Mountaineer and former senator for Lanzarote and La Graciosa, Joel Delgado can boast of being the first Lanzarote native to reach the summit of Manaslu, the eighth highest mountain in the world at 8,163 meters high, located in Nepal.
In an interview on the radio program Más de Uno on Radio Lanzarote-Onda Cero, Delgado explains that he was always passionate about the mountains. "I always had that little thorn in my side, and when I left politics, you have a lot more time, so I was able to continue with that part that was more pending," he says.
When preparing to face this challenge, the mountaineer says that to acclimatize and adapt to the extreme temperatures of Manaslu, he went to Teide. "Fortunately, Teide has conditions that are similar in a way, and also, a height of more than 3,500 meters is already considerable and oxygen begins to be scarce," he explains.
However, he points out that the body's acclimatization as such occurs on the mountain itself in Nepal, which is why the trips are so long, between 35 and 40 days. "You can't just climb 8,000 meters all at once because you'll probably end up staying there," he says.
Delgado has scaled the first of the fourteen eight-thousanders that exist in the world, that is, the mountains on the planet that exceed 8,000 meters in height, but he has also done two seven-thousanders. He managed to climb one of them, located in the Himalayas, in 2024, while the other in 2023 was the south face of Everest.
The mountaineer's goal is to continue meeting challenges and continue climbing the highest peaks on the planet. "The idea is to continue, but I can't do all 14 eight-thousanders because the budget is what it is, and I finance 80% of the expedition myself, and that's a lot of money and time," he explains.
"You're without coverage for like 15 or 16 days, without a sign of life. Communication is complicated because Nepal is still a developing country, but one has those challenges, and as long as you're young and have the time, why not do it?" he continues.
Between 15 and 16 different expeditions
During the ascent of the Himalayan mountains, many expeditions converge at the same time, up to 15 or 16. "People say that there are a lot of people in this area and in Nepal, but you have to keep in mind that it is the main source of income for the country, from which many people live, and also, those mountains can only be climbed for two weeks a year, so it is normal for there to be a lot of people," he explains.
When organizing this expedition, Delgado points out that he started researching online. In this sense, he says that there are several agencies that facilitate the bureaucratic procedures, provide access to base camps, or pay the tax charged by the Nepalese government, which is almost 50% of the cost of the expedition, among other things. Specifically, this expedition cost more than 14,000 euros.
"Since then, I've been working with the same agency and I'm very happy because they offer a lot of security and peace of mind in the bureaucratic aspect," he declares.
Regarding Nepal, Delgado states that it is a country he loves. "Asian culture is something that really catches my attention, and if it's a mountainous country, even more so," he emphasizes.
Experience During the Ascent
When starting the ascent, the body must be acclimatized to adapt it to the lack of oxygen. To do this, small approach trekkings to the mountain are made, gradually ascending. "Little by little, you stay in camps or towns at higher altitudes for a night and then go back up to base camp to acclimatize to the altitude," he explains.
In fact, Delgado says that as they ascended, upon reaching approximately 6,500 meters, they descended again to base camp to allow the body to adapt to the lack of oxygen. "After four days of rest and good nutrition, you then make the gradual ascent to the summit, which this time took us five days, but from the last camp to the summit it was 25 straight hours without stopping," he recalls.
Upon reaching the summit, you can only stay for a very short time because there are more people waiting to set foot on it as well, since "it is very narrow and only one or two people fit." When descending, Delgado emphasizes that it is the most dangerous part.
Regarding food, he reveals that he brought *millo* tortillas, *serrano* ham, Iberian sausages, and tuna from Lanzarote, along with packets of mayonnaise to have eggs and protein. "The food is bad, last year I lost seven kilos and this year three because I've been learning," he points out.
Furthermore, at such high altitudes, hygiene becomes complicated, as it's impossible to shower. "You go a week without showering, that's the worst part for me, and it's the first thing I did when I came down," he says, laughing. However, he assures that "despite the harsh conditions, once you adapt, the rest is about using your head and pushing forward."
The next goal he has in mind is Everest, but "with something more, also climbing Lhotse, two eight-thousanders in 48 hours." "It's a challenge I have in my head and it would be a challenge for mountaineering in the Canary Islands," he concludes.