Tag Archive for: Bali

Good to be back on Carstensz Pyramid!

The team together with Carstensz Pyramid in the background!

We are thrilled to have been back on Carstensz Pyramid after a five-year hiatus due to the mountains closure! The Madison Mountaineering Carstensz Pyramid expedition team successfully reached the summit on October 27th at 9:00 AM local time with all members reaching the top. It was the perfect way to return to the mountain and we look forward to coming back again this February! Expedition leader, Garrett Madison checks in with this dispatch from Carstensz Pyramid:

Hello! This is Garrett checking in for the Madison Mountaineering Carstensz Pyramid (4884m/16,024ft) expedition team. We are back in Timika on the island of Papua, Western Papua New Guinea after a great Carstensz Pyramid expedition! Our team flew up from Timika to the Yellow Valley base camp on Carstensz Pyramid October 26th. The weather was good, so the next day we departed base camp around 3:00 AM and climbed up to the summit reaching the top around 8:30 – 9:00 AM. Beautiful day, we spent some time up there celebrating, taking a few photos, and congratulating one of our climbers who finished the last of his 7 summits, and then descended back down to base camp.

The following day it rained and there were no helicopter flights, so we waited until the 29th. It was a beautiful day and we were able to helicopter back down to Timika and we’re looking forward to catching our flights back to Bali later today and relaxing a few days in Bali before heading on home.

It was a wonderful expedition, 100% success! Madison Mountaineering is happy to be back on Carstensz Pyramid after a five-year hiatus during the mountains closure. We look forward to returning again with some of our climbers in February!

Signing off for Carstensz Pyramid.

The team on the summit of Carstensz Pyramid!

The team on the summit of Carstensz Pyramid!

Expedition leader, Garrett and climber, Laura during the climb.

Expedition leader, Garrett and climber, Laura during the climb.

Descending back down the mountain.

Descending back down the mountain.

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

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Carstensz Pyramid team 100% summit success!

Our Carstensz Pyramid team reached the summit and has now returned to Bali today, after a helicopter flight early this morning from the base camp.  The weather over the last 48 hours since we got down from the summit has been very stormy, so we were laying low at our base camp until the storm passed and the clouds and rain cleared up for a brief window to let the helicopter fly in.  Most of the kitchen and dining tents in the base camp were destroyed in the wind storm, but our personal tents held up fine throughout the storm, thanks to the great engineering from Mountain Hardwear for our Trango 3 tents!

The climb was an epic day on the tallest peak in Australasia, a rock pyramid jutting out of the surrounding jungle landscape.  We departed before dawn, climbing up the route over varying degrees of steepness on sustained slopes until we reached the summit ridge.  We then traversed the ridge to the famous “abyss” crossing, where we tip toed across a wire cable to the other side.  That wasn’t the crux, as there were a couple more challenging crossings where we literally had to leap across to the other side!  We lucked out with great weather the whole day and reached the top around 9 AM, then began the long series of rappels back down to base camp.  This has truly been an epic adventure!  We are all now on our way home after a wonderful time in Indonesia, climbing one of the world’s “7 summits“!

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Carstensz Pyramid team

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Carstensz Pyramid team

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Carstensz Pyramid weather delays return flight

Carstensz Pyramid weather has our climbing team positioned at base camp for another day. Garrett checks in below via satellite phone and relays that George and Audrey are enjoying the adventure while they wait for their return helicopter flight. Pictures coming soon!

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Carstensz Pyramid weather

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Carstensz Pyramid climbers make safe descent from the summit

Garrett checks in with the Carstensz Pyramid team after a safe descent from the summit yesterday. Currently our team is socked in at base camp waiting for suitable weather to fly back to Timika and then to Bali. Stay tuned!

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Carstensz

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Carstensz

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Carstensz Pyramid team reaches the summit at 4,884m / 16,024ft!

Follow our progress on this real-time tracking map

Carstensz Pyramid team reaches the summit at 4,884m / 16,024ft! Listen to the audio dispatch below as Garrett checks in from the summit. Reports of variable cloud cover and stable climbing conditions. Way to go team!

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Carstensz Pyramid team

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Carstensz Pyramid team

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Carstensz Pyramid team

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Carstensz Pyramid team .

Carstensz Pyramid team

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Carstensz Pyramid team

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Carstensz Pyramid team

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Autumn 2017 Carstensz Pyramid expedition has launched!!

Follow our progress on this real-time tracking map

 
Our autumn 2017 Carstensz Pyramid expedition has launched!! Our team flew by helicopter and arrived safely at Yellow Valley base camp today. Listen in below for a audio dispatch from Garrett and climbers Audrey and George as they prepare for the ascent. Onward and upward!

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After a few days patiently waiting for the sky to clear we are off to the mountain! Carstensz Pyramid here we come!

2017 Carstensz Pyramid

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2017 Carstensz Pyramid

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Autumn 2017 Carstensz Pyramid expedition has launched!

Follow our progress on this real-time tracking map

 
Our autumn 2017 Carstensz Pyramid expedition has launched!! Our team flew by helicopter and arrived safely at Yellow Valley base camp today. Listen in below for a audio dispatch from Garrett and climbers Audrey and George as they prepare for the ascent. Onward and upward!

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After a few days patiently waiting for the sky to clear we are off to the mountain! Carstensz Pyramid here we come!

2017 Carstensz Pyramid

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2017 Carstensz Pyramid

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Carstensz Pyramid team still waiting in Timika

Once the expedition gets underway, follow our progress on this real-time tracking map.

 
Hello and greetings from Timika, the island of Papua. While on standby for the last couple of days waiting for good weather to fly into the base camp of Carstensz Pyramid, we have made the most of our time here by visiting some nice restaurants and touring the town & surrounding areas.  Our climbing team is very eager to get to the mountain and begin climbing, however, we must wait for good flying conditions.  So we are playing the waiting game, keeping our spirits up, and anticipating with positive hopes for a flight in the next day or two.  As soon as we are able to fly to the base camp we will be poised to make our climb of the famed Carstensz Pyramid rock wall!

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Carstensz Pyramid Team in Timika, preparing to fly to Carstensz base camp

Once the expedition gets underway, follow our progress on this real-time tracking map.

Greetings from the town of Timika, on the Island of Papua.  We arrived yesterday here from Bali and went to the immigration office to get our permits.  Then we enjoyed some nice dinner here before checking our equipment and preparing for today’s helicopter flight to Carstensz Pyramid, assuming good weather and flyable conditions.  We will fly about 45 minutes over the jungle to the base camp at about 14,000′, and once there plan to settle into our base camp.  We are very excited to get to the mountain and start climbing!

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Carstensz Pyramid expedition team arrives in Bali

Carstensz Pyramid expedition
Once the expedition gets underway, follow our progress on this real-time tracking map.

 
The Carstensz Pyramid expedition team made it to Bali yesterday and we’ve been preparing for our flight to Timika on the Island of Papua very early tomorrow.  Bali is a fine tourist destination indeed, and a great “base” for us to operate our Carstensz Pyramid program from.

Bali is an Indonesian island known for its forested volcanic mountains, iconic rice paddies, beaches and coral reefs. The island is home to religious sites such as cliffside Uluwatu Temple. To the south, the beachside city of Kuta has lively bars, while Seminyak, Sanur and Nusa Dua are popular resort towns. The island is also known for its yoga and meditation retreats.

Once we arrive in Timika we will transfer to the hotel and then check in with the immigration department for clearance, then the next morning our plan is to fly by helicopter to Carstensz Pyramid base camp.  Upon arrival at base camp we will settle in and go for an acclimatization hike to the base of the route.  Assuming the weather is decent, we may go for the summit on October 15th, but we have a few extra days just in case!  We are very much looking forward to this rock climbing objective at 16,000 feet!

About 145,000 people on the Indonesian island of Bali have left their homes around Mount Agung, a volcano that is showing signs it could erupt, officials said on Friday.The 9,944-foot volcano, the highest mountain on Bali, last erupted in the early 1960s

Garden features in our hotel

Carstensz Pyramid expedition

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Flora and Fauna in Bali. Bali has an interesting collection of animal and plant life. The rice terraces are the most common sight everyday in Bali, particularly in the heavily populated and extravagantly fertile south. Balinese gardens are a delight.

Carstensz Pyramid expedition

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A jukung or canoe also known as cadik is a small wooden Indonesian outrigger canoe. It is a traditional fishing boat in this region.

Carstensz Pyramid expedition

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