All good with us. The fear, the fatigue. We recommend that you monitor the political situation very closely, and speak to people who have been in the region recently to gauge how best to handle the situation, and whether the risk is foolhardy or reasonable. The Carstensz Pyramid, also known as the Puncak Jaya, is the highest peak in the Australasian continent. Check my link in the, Goodbye my love Thanks for your more recent post of your Carstensz Pyramid experience. Quick, hour-long flight over the Papuan rainforest, landing in Sugapa. So a restless evening in the tent ensued before the alarm was buzzing and we were ready to go. Many years before his feats on Puncak Jaya in 1938, Harrer, together with friend Fritz Kasparek and fellow German mountaineers Ludwig Vörg and Anderl Heckmair, became the first to summit the North Face of the Eiger in the Bernese Alps located in western Switzerland. It was about Midday now, and the plan was to spend the day doing rope/jumar training, sleep in our tents, then the following day would be spent acclimatizing, before going to sleep in the tents again but waking up at 2 am for the climb attempt. All figures are in USD SummitClimb Puncak Jaya - Carstensz Pyramid Carstensz Pyramid (4884m) is the highest peak in Oceania, named after the Dutch navigator Jan Carstens, who first described it in 1623. This is the most exposed and difficult route – the most challenging section being the Carstensz headwall. Legend I climbed Kili last year (well, as you said, hiked!) Although it has the lowest elevation of the Seven, Carstensz is the only peak which is specifically a rock climbing peak and it has the highest technical rating. Click here for information on what the best brand options for various equipment are. Thanks for the lessons. Notes. how to start a travel blog in under 30 minutes, here! After enjoying your success and the view from up top, you’ll return to Base Camp for celebrations by about 10:00 in the morning. For the Normal Route, the climb is rated with an average difficulty of 3-4 UIIA, with most of the difficulty incurred just below the summit. The following morning we connected to another flight to Canberra. As you approach the base of the mountain, the likelihood of afternoon snow increases, temperatures drop below freezing, and strong winds are a possibility. The good news is that there is no “better” time in the year to plan your climb. The route entails a 600m rock face to the top of a ridge. The Dutch explorer Jan Carstensz first sighted the peak in 1623. The trek is relatively strenuous, and requires that you are able to walk continuously with a 40-lb backpack for 6-7 hours per day for days in a row. At all times of the year, in the rainforests, you can expect temperatures of around 77F (25°C) in the day time, which drop to about 41F (5°C) at night. It should be noted that these chaotic conditions are only really seen in the highlands, where the mountain is located. Undertaking such a physical challenge always poses risks. Puncak Jaya is over twice as high as the Australian one, namely 4,892 m. And How Do You Get There? $7500. This includes sit-ups, squats and lunges. However, at the time it was not known which summit was the highest. That doesn’t normally stop me signing up for things though, like running the North Pole marathon having never run a marathon before, or the Marathon Des Sables Ultra Marathon – 6 marathons in 6 days in the Sahara, having never run an ultramarathon before, and I managed to squeeze through those. Privacy | Terms | DMCA | Affiliate Disclosure | Site Map. Yesterday. Usually, 2 routes are used to climb the Carstensz Pyramid - Puncak Jaya 4884m: on foot through the exotic jungle or by helicopter, which will take you to the base camp in the Yellow Valley. In some mountaineering circles, however, it’s still referred to as Carstensz Pyramid. Back to bed for another night, and you just hope that the weather will allow the helicopter to fly the following morning. In a way, it’s almost good to start at 2 am because you can see very little and the fear doesn’t get a chance to accumulate. #NowClimbing Carstensz Pyramid aka Puncak Jaya.This is one of the most crazy adventures I have ever experienced. We will get back to you soon. Base camp is located at 4300m, so the Summit Attempt doesn’t cover THAT much altitude gain, although at nearly 5000m, oxygen isn’t in abundance and things are a little slower. My longest ever time in Thailand, 37 years old. One of the most significant dangers of the expedition is not, in fact, the climb itself but that of navigating the surrounding region. Firstly, it is important to note that it is impossible to predict the extent to which you will respond to high altitude as your response is not correlated to your fitness level, your age, or any other factor. However, I’ve done the leg work for you guys, and found the operator directly at the source – Summit Carstensz. In Indonesian it is called Puncak Jaya, meaning "victory peak". So the mountaineering community adopted that name. But as I said, we summited, so I couldn’t care less about that! Once in Papua, you’ll be in the South, in the city of Timika. }. ), running the North Pole marathon having never run a marathon before, the Marathon Des Sables Ultra Marathon – 6 marathons in 6 days in the Sahara, having never run an ultramarathon before, Australia’s highest peak was actually Mount Kosciuszko, drove 3 hours to Mount Kosciuszko and had a crack at that instead, but that’s another blog post here. Remember that being fit enough to run a marathon does not mean that you will be able to handle the challenges of a high-altitude peak. 2 am became 3, which became 4 and 5 and 6 until finally, the sun started to rise. Carstensz Pyramid (Puncak Jaya) 4884 m (16023 ft) We have been operating on Carstensz Pyramid since 2005. Wow. To avoid the majority of precipitation, most tour companies plan their ascent days in the early morning, when the chance of rain and snow is much lower. The climb was scheduled just a month after the Marathon Des Sables,  so I knew I’d be quite good fitness-wise, but I’d be weak. From Bali, I flew directly to Timika, a 4.5-hour flight, where I spent 2 nights in a hotel there. Atop this ridge, you will trek over uneven terrain for another 500m until you reach the summit. Good luck! After crossing the infamous wire bridge on Puncak Jaya, we finally made it to the Summit around 10.30 am. Once your reach Base Camp, there are three different climbing options which lead to the summit of the pyramid. This is especially important if you have opted to fly via helicopter into Base Camp instead of doing the 6-day trek, Descend if you’re not feeling well: consult your tour guide to decide what the best way to deal with your symptoms is. Reserve a few extra days, just in case, for bad weather or delayed flights. How to Climb Mount Elbrus, Europe’s Highest Mountain. It lies in the Snow Mountains of the Indonesian province Papua (former Irian Jaya). I wouldn’t call myself a mountaineer by any stretch, but I’ve been gaining a little bit of experience over the last 18 months or so with climbing Mount Fuji for charity with my mum, summiting Europe’s highest mountain, Elbrus, trying (and failing) to climb South America’s highest mountain in Argentina, (EDIT 2020 – I WENT BACK TREKKING ACONCAGUA AND REACHED THE SUMMIT!) Located in Mimika Region, West Papua, Pucak Jaya Mountain is part of Lorentz National Park and Sudirman Range. Unfortunately, the weather on the Carstensz Pyramid is unpredictable and often bad. Over $10k cheaper than the big Western operators. Read on and see how I did it (and how you too can do it!). Eventually, just before the Indisaga Camp, the rainforest abruptly opens up to a large clearing where we’ll set up camp. We offer both options of reaching the summit of Carstensz Pyramid – trekking trips and helicopter trips. After chatting for a couple of weeks, making sure he wasn’t a scammer, I finally committed to climbing with him. I had to send a $2k deposit, which I was a little wary about, but after travelling so much I’ve discovered it’s better to trust people than not so I proceeded, and it worked out great. Ouch. Black and white. For many mountaineers, it is the most exciting and interesting adventure of their lives. However, the harder summits of Denali, Puncak Jaya, Vinson and Everest will almost certainly require the support of a mountain guiding company. Since then, particularly since the interest in the Seven Summits concept, Puncak Jaya has been visited many times. Im in Europe for Christmas and New Year waiting to, Planning post-COVID travels? I’m signed up for Aconcagua again in January 2020, and Denali – North America’s highest mountain in May 2020 but all those days added up together barely reach 2 months on mountains. It is important to remember, in planning this trip, that a high degree of flexibility is necessary. In the meantime though, here’s the pic fro the top of Kosciuszko. Typically, your training strategy should involve increasingly difficult work-outs by ramping up your workout time, distance and elevation gain by about 10 % each week. Will be totally pursuing this with the peeps you recommend to get this done. one The difficulty varies with the East Ridge and the American Direct Route. You clip it onto the fixed ropes that lead the way up the mountain, and as you move it forward, it traps the rope so you can apply all your weight to it and it won’t fall. You’d arrived in Timika airport, in southern West Papua (as I did). Ouch. Also, if you want to start a blog, and start to change your life, I'd love to help you! Program and schedule of our climbing expeditions. The mountain was only successfully climbed in 1962 in an expedition led by Heinrich Harrer as well as three others. The difficulty of this climb lies between the normal and direct routes, with a long ascent and a lot of scrambling. Summit Carstensz, our operator, had already sent the 2 guides to Base Camp the day before. Gradually we won the respect of the local tribes men, women and children. There’s not much going on in the town, so you’ll stay there for 2 nights, check your gear, and then hopefully on Day 3, weather depending, you’ll go back tot he airport early in the morning and hop into the helicopter to base camp, about a 30-minute ride. Not ideal for anyone (not to mention my Indonesia visa would expire in 5 days time). You can read my review here, and you can sign-up here. Your training regime should focus on all of: Off a relatively solid baseline fitness, you should start training properly for Carstensz Pyramid at least 3 months before your trip. Puncak Jaya is part of the Seven Summits challenge in mountaineering. Also, knowing about the tribes beneath you and how dangerous it is to hike through the jungle left me feeling blessed to be able to live a life like this, one where you can hop in a helicopter and skip the danger. It is specifically located in the western central highlands of the Papua Province, Indonesia, amidst lush tropical jungle. So I don’t really know what I’m doing! Just. The weather is constantly changing at any time of the year and you should expect to be inundated with rainstorms, scorched by the sun, an even welcomed to the summit by an enthusiastic snowstorm. On this day, you will descend the ridge into the other forested, ancient valley. Consult your tour company to decide what you need to bring from home and what you can rent from them. You’re forced to take a moment and appreciate where life has brought you, but I snapped out of quickly and pressed on. The gear list is standard for a moderate-to-cold weather, multi-day climbs, with emphasis on waterproof and technical climbing gear. The price? .hide-if-no-js { While the region’s remoteness adds to its allure, it also means that it can be very difficult to get out of an emergency situation, should things go awry. Since that, the hike has been closed, and you take a helicopter from Timika to base camp instead, which is what I did. In 1623, Dutch explorer Jan Carstensz was the first European to discover the mountain, known locally as Puncak Jaya, or “Victorious Peak.” The area is so remote that the indigenous Dani people had almost no contact with the outside world until missionary Lloyd van Stone parachuted into their lives in 1954. Never again, still though, what an adventure. Using technical equipment, one of the routes is of “normal” or moderate difficulty, while the other two are significantly more challenging. The “normal” route you will follow up Carstensz presents a series of gullies on 500m of solid rock on the north face of the mountain, after which you will break through onto the summit ridge. The infamous rope bridge. The weather wasn’t great, and the guides were worried that moving forward it could take a turn for the worse. It’s kind of like a handle, that’s attached to the harness around your waist. Last week I flew to Indonesia, all pumped up and ready to take on the Man Vs Clock Puncak Jaya challenge. You’ll continue onto a ridge, which marks the edge of another valley. SummitClimb Puncak Jaya - Carstensz Pyramid Carstensz Pyramid (4884m) is the highest peak in Oceania, named after the Dutch navigator Jan Carstens, who first described it in 1623. More on that later though. Most of the tour companies plan their itineraries to start in Bali. Sharing's caring! The weather is very unpredictable of course, so expect delays, and give yourself a 3 or 4-day window before your flight home (or better still, leave it open, you can explore Bali afterwards!). The Best Travel Insurance (That I Legitimately Personally Use), Leap of Faith; How I Experienced Libya Tourism, Motivational Monday; 21 Day Challenge Body Transformation, Taking My Mum to Afghanistan for a Holiday. Now the task at hand suddenly dawned on us. It’s such a buzz. She was more experienced in mountains than both Anthony and I and had actually almost summited Everest a couple of years previously but her Sherpa got hill and they had to turn back. Money well spent. The Seven Summit challenge is a challenge where mountaineers climb the tallest mountain on every continent. For the way down, you will need to manoeuvre on long ropes. Puncak Jaya is also the highest mountain in Continental Australia, it’s located on Papua island, Indonesia. Previously, climbing Puncak Jaya was super dangerous. No spam ever too, I promise! Since then, I started a blog, then a digital media company, I’ve made more than $1,500,000 USD, bought 4 properties and visited (almost) every country in the world. To avoid altitude sickness, there are a number of tips that you should keep in mind: Importantly, if you are concerned about the symptoms and have previously had difficulty at high altitudes, we recommend that you consult a doctor. After finding Reagan, owner of Summit Carstenz, online, I had signed up, paid my deposit, dragged my fearless (read: stupid) my buddy Anthony into the fray, and we had about 100 days to get our gear and our minds ready for it. So, having now successfully climbed Puncak Jaya, let me help you guys do the same thing with recounting my experience and some FAQs too: It can be. As an Amazon Associate, Mountain IQ earns from qualifying purchases. With these guys, the price is around $7700USD, starting from Bali, still not cheap but a considerable saving from the big operators and this is the cheapest I’ve ever heard of. And then we were there. Because the Base Camp, and much of the trek, is significantly higher than this point, it is important that all potential trekkers are aware of the symptoms, potential effects and the ways of minimising the risk of experiencing these. People with a long limestone ridge in the world followed by a hike a of... 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