Helmut, Alastair, Bill, Kurt and Kevin on top.
Vivian, Tim, Helmut, Bill, Alastair, Chris, and Kevin after the climb. Kurt is behind the lens and Biff is ???
Monday, December 10, 2007
Some Pictures
The Tyrolean Traverse!!! A memorable part of the climb for everyone.
Chris and Alastair on the summit.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Wrap Up
Well we are all back home after a successful expedition with all 9 of us standing on the summit of Carstensz Pyramid!
Our summit night/day turned out to be pretty nice. We woke up at about 11:00pm and after a few cups of coffee and some breakfast we switched on our headlamps and started towards the base of the climb. We start the climb very early in an effort to be back down before the afternoon rains that are typical in the highlands of Papua. This was not the beautiful clear night that we had hoped for, but it wasn't raining so we set off. The weather that day turned out to be kind to us, we had some clouds and wind on the way up, but the rain held off.
The climb was fun, and everyone did a great job getting up to the summit ridge. On the ridge leading to the summit is where we find the more technical challenges. There are a couple of big "gaps" that we pass on the ridge to the summit. The first one is the most exciting, it is about 20 meters across, with 300 meters of air below. We pass this gap by a Tyrolean Traverse, which is always exciting at almost 16,000 feet on Carstensz. The team all summited in just over 7 hours, and we were able to enjoy some nice views as clouds blew threw the tops of the peaks. After taking pictures, signing the summit register, and calling home on the sat phone, we started the long descent.
On the descent we finally got the rain and snow that had been threatening us for several hours. The many rappels back down the North face gully that we climbed up were made more interesting by the water flowing down everywhere around us. It took almost as long to go down as it did to get up, but by the afternoon we were all safely back in base camp enjoying a hot drink and a good dinner.
We made our way back to Bali over the next couple of days, and everyone began to go their separate ways. Vivian headed for a relaxing Yoga retreat, Biff got a flight straight on home to Texas, and the rest of us enjoyed a great meal in a restaurant on the beach in Bali and began to talk and dream about the next climb...
Congratulations to all:
Alastair Sutcliffe (completed the 7 summits!)
Chris Nichols
Biff Palmer
Kurt Gusinde
Vivian Rigney
Helmut Linzbichler
Tim Ralph
Kevin Koprek (guide)
Bill Allen (guide)
Our summit night/day turned out to be pretty nice. We woke up at about 11:00pm and after a few cups of coffee and some breakfast we switched on our headlamps and started towards the base of the climb. We start the climb very early in an effort to be back down before the afternoon rains that are typical in the highlands of Papua. This was not the beautiful clear night that we had hoped for, but it wasn't raining so we set off. The weather that day turned out to be kind to us, we had some clouds and wind on the way up, but the rain held off.
The climb was fun, and everyone did a great job getting up to the summit ridge. On the ridge leading to the summit is where we find the more technical challenges. There are a couple of big "gaps" that we pass on the ridge to the summit. The first one is the most exciting, it is about 20 meters across, with 300 meters of air below. We pass this gap by a Tyrolean Traverse, which is always exciting at almost 16,000 feet on Carstensz. The team all summited in just over 7 hours, and we were able to enjoy some nice views as clouds blew threw the tops of the peaks. After taking pictures, signing the summit register, and calling home on the sat phone, we started the long descent.
On the descent we finally got the rain and snow that had been threatening us for several hours. The many rappels back down the North face gully that we climbed up were made more interesting by the water flowing down everywhere around us. It took almost as long to go down as it did to get up, but by the afternoon we were all safely back in base camp enjoying a hot drink and a good dinner.
We made our way back to Bali over the next couple of days, and everyone began to go their separate ways. Vivian headed for a relaxing Yoga retreat, Biff got a flight straight on home to Texas, and the rest of us enjoyed a great meal in a restaurant on the beach in Bali and began to talk and dream about the next climb...
Congratulations to all:
Alastair Sutcliffe (completed the 7 summits!)
Chris Nichols
Biff Palmer
Kurt Gusinde
Vivian Rigney
Helmut Linzbichler
Tim Ralph
Kevin Koprek (guide)
Bill Allen (guide)
Saturday, November 24, 2007
The team is out of the mountains.
I just heard from Bill that everyone is down, out of the mountains. Everyone is happy to have stood on the top of Carstensz Pyramid and should be heading back to Bali later today.
Bill will post more detailed versions of these updates when he gets back home, ad we'l post photos from the climb as well.
Congratulations to the team and safe travels back to your respective homes.
Bill will post more detailed versions of these updates when he gets back home, ad we'l post photos from the climb as well.
Congratulations to the team and safe travels back to your respective homes.
Friday, November 23, 2007
On the Summit!!!!
Bill just called from the summit of Carstensz Pyramid!
He reports that all the climbers made it to the top by 8:30 in the morning. It was a cloudy day, but so far it has not rained on the group. There was a fair amount of snow on the route, which made the fixed lines pretty tricky to negotiate.
They will descend in a few minutes and probably head back to Timika this afternoon.
A hearty congratulations to all the climbers on gaining the top of this most elusive of the 7 Summits!
He reports that all the climbers made it to the top by 8:30 in the morning. It was a cloudy day, but so far it has not rained on the group. There was a fair amount of snow on the route, which made the fixed lines pretty tricky to negotiate.
They will descend in a few minutes and probably head back to Timika this afternoon.
A hearty congratulations to all the climbers on gaining the top of this most elusive of the 7 Summits!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Second time's a charm!
Bill called during the night and said that they were on the move towards Basecamp. He said everything looked good for getting in and that he would call if there were any reason that they did not make it.
No calls, makes me think that they are snuggled down in their tents near the beautiful azure lakes of Basecamp!
No calls, makes me think that they are snuggled down in their tents near the beautiful azure lakes of Basecamp!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Still in Timika
As is often the case in Indonesia, things did not go as planned, and the team has been delayed another day in Timika. Getting to the mountain is often very challenging and involves many layers of getting permission. Yesterday, the crew was scheduled to go to Basecamp, but at the last minute, plans were put on hold.
Bill said that things look good for getting in to BC today, so hopefully the next report will be from high in the alpine moonscape that surrounds Basecamp.
Delays are frustrating, but they are par for the course with this expedition...
Bill said that things look good for getting in to BC today, so hopefully the next report will be from high in the alpine moonscape that surrounds Basecamp.
Delays are frustrating, but they are par for the course with this expedition...
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Saturday, November 17, 2007
All is going well!
I just heard from Bill Allen. The team has all arrived in Timika, on the island of Papua. Everyone made it to Bali and so did their gear. The plan is to spend a day or two in Timika before heading in to the mountain.
There isn't too much to see or do in Timika, so I expect the crew will enjoy the very nice Sheraton Hotel and it's beautiful pool. They might venture into town to purchase some of thenative wood carvings that Papua is famous for, but the town is a hectic, dirty place, with not too much to offer the visitor.
There isn't too much to see or do in Timika, so I expect the crew will enjoy the very nice Sheraton Hotel and it's beautiful pool. They might venture into town to purchase some of thenative wood carvings that Papua is famous for, but the town is a hectic, dirty place, with not too much to offer the visitor.
We're All in Indonesia!
This is Bill in Makassar, Sulawesi. The team all arrived in Bali, we broke a long standing streak for Alastair, and all of the bags showed up. We've all recovered from the long flights, checked our equipment one last time, and we're ready to go!!!
Everything is on schedule so far, we have the permits, and should be to base camp in just a couple of days.
We had the opportunity to spend some time seeing the sights in Bali yesterday, and visited the Tanah Lot temple on the southern coast. Chris and Alistair bravely posed with the giant Python draped over their shoulders. We've got some great pictures.
Our next update should be from base camp.
Everything is on schedule so far, we have the permits, and should be to base camp in just a couple of days.
We had the opportunity to spend some time seeing the sights in Bali yesterday, and visited the Tanah Lot temple on the southern coast. Chris and Alistair bravely posed with the giant Python draped over their shoulders. We've got some great pictures.
Our next update should be from base camp.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Taking to the air!
Well, our November 15, 2007 Carstensz Pyramid expedition is officially under way. Our guides, Bill Allen and Kevin Koprek are about to board a plane for Bali, Indonesia where they will meet the other members of the expedition.
The other climbers are:
Biff Palmer from Texas who climbed Denali and Mount Vinson with us.
Alistair Sutcliffe from England who climbed Denali with us.
Chris Nichols from Nevada who was also climbed with us on Denali.
Tim Ralph from England who climbed Denali with Mountain Trip.
Vivian Rigney from Ireland, who (you guessed it!) also climbed Denali with us.
Helmut Linzbichler who splits his time between Michigan and Austria.
Kurt Gusinde from Arizona.
We will post updates as we receive them. Safe travels, everyone!
The other climbers are:
Biff Palmer from Texas who climbed Denali and Mount Vinson with us.
Alistair Sutcliffe from England who climbed Denali with us.
Chris Nichols from Nevada who was also climbed with us on Denali.
Tim Ralph from England who climbed Denali with Mountain Trip.
Vivian Rigney from Ireland, who (you guessed it!) also climbed Denali with us.
Helmut Linzbichler who splits his time between Michigan and Austria.
Kurt Gusinde from Arizona.
We will post updates as we receive them. Safe travels, everyone!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Welcome to the Dispatch Blog for our Carstensz Pyramid Expedition!
Welcome to the dispatch pages for Mountain Trip's November 15th, 2007 expedition to Carstensz Pyramid. At 16, 023 feet, Carstensz is the lowest of the famed 7 Summits, yet it is paradoxically the least climbed. This elusive peak has always been challenging to access and it remains so today.
Our team will meet in Bali, Indonesia, and make their way to the island of Papua. Papua is a lush, tropical island located about 4 degrees below the equator. It is rich in both mineral wealth as well as with cultural diversity. The tribal people of the island speak hundreds of different languages and some of them still live in a manner considered to be very primitive by our Western standards.
We'll update this blog as we receive information from the team.
Our team will meet in Bali, Indonesia, and make their way to the island of Papua. Papua is a lush, tropical island located about 4 degrees below the equator. It is rich in both mineral wealth as well as with cultural diversity. The tribal people of the island speak hundreds of different languages and some of them still live in a manner considered to be very primitive by our Western standards.
We'll update this blog as we receive information from the team.
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