Carlos Soria Fontan, 84, planned to become the oldest mountaineer to climb the 14 highest peaks in the world, culminating above 8,000 meters. His 13 previous attempts to reach the 13th, the Dhaulagiri at 8,167 meters above sea level, have all failed.
The last had ended this week less than 700 meters from the summit. Mr. Fontan had climbed his first "eight thousand" peak, Nanga Parbat in Pakistan, shortly after his 50th birthday.