Carstensz Pyramid

Carstensz Pyramid

Easy jungle trekking

 Rebuilding a bridge over a Gr VI river

Recent land slide activity and several tons of balance tree trunks

 Challenging scrambling to cross a land slide

 A work of art but still not sure H&S would pass it!

  The more usual two trunk affair!

 The inside of a Dani Tribe hut

 Climbing on to the kaarst plateau

 Weird and wonderful vegetation

 Carstensz Pyramid - the route take the right hand skyline

 Base camp located between the two lakes

 

Glacial approach on a solo ascent of Puncak Jaya

 Puncak Jaya - formerly the 2nd highest peak in Australasia but now the 4th due to glacial retreat

 Carstensz Pyramid after a snow storm

 The huge Freeport Gold mine at the end of the valley

Fixed lines to reach the summit ridge

 Sunrise on summit day

The team on the ridge

Cloud building as we complete the infamous Tyrolean traverse

Team Millet on the summit of Carstensz Pyramid

The highest point in Australasia and my 5th Seven Summit

 The final descent to base camp

 Trekking out through the jungle

Perfect conditions on Dow Crag

 Enjoying warm dry rock!

Today I was out on a sunny Dow Crag helping Stuart prepare for a forthcoming trip to Ama Dablam with Adventure Peaks. The brief for today was a bit of everything - scrambling, hard climbing, exposure, abseiling & fixed line practice. We began with a quick ascent of C Ordinary Route (D) looking at efficient movement skills and trust in the climbing system. A comfortable solo down Easy Terrace and we geared up at the foot of the classic Eliminate A (VS 4c). This was two grades harder than Stuart had ever attempted before but similar in standard to the crux Yellow Tower on Ama although you do get the assistance of a well anchored fixed line to haul on as well!. I strung the first two pitches together to give a sustained 35m pitch of 4b climbing which provided a good challenge for Stuart. From the belay we then escaped back to our bags with a multi pitch abseil. The final hour of the day was spent looking at fixed line systems in the broken ground at the base of the crag before a pleasant walk out in the evening sunshine. Next stop Nepal!

An exposed stance on C Ordinary Route