Lev Sarkisov

Lev Sarkisov (2 December 1938 – 2 February 2024) was an Armenian mountaineer known for being the oldest Armenian to have climbed Mount Everest.

Career
Sarkisov worked as a mentor for mountaineers in the Georgian Armed Forces before moving onto recreational climbing.

On 12 May 1999, Sarkisov became the oldest man to have reached the peak of Mount Everest at the age of 60 years and 161 days, breaking the previous record held by Venezuelan climber Ramón Balanca Suárez. He was officially recognized by the Guinness World Records as the oldest mountaineer to have ever scaled the mountain. His record was surpassed in 2001 by American mountaineer Sherman Bull.

Sarkisov was awarded the Order of Honor by President Eduard Shevardnadze in 1999 and was also a recipient of the Snow Leopard award.

Sarkisov died on 2 February 2024, at the age of 85.