Lev Sarkisov was born on December 2, 1938 in Voronezh city. The Sarkisovs moved to Tbilisi after the war.
Lev Sarkisov finished school, worked in a railway station, served in Rocket Forces for three years. After serving he worked at the Aircraft Factory named after Dmitorov, where he was drawn into a sport tourism group.
He got a profession, when he was already an individuality. Lev graduated from Physical Culture Institute in Tbilisi. He had 20 years length of service at that time.
During working in the aviation, he went for a trip with the mountain tourism group, climbed mountains, took part in mountain tourism competitions. He climbed Mount Kazbek in 1962. He liked mountains so much, that he went to a mountaineering camp in the North Caucasus at the same year and passed a perfect readiness, after which he was included in the staff of the group of mountaineers of the armed forces.
He worked as a trainer with public fundamentals for a few years and at the same time he held important positions at the Aircraft Factory.
He was professional as a mountaineering trainer,the group trained by Lev has been one of the powerful groups: they won medals every year. Many of his wards became champions.
Lev Sarkisov is a mountaineering multiple champion of the Soviet Union Armed Forces,he has been awarded “Edelweiss” medal from mountaineering “Eurasian Company”. Eduard Shevardnadze, the president of Georgia, awarded “ The Decoration” medal to L. Sarkisov in 1999. He was awarded “Snow Leopard” medal ( it awards to all mountaineers of the USSR, who climbed 7000-meter-high mountains). The ascents of the USSR’s 7000-meter-high mountains have the following images: The Communism (7495m.)twice, The Pobeda (7439m.) once, The Lenin (7134m.) three times, The Korzhnevski (7105m.) once, The Khan-Tengri (7010m.) three times. He climbed Mount Ararat for times and Mount Ushba seven times. He has been at the tops of Alaska,The Himalayas and Mount McKinley in Denali.
Lev Sarkisov climbed Mount Everest with the Caucasus group of Georgians, the group was called “The Caucasus-99”. The group contained different nations of the Caucasus. The Georgian famous mountaineer Benjamin (Beno) Kashakashvili offered an interesting idea in 1998. On the background of the Armenian-Azerbaijani,Georgian-Abkhazian conflict he considered it appropriate to go for a trip, which would testify, that that nations could just not make war, but they could collaborate with, as well. Beno decided to make a team, where an Armenian and an Azerbaijani would be connected with rope and the same thing would be done with an Abkhazian and a Georgian: Sarkisov officially represented Armenian. The group consisted of Beno Kashakashvili, Aphi Gigani, Bidzina Gudzabidze, Saridan Murasgurov from Azerbaijan and Lev Sarkisov from Armenia. The mountaineer from Baku could not reach the top and Sarkisov promised Saridan,that he would solidify himself the flag of Azerbaijan on the top of Mount Everest and he kept his promise. Sarkisov said in one of his interviews “There are people, who kill a sleeping man with an axe and there are another type of people, who keep the rope risking his life. Saridan has kept my rope and I kept his.” Beno Kashakashvili, Aphi Gigani, Bidzina Gudzabidze, Lev Sarkisov, Chavan Rita and Navengla, the members of the ascents of Mount Everest expeditionary group “The Caucasus-99” got to the highest peak of the world on May 5, 1999 at 10:00 AM. Lev Sarkisov reached the top at the age of 60 years and 160 days old and the mountaineer,who climbed Mount Everest before Lev had been at the age of 60 years and 161 days old. Because of this one- day difference Lev Sarkisov was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest person who had been on the top of Mount Everest. He told Armenians all over the world from Everest “ Let’s live together in peace! I love you! Yeah!”
When the patriot, benefactor, American millionaire Shant Hovnanian heard about Lev Sarkisov’s ascent of Everest, decided that a separate Armenian group should climbed Everest. Shant asked Sarkisov’s advice, where they could train for climbing Everest and Sarkisov offered to train in Pamir and climbe Mount McKinley in Dinali. Lev Sarkisov, Hayk Tonoian, Sasha Mayilian, Igor Khalatian and Shant Hovnanian with his Cuban friend were in the staff of the group. Hovnanian appropriated much money for translating it into reality. The participants were invited to New York, he secured them with all precious necessary outfits for the ascent, after which they left for Mount McKinley. Sarkisov was injured during the ascent and Hayk Tonoian got him down to the camp carrying on his shoulders.
Fortunately, Sarkisov’s injury didn’t represent an obstacle for the ascent of the group. Sarkisov said,that he was indebted to Hayk Tonoian for his life. For some reason the ascent of Everest didn’t take place.
Lev Sarkisov was awarded the Certificate of Appreciation for significant contribution to the climbing industry and for its outstanding achievement by decision N 32 of the Prime Minister of Armenia on July 27, 2016.