
C.S.- It’s pure, raw speed with not much technical difficulty. It’s a discipline that, interestingly, started in Russia and never really took off globally.
Y.- Where do you prefer to climb? Rock or ice?
C.S.- Rock, definitely.
Y.- You’ve pulled off one of the most spectacular feats in climbing: an 8a without a rope. How did that feel? Would you do it again?
C.S.- No, that taught me where my limits were in a somewhat controlled way. Back then, very few people in the world had done it—I had no references, and the mental challenge was huge. I wanted to find a personal, honest path that showed me something authentic, free from any falseness.
Y.- Aside from your passion for the mountains, which you’ve worked in all your life, we see you do other adventure sports. How did you get into skydiving?
C.S.- It was a natural progression. I’d wanted to try it ever since I paraglided from the summit of Naranjo de Bulnes. That made me think about another dimension of the mountains, and the moment came thanks to Leo Houlding, an English friend.
Y.- Later, you took up BASE jumping. Why did you decide to make the leap?
C.S.- I saw people in Yosemite jumping off a wall, and that’s when I decided I’d do it sooner or later. Later, Leo came to give talks in Spain—I translated for him, and he taught me everything I needed to know.
Y.- What do you prefer: the feeling of reaching a summit or leaping into the void from a cliff?
C.S.- Both are extraordinary things that make for incredible moments.
Y.- What other adventure sports do you do or would like to try?
C.S.- I’ve done some surfing over the years, a bit of diving, and some highlining.
Y.- What other hobbies do you have besides extreme sports?
C.S.- Reading, writing, and playing golf.
Y.- You also have other roles, like writer, presenter, conference speaker, contributor to sports publications... Which one do you feel most comfortable in?
C.S.- Probably writing, but it’s just a hobby—I’d like to be better at it. As for presenting, that was just a one-year experience on La Sexta with Sara Carbonero. Talks are something I do occasionally, though I’ve been doing them yearly for a while now.
Y.- If you ever retired from the mountain world, what would you like to do?
C.S.- I’d cling to a desk, as they say at the end of a Coen brothers film.
Y.- What advice would you give to someone thinking of getting into climbing?
C.S.- Just to be aware of the risks involved, nothing more.
Y.- What’s your next goal?
C.S.- Hmm, maybe some free BASE, perhaps in Greenland...
Here’s a promotional video for Carlos Suarez’s latest book, Morir por la cima (Dying for the Summit).
What about you—do you climb too? You can tell us here.
