Carstensz is a GO!!!

It’s finally here, a summit that has alluded us since 2019… it’s time to climb Carstensz Pyramid with an all-star team! An update from our guides came in, and we are happy to report that everyone has arrived in Timika, Irian Jaya, Indonesia. After a day or so of gear checks and briefings, the next step for the team will be to grab a helicopter ride to Yellow Valley Base Camp for continued rest and acclimatization.

If you’re wondering what the big deal with Carstensz (also called Puncak Jaya) is, we will start with some of the basics. First of all, this peak is located in Indonesia within the province of Papua, which means it’s an incredibly long journey just to get to Tamika. Since this peak is located in Indonesia, it also begs the question: is Carstensz Pyramid or Mount Kosciuszko in Australia the true Seventh Summit? 

This is an age-old question and an ongoing debate that has firm believers on one side of the aisle or the other, each with solid reasoning for including or excluding each mountain. One viewpoint stems from two pioneers of the Seven Summits, Dick Bass and Frank Wells, who viewed the landmass of Australia (not Australasia) as a continent, which tracks with what many of us learned in our younger years. Alternatively, prominent mountaineers Pat Morrow and Reinhold Messner took the approach that a continent should include the continental shelf, which in this case is submerged under the South Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean.

Our take, it doesn’t matter! They are both beautiful and unique adventures in their own right, so why not add both to your bucket list? In fact, we have MULTIPLE climbers who have already summited all Seven Summits (with Kosciuszko as the seventh) who are in Tamika right now with our team and we think they are onto something great. Climbing both peaks leaves nothing to debate, and you will know, with all of your heart and mind, that you’ve completed the Seven Summits!

For more on Carstensz, check out our recent blog post – Carstensz Pyramid: Your Top Five Questions Answered

Here are a few photos from the CTSS Archives of Carstensz. We will share more updates and photos from the team as they come in. Photos from CTSS Senior Guide Tomi Ceppi, who is in Tamika right now, leading our team.

The elusive sumimt of Carstensz Pyramid!

 

Flying in and out of Yellow Valley Base Camp via helicopter.

 

This summit is known for it’s rock-climbing.

As well as its Tyrolean traverse!