Carstensz Pyramid Apr 2021

This is by far our most exotic high mountain adventure. In the heart of the remote Sudirman Range of the central New Guinea highlands lies the highest peak in Australasia – Carstensz Pyramid (4,884m).  

Formerly known as Dutch New Guinea, and subsequently known as Irian Jaya, the western half of the world’s second largest island is now in Indonesian territory. Today, the western half of New Guinea forms the two Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua. Carstensz Pyramid is located in Papua province, but the limestone peaks of the central highlands span almost the whole length of the island, which is divided politically between Indonesia in the west and Papua New Guinea in the east. 

Carstensz was first climbed in the 1960s by Heinrich Harrer, who made the first ascent of the North Face of the Eiger and authored Seven Years in Tibet. Harrer documented this pioneering Carstensz expedition in his memoir ‘I Come from the Stone Age’. Human presence on the island dates back at least 40,000 years and New Guinea is renowned as an early and independent centre of agriculture & for the incredible cultural diversity of the local tribespeople, where more than 1,000 languages are spoken. 

Carstensz Pyramid itself rises like a shark’s fin out of the jungle, and due to local tribal unrest, we’ll approach base camp by helicopter. The Grasberg mine - the largest gold mine and the second largest copper mine in the world - is easily visible on summit day, providing an interesting juxtaposition to the exposed scrambling and protected technical climbing.  

With such a fascinating and exotic mix of local tribal culture, exciting technical climbing and views from the summit south to the Arafura sea and north to the Pacific Ocean, this is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.  

Dates:

4th-14th April

Group Size: 

 4 - 12 

Cost: 

£12,500 per person - based on our open expedition, but also applicable for private groups of 6 or more.  

Route – 1962 Route (Heinrich Harrer): 

We will climb the mountain via an imposing 600-metre wall, in a long day from the base of the peak to the summit and back. The bottom half of the wall is less steeply angled; the top section is very steep.  

Our guides will attach fixed rope to the most difficult sections of the route to facilitate access to the summit ridge (and a rapid descent). Sections of the route are little more than scrambling & can be climbed without ropes, but other sections will require use of the fixed ropes over more technical rock slabs.  

The mountain is coarse limestone so the rock is typically clean and sharp, providing excellent friction for climbing boots, but can be tough on bare hands.  

While technically straightforward, some sections of the of the narrow summit ridge are very exposed. The climbing grade mostly varies between VDiff (UIAA III) and VS (UIAA V). The crux of the climb is avoided via a recently installed three-wire bridge, which replaced the former Tyrolean traverse. 

Itinerary: 

Route
Day 1	Arrive Bali
Day 2	Fly to Timika & permit formalities
Day 3	Rest & preparation day in Timika
Day 4	Helicopter flight to Yellow Valley Base Camp (4,250m)
Day 5	Acclimatisation day & technical training
Day 6	Summit Carstensz Pyramid (4,884m)
Day 7	Spare day
Day 8	Spare day
Day 9	Helicopter flight to Timika
Day 10	Fly to Bali
Day 11	End of services & fly home

For detailed trip information

How to book:

The booking process is as follows:

1. Choose your ticket type and complete the event booking form below & pay your deposit online, or by bank transfer, or pay your full balance - you'll then receive an email acknowledging receipt of your payment/booking
2. Once you've booked and/or paid your deposit you'll receive a second email requiring you to complete our online Client Information & Medical Declaration Form (see below). This must be completed before we can confirm your booking

If you have a balance to pay, you can choose to pay by either bank transfer or direct debit. Once you've submitted your Client Information & Medical Declaration Form, we'll send you an invoice by email and this will include both our bank details and a secure link to set up an electronic mandate to authorise direct debit.

Client Booking & Medical Declaration Form

You'll also need to read and agree to both our Overseas Trips Booking Terms & Conditions and our Participation Agreement (see below) - you will be asked to confirm this during Step 1 above.

Overseas Trips Booking Terms & Conditions Participation Agreement