• Best expedition at a great value: CTSS believes in providing our clients with the highest quality service in the industry at a great value. Climbing and trekking is our passion, and our goal is to share these unique places and experiences with you. We want you to feel good about your experience because we believe word-of-mouth is the best advertising, and that begins with satisfied customers. There is a difference between our expeditions and those of our competitors, especially local cut-rate options. In choosing us, you are hiring the finest guides and logistical support in the industry. Benefiting from well over 100 high altitude expeditions, and drawing on decades of first-hand guiding experience, we have worked hard to refine our logistics in order to offer you the highest chance of success at an exceptional value.
• We are a modestly sized guide service with highly personalized service: We maintain a moderate size so that we can tailor our Carstensz Pyramid experience to you. Not all climbers are the same, which is why Mike Hamill will work with you directly to make sure you choose only the programs that are right for you.
• The best route: CTSS climbs Carstensz by the beautiful normal route. By using this route, we provide you with the highest chance of success and give you the best climbing experience available on the mountain. We also provide you will more than ample time to acclimatize to the altitude so you feel good on summit day. Many climbing companies, especially local ones, race you up and down the mountain not allowing time to get used to the rarefied air. This is not only not advantageous to you but it is dangerous. We also fly you both in and out of the mountain in a helicopter. It is dangerous and incredibly time to consume to take the trekking approach and takes the focus off the climbing route and summit. Using the helicopter is a huge advantage that improves safety, success and fun- are our three main objectives. You will see when you’re on the mountain that there’s no better way to climb the peak than the way we have organized it.
• Leadership: As the expedition organizer, Mike’s almost unparalleled experience base at high altitude can make the difference between success and failure. From start to finish, he will work with you to make sure you’re as prepared as possible to reach your goal of standing on top of Oceania. Often being able to troubleshoot problems before they occur can make all the difference and this is where Mike’s vast experience becomes crucial. Please visit our Success Rates page for more information.
• The Seven Summits specialist! Climbing the Seven Summits is THE Seven Summits specialist. We focus primarily on the mountains of the Seven Summits, and Carstensz is one of our signature climbs. With hundreds of high altitude expeditions under our belts, we are well prepared to create the perfect climbing experience for you. We love the diversity of the “Seven Summits,” and the challenge of climbing them all which is why we focus on these climbs in particular.
• Best guides: The quality of an expedition is, in large part, dictated by the individual guide(s) leading the trip. CTSS hires only the finest guides operating at the highest standards for client care who are highly trained, well respected in the industry, and close friends that we trust. They have excellent personalities and are some of the most experienced professionals in the world. Mike and the rest of our guides are strong leaders who maintain high standards. Our guides make our company what it is and have extensive resumes of personal climbs, high altitude guiding, and certifications. All our lead guides maintain at least a Wilderness First Responder medical standard or equivalent. Our local guides around the world are the best in the industry and do an amazing job helping you attain your goals and navigating local obstacles.
• Safety: Our primary goal at CTSS is safety. We have an unparalleled safety record and our clientele’s well-being factors into every decision we make while on expeditions. Although we like to stand on the top of mountains more than anyone, we believe that climbing is a round trip endeavour and getting you back to your loved ones safely is paramount. We take many safety precautions including bringing multiple communication devices, high altitude safety equipment, medical kits, and the highest quality gear to ensure a safe environment in which to climb.
• Success: Success rates on expeditions under Mike’s leadership are among the best in the business. Mike has maintained a 91% expedition success rate for expeditions under his direct guidance. This is a testament to our quality of service and attention to detail. Mike and our team of guides are incredibly proud of their summit success and work hard to get their clients to the top. As Mike says, “You can’t buy a summit, but you can buy better odds.” With our expertise, experience and infrastructure, you can stack those odds in your favor. We offer a longer acclimatization progression for proper acclimatization to mitigate the risks of altitude sickness. Many guide services race their clients up the mountain, especially local companies, to cut corners on costs. We are highly invested in our reputation for safety and success and are always striving to improve our programs to maintain our hard-earned status. Decision making in the mountains is supremely important, and our guides are the best in the business, have a hunger to summit whenever it’s safe to do so, and have a proven track record. All of our programs acclimatize conservatively to mitigate the risk of having altitude issues and to give them the highest chance of success.
• You!: Why choose us? Because of you! We consistently attract the best clients and believe this is because we offer the highest quality expedition at a great value. Our clientele takes the time to educate themselves about their options and choose us because of this. We feel that surrounding yourself with the right people will make you successful, and that goes for guide service owners, guides, and even those with whom you climb. Having a team with the right attitude and camaraderie is a key factor in making you successful.
• Logistics: We have led countless high altitude expeditions and have perfected the logistics, allowing you to focus on climbing, safety and success. We eat well and live well on expedition. We want you to feel as comfortable as possible while on your climb or safari to not be distracted from the task at hand. We feel that these creature-comforts go a long way to making your time in the backcountry enjoyable. We strive to work with the best local outfitters and provide the best local logistics hands down.
• Updates: In today’s connected world people want to know how things are going on the expedition. CTSS maintains regular updates on our blog to keep friends and families informed. This can relieve a lot of the stress loved ones have when you’re away on climbing. We want to make the climb as stress-free for both the climber and the folks back home.
• Professional Business Practices: Running a professional guide service that you feel comfortable putting your trust in, is important to us. We comply with all local, state, federal and international laws. We hope that this makes you feel more confident about choosing us and our programs.
• Enjoyment: This is your vacation, and you’re here to have a good time. Our goal is to give you the experience of a lifetime, inspire you in the mountains, and to have a great time doing it. This, again, comes back to our guides; they all have great personalities, and their love for the mountain is contagious.
• Low client to guide ratio: We operate all of our trips at a low client to guide ratio which offers you a better, safer, and more personalized experience.

“Great leaders like Mike inspire and lead people to take on challenges and achieve great things.” -Tim Igo

The climbing on Carstensz consists mainly of steep rock climbing. From base camp the route winds its way up a series of gulleys following fixed lines to the top of a ridge. The climbing is fun and positive with great friction even when it’s raining, albeit somewhat steep and exposed in sections. The steepest steps consist of moderate 5^th class climbing on fixed lines. Leather gloves are highly recommended due to the extremely rough texture of the rock.

Once on the ridge the route traverses the ridge and undulates up and down following the path of least resistance. After crossing the famous cable bridge it’s a short scramble to the summit. The descent consists mainly of rappelling on steep fixed lines reversing course from the ascent.

 Climbing Carstensz requires serious fitness, an ability to perform well at altitude, the mindset to be away from home for several weeks, and a desire for rugged adventure travel. The Sudirman Range is still a very remote and rugged place with few of the amenities we have come to expect. We try to give our climbers all of the creature comforts that we can but at the end of the day this is true adventure travel!

Climbers need to have experience rock climbing and using fixedlines and ascenders. Also, cramponing skill, knowledge of self-arrest technique and ice axe use are valuable but not a pre-requisite. If you want to join this expedition but don’t have these skills we can work with you to get you up to speed prior to the climb. Please let us know how we can help!

Day 1: Meet in Timika, Irian Jaya, Indonesia: Many of you will have been traveling for a long time to reach Timika. If the team feels up to it we will meet for an informal dinner before turning in for the night.

Day 2: Gear checks and team meeting: We will meet at breakfast and set a plan for the day. We will organize a team meeting that will get everyone up to speed on the details of the trip before diving into gear checks. Once gear checks are done we will have free time to get any last-minute supplies. We will have a team dinner before heading to bed early.

Day 3: Fly to Carstensz base camp: We will transfer to the airport in the morning for our helicopter ride to base camp, weather permitting. It’s about a 45 minute ride to base camp. Once there, we will set up camp and have time to relax and acclimatize.

Day 4: Acclimatization day: We spend today getting used to the altitude and acclimatizing with a short hike around base camp.

Day 5: Acclimatization day: Again, we spend the day acclimatizing in and around base camp to make sure our bodies are used to the altitude before heading higher. Since the following day is our first potential summit day we will spend most of the day training, discussing the climb, and packing for the climb before heading to bed early.

Day 6: Summit day!: Weather permitting, we climb Carstensz, and return to base camp.

Day 7: Fly to Timika: Weather permitting, we return to Timika on the helicopter and have a celebration dinner before heading on our separate ways the following day.

Day 8: Fly to Bali: Weather permitting, we begin our flights home, generally through either Bali or Jakarta.

Day 9 – 11: Contingency days: Since the weather is such a huge factor in most Carstensz climbs we need to factor in several extra contingency days.

Note: Weather is a huge factor in this expedition! Teams have waited for weeks to get in and out of base camp and some teams haven’t even made it in. This is a real possibility. EXPECT weather delays and if there aren’t any then that will be the exception, not the rule. We will do our best to get you in and out on time but this likely won’t happen. This is true adventure travel so you need to relax, roll with the punches, bring a good book and music, and expect delays.

Note: We highly recommend you make your return flight for several days after the final departure date as we can get delayed and want to have plenty of time to climb the mountain before needing to change your flight. We plan to move our flights forward at the end of the climb when we know for sure when we are getting off the mountain.

What’s included/not included in your Carstensz Pyramid Team Guided Climb