November 4, 2016

Another successful round on Carstensz Pyramid is in the books!  As always, Papua served up a trip with plenty of adventure and fun for our team. This expedition really keeps everyone on their toes throughout. We arrived in Timika to the news that some good weather meant for a quicker than usual launch, via helicopter, up to our initial 12,000 foot camp at Nasidome. Some repacking and stripping down of unnecessary gear and the team was ready to go in the morning.   Hurry up and wait; The weather moved back in and slowed things up for a couple days. That’s really part of the fun of this trip – flexibility and patience are key!

Once we were all settled in at Nasidome, the team was excited to get rolling up toward our high camp as soon as possible.  I really enjoy flying into Nasidome because there is always something new to see in this far out place.  A day of rest and easy hiking got the team adapting to the rapid changes in altitude, and we were ready to trek over the 15,000 foot New Zealand Pass on our way to the Yellow Valley. Some of the usual rain showers and a little mud to slog through kept us company on our trekking day but we were still treated to some beautiful views over the course of the day.

We took an active rest day in high camp that included a technical refresher on the first couple pitches of the route.  This sets everyone up perfectly for our summit push. On the morning of the summit climb we woke to some damp but very climbable conditions on Carstensz “grippy” limestone. We started at 2:30am and by the time we hit the ridgeline, after about four hours of climbing, we were breaking out of the clouds and got to enjoy a beautiful sunrise over Papua. By mid morning we had summited and begun our descent, reaching camp exactly at noon. Great job to a team with a really wide range of experiences coming into this climb.

48 hours later and we were back out enjoying the beaches of Bali.

Already looking forward to our return next year.

Jonathan Schrock

October 25, 2016

We just received a call from Jonathan Schrock in Timika.  All clients and guides have now returned to Timika after a 100% successful climb of Carstensz Pyramid and flight out from Yellow Valley.  The Team is taking advantage of the early morning and have decided to jump on a flight to Bali this afternoon.  Patience and Flexibility has always played a role on the expedition and we are happy to send congratulations to the Carstensz Pyramid Team.  We will be preparing for the next Carstensz trip shortly so let us know if you are ready for a great adventure.  Judging from the photos that Johnny just shot back to us, it looks like a perfect day to climb Carstensz Pyramid.  Thanks again for all of your support, Carstensz Pyramid is not a “gimme”!

Greg Vernovage

October 23, 2016

The route. (Anthony Nightingale)

IMG Guide Jonathan Schrock called in from the summit of Carstensz Pyramid today and said a few of our favorite words. The conversation went a little something like this:

Johnny: “Hey Greg, all is well.”
Greg: “Copy that Johnny, where are you?”
Johnny asked the team: “Where are we?”
The team yelled into the satellite phone “THE SUMMIT!”

Johnny said that the team had perfect weather, clear skies and not a breath of wind. The route was in great shape and the team moved well.  As you can imagine, they took a few well deserved photos and had a little something to eat and drink before heading back down.

Greg Vernovage

October 21, 2016

Yellow Valley (13,700 ft) with Carstensz Pyramid upper left (Rob Seely)

The Carstensz Pyramid Team is on the move today.  The Team is up early and will be trekking to Base Camp in Yellow Valley (13,700 ft / 4,175 m).  This is a fun trek that takes us over the wall and across the plateau, then through New Zealand Pass.  This trek includes our Team wearing the famous mud boots that this trip is known for.  The different plants that grow along the way turn to beautiful rock with different lakes to walk beside on the way.  The final hill into Yellow Valley is a good push but the reward of Carstensz Pyramid at the end of the day makes it all well worth it!

Greg Vernovage

October 20, 2016

The Carstensz Pyramid Team stayed on schedule this morning with an early breakfast, followed by an acclimatization hike to the top of the wall.  The trekking route takes the Team up the very cool looking ribbed rock and over the ridge where the lake is.  From here, the Team treks counter clockwise around the lake and through some jungle area before popping out on the wall.  Getting a dry run at the wall is a great way to acclimatize and prepare for tomorrow when they will have heavier packs and move into Carstensz Base Camp.  A little afternoon rain as expected, tomorrow they move into Base Camp and improving weather forecasts!

Greg Vernovage

October 19, 2016

The Carstensz Pyramid Team is now all together at Nasidome Camp (12,200 ft / 3,718 m).  We have found that flying into this camp is much more reasonable than flying directly to Base Camp.  The plan for today is to get settled in and take a short hike to the lake, about 20 minutes away.  Tomorrow will be a great day for the Team, they will get a good acclimatization hike in to the top of the wall.  The Carstensz Pyramid Expedition is underway!

Greg Vernovage