Carstensz 2018

On November 9, 2018, the team of the 7 Summiys Club made a successful ascent to the top of the Carstensz Pyramid, the highest peak of the Australian continent.

  List of climbers: Yuri Gurgov, Alexander Logachev, Alexander Popov, Kirill Semeshkin,

Vladimir Belkovich.  Head and guide Artem Rostovtsev. All the participants and the guide had climbed Everest together earlier this year.

Indonesia. Papua. Expedition Carstensz-2018. 

 After a sudden successful summit the day before yesterday, we can only ask the weather to give a second chance - the opportunity to fly early from the base camp down to Timika. Didn't happen yesterday. We waited walking  to the next valley and rest.

Today, all the stars have developed in our favor, even the helicopter pilot took a chance and got a group of turns between the clouds. We were worried, but in the end we are all at the bottom level.

And now we are preparing to celebrate the climb and congratulate new sevensummiters.

Congratulations with Seven Summits!

Konstantin Semeshkin

Vladimir Belkovich

Our guide Artem Rostovtsev just called from Papua. He reported that the group, quite by accident, warming up on the fixed ropes, climbed to the top of the Carstensz Pyramid!  Hurray!

 Group members:

Yuri Gurgov,

Alexander Logachev,

Alexander Popov,

Kirill Semechkin,

Vladimir Belkovich.

The team just this morning flew to the base camp of Carstensz (4200). According to the plan they had to acclimatize tomorrow and only the day after tomorrow to go for summit climb. Well, they are so impatient ... climbed the first day…

 By this ascent Kirill Semeshkin completed the program "Seven Summits".

Hello dears! This is a news online by guide Boris Egorov from the expedition to Carstensz Pyramid. This morning  there was a gorgeous weather and a helicopter promptly brought the whole group back to civilization. But we did not stay in Timika for long, had only to freshen up and immediately went to the capital of the island - Jayapura.  And then we met the ocean, as well as delicious fresh fish and souvenirs. And in the evening we gave the team members medals for climbing the summit of Carstensz Pyramid!

 Guide the 7 Summits Club Boris Egorov from Pyramid Carstensz. We have just descended after a successful climb to the summit  of Carstensz Pyramid. We came to the tents.... On the descent we were soaked by rain... But ... all five members are very happy.

 Tomorrow is scheduled departure to Timika, if the weather allows.

Boris Yegorov, guide of 7 summits Club from Papua (Irian Jaya):

 Good morning from Papuasia! This is  a "Call of the jungle" group and Boris Yegorov, as the guide.  I'm excited to announce that the first group of our team went to base camp! And next, the second group also flies by helicopter to the foot of Carstensz Pyramid.

There is the first summit of the season! On Carstensz Pyramid! We just got information  from Timika that one of our group members, Сurt Myers, has climbed to the top of Carstensz.  According to the plan he was going to go through the jungle and only under in the base camp to meet with our main group. So Сurt flew to Timika a few days ago. But  he failed to start  the trek  - the area was closed because of the guerrillas.

 Together with our local partners Сurt changed the program and flew to the base camp by helicopter. And already our friend successfully climbed to the top of Carstensz Pyramid, yesterday! Congratulations!!!

Climbing Pyramid of Carstensz, the highest peak of Australia and Oceania

Author: Irina Zisman.  Shooting from a recent trip of a group of the 7 Summits Club  on the Pyramid of Carstensz. Guide Vladimir Kotlyar (3-11 March, 2018)…

Vladimir Kotlyar, a guide of the 7 Summits Club talks about the recent visit to the island of Papua.

 Team of the 7 Summits Club, consisting of Irina Zisman, Michael Kornev, Gregory Sadetsky and Vladimir Kotlyar visited several places in Western part of the island of Papua New Guinea from 1 to 11 March and climbed the most mysterious and difficult of the 7 summits - the great Pyramid of Carstensz.

 On a sunny day, back in 1623, Dutch researcher Jan Carstensz saw a glacier on the banks of hot New Guinea from afar. Returning to Europe, he announced his discovery, for which he was ridiculed.

Almost 400 years have passed since then, and now any traveler can personally verify that Jan Carstensz was not at all an inventor and the glacier in the tropics was not a figment of his imagination or hallucination caused by excessive consumption of rum.

 The glacier really exists and is situated near the highest mountain of Australia and Oceania, named in honor of its pioneer Pyramid Carstensz. The second name of this mountain - Jaya, which translated from Indonesian means Victory.

The world has become more accessible, now to get to the other end of geography is not necessarily to go sailing on a sailing boat for months and years.  You can get on a plane, sit in a chair, and you're in a different country, a different culture, a different world. And although "McDonald's" and "Starbucks" climbed almost everywhere, the world is still beautiful and diverse.

A couple of flights and we get from -15 to + 35°, from snow - covered and cold Moscow - in green and stuffy Jayapura, from native Russia in far New Guinea.

In some places of this island are some persons eat people, somewhere in the depths of the jungle tribes still living as primitive people. And somewhere instead of guys with bows and spears, you can meet guys with machine guns who are fighting for independence from Indonesia.

But we don't need the jungle, we need the mountains, our goal is Jaya, our goal is Victory.

Some days we have been acclimatizing, visiting a tribe of Papuans, walking to the lake at 3200, where for more productive acclimatization, having a swim. On the fifth day not to meet guerrillas, we fly by helicopter to base camp on 4200. After lunch I spend training with the team on the ropes.

In the morning of the 6th day we put on harnesses, hang carabiners and other climbing rattles and begin to climb up. The rock wall is full of flow streams, and sometimes become to the river. The mountain does not get bored, only tired of jumaring - and you're walking on steel cables over the abyss, breathed and op, you need to jump somewhere. In short, climb the Carstensz is a fun, albeit wet))). The breaks in the clouds sometimes, the views are spectacular.

Five and a half hours of work on wet ropes and rocks and we stand on top. For me, this is the sixth summit of the project "7 summits". The descent reminded me more of a canyoning than mountaineering. In the camp we were waited by hot tea and the watermelon beautifully cut out in the form of a flower. We wondered in honor of what we get watermelon flower, in honor of the ascent or in honor of March 8th. Agreed that the watermelon is dedicated for the only girl in our team - Irina. Together we go on not the first climb, but first time on March 8)).

That's how climbers celebrate international women's day!

P. S. the Glacier we saw and witnessed the opening of Jan Carstensz))))).

Do travel, love life and appreciate the beauty of this world! V. Kotlyar.

Irina Zisman after the return sent us pictures in high resolution, we have done a separate gallery. See here ( 47 photos)

The team of Vladimir Kotlyar successfully climbed to the highest point!

Greetings from Vladimir Kotlyar, Mikhail Kornev, Georgy Sadetsky and Irina Zisman from the base camp of Mount Carstensz!

Vladimir Kotlyar, a Guide of  the 7 Summits Club:

Our group continues their adventures in Papua, while the Papuans had not eaten us))). We made an acclimatization trip with a short walk to the height of 3500. Now we are waiting for a helicopter from Timiku to the base camp of the mountain.

The journey continues: after meeting with the local folklore group of Vladimir Kotlyar climbed for acclimatization on the stunning mountain lake Sentani...

The journey of our group under the leadership of Vladimir Kotlyar continues on the territory of the island of New Guinea, or Irian Jaya, as it is officially called. The team of four people made friends with the local "good inside" people, but it's time to do mountaineering. So now on the agenda – flight under the Pyramid Carstensz and climbing it.

 Watch and listen to Vladimir Kotlyar...