Carstenz Pyramid

7-Summits Update #10, July 25th, 2005 from Foresthill, CA

Undisputed Version of the 7-Summits Completed – Final Update

By reaching the Summit of Carstenz Pyramid (16,023’, also known as Puncak Jaya), Papua Province, Indonesia on June 8th, 2005 at 8:51 AM local time, Randy Peeters became the 46th person and oldest person ever to complete the undisputed version of the 7-Summits (i.e., climbing the highest mountain on each continent). This required climbing 9 summits including both Carstenz & Kosciuszko as well as Elbrus & Mt. Blanc. This project, which also included reaching both the North and South Poles, began in May of 1988, took over 17 years to finish. Throughout the completion of these expeditions, 4 were organized and lead by Randy, 2 were facilitated (i.e., climbed independently but required arrangements made by other individuals), and 3 were guided (note that in the case of Vinson this was the only way I could get to the mountain).

In the final expedition of this project, numerous significant hurtles had to be overcome. For the past three years, Randy had been attempting to climb Carstenz, but the political conditions in Indonesia had made this impossible. In a breakthrough effort, Franky Kowaas of Manado, Indonesia was able to obtain the necessary permits. The details are provided below in the recently issued press release of James Clarke and my press release combined with added details regarding the adventure.

Carstenz Pyramid - Safe, Legal and Successful Expedition - July 2005

Press Release Submitted by James P. Clarke
An American team, facilitated by Franky Kowass of Manado Adventures, re-opened Indonesia's Carstensz Pyramid to foreign climbers with successful summits on Friday, July 8th.

Believed to be the first legal foreign expedition since 2002, American climbers James Clarke, Pat Hickey and Randy Peeters teamed with Indonesian Franky Kowass and overcame significant legal and logistical challenges to gain access to the remote 5000 meter peak, located in the highlands of Indonesia's Papua province.

For Clarke and Peeters - both already among the world's first 100 Seven Summiters via Australia's Kosciusko - the climb represents their 8th peak of the circuit and moves them into a more select group (fewer then 50 people have completed the Seven Summits with both Kosciuszko and Carstenz).

After several weeks of planning, Kowaas secured the "Surat Jalan" - travel permit(s) - from federal officials in Jakarta. Once the Americans arrived in Indonesia's easternmost province, Kowaas then negotiated a series of provincial and district police approvals across Papua. The team acclimatized in Enarotali for several days while Kowaas and Clarke worked through significant complications to coordinate the necessary helicopter transport to the remote mountain. No overland access was granted by the authorities out of ongoing concern over political unrest in the region.

After a series of frustrating setbacks, on Wednesday, July 6th the team deployed in a chartered helicopter to Zebra Wall (just outside of Freeport Mine territory) and trekked up to Lakes Valley base camp later that day. Increasing clouds followed by a storm prevented a planned second chopper load, so a support team and supplies never arrived. Fearing that the rare opportunity to climb Carstenz might not present itself again, the climbers seized the first break in heavy rains and began their push just after midnight on Thursday July 7th.

After an hour's approach hike the team had some difficulty identifying the start of the route in the dark. Randy Peeters then took the lead at the base of the steep 800 meter coarse limestone face.

Bringing years of big-wall experience, Peeters inspected the fixed lines and anchors and moved everyone efficiently up to the 'halfway terrace'. Owing to the length and nature of some of the pitches, communication was frequently difficult. Clarke succeeded in locating the route above the terrace and led to the long summit ridge, reaching it just at dawn.

At this point, Randy resumed the lead and the team moved in two pairs (Randy & James and Franky & Pat), and negotiated a series of very airy pinnacles, notches, and catwalks, employing rappels and jumaring as necessary. While the rain held off, fog limited visibility at times. Although there was no appreciable ice, the climbers did encounter some snow patches.

Peeters and Clarke reached the summit just before 9am with Kowaas and Hickey approximately one hour behind. Heavy rains caught all four climbers on the descent. Nevertheless, everyone was elated to have achieved the summit of Carstenz. The Americans departed Timika on Sunday and are returning to the United States. A European team, also facilitated by Kowaas, arrived on the mountain that morning.

All the climbers agreed that accessing this peak -- the most technical of the seven summits -- will continue to pose considerable obstacles. One very bright spot was the friendliness and support of all of the Indonesian people and officials encountered along the way. Before departing, the Americans again expressed their gratitude to Franky Kowaas for his critical and untiring efforts to make the climb possible.

Press Release (with added details). Submitted by Randall L. Peeters

Prior to the expedition, there was considerable apprehension regarding our safety within Indonesia. Heightened by the first legal climb in several years combined with reported civil unrest within Papua Province, we were very relieved to find everyone helpful and very friendly everywhere we traveled within Indonesia In particular, Manado was among the nicest places I have ever visited. Not only were we made to feel welcome, but people went out of their way to provide assistance when it was required. We had contact with police authorities in Nabire, Enarotali and Timika. On every occasion the police were professional (very polite, quite thorough and extremely helpful). Through all of this Franky Kowaas gave us a real sense of safety.

James Clarke's background (West Point Grad, Captain US Army - Special Operations and Harvard MBA) was invaluable on several occasions. In particular his help in assessing helicopter capabilities, mission planning with the pilots, evaluation of logistics, interaction with army personal, knowledge of the region and communications skills all came in handy. Pat Hickey's background as a Health Professional (PhD in health care management) was also invaluable.

There were some rough spots, but Franky has a good handle on this operation and the second group's expedition appears to have gone off with very few problems. Future trips promise to be much better organized - our expedition was essentially a trail blazing effort and many details were worked by Franky in a real time mode. We all felt our group dynamic was perfect for this first expedition - collectively we possessed the correct skill set and exercised the necessary patience required to pull it off. Going in we all realized there was considerable risk of not being able to climb Carstenz. As we soon found out, the permit is only half of the problem. Based on my initial communications with Franky, I decided to trust him and his ability to set up this expedition - he has certainly earned that trust. Logistics required a "street smart" and savvy organizer and on every occasion, Franky came through and made good on all of his promises.

After arriving in Manado, located at the northern end of the Sulawesi Province, we had a couple of days before flights to Papua could be secured. Franky arranged a fantastic tour of the Minahasa Highlands surrounding Manado, including the local market at Tomohon (where dogs, rats, bats and snakes are available for consumption by locals), local villages (e.g., Rurukuna, etc.), a ride in a Banndi (a horse drawn cart), an incredible fish dinner at Tondano Lake, and Sulfur Lake. Leaving Manado, we first flew to Biak, an island just north of Papua, where we were able to view some of the caves used by the Japanese during WWII and tour the McArthur Museum. A day and a half later, we flew to Nabire, and then chartered a flight with Associated Mission Aviation (AVA) to the small highland village of Enarotali (approximately 4000 people and 5500’ elevation). We ended up spending 5-days in Enarotali waiting for our chartered helicopter and fuel to arrive. It turns out that many details had to be worked out and all of this took time in order to get resolved. Incredible events occurred during our stay in this neat village. The people were curious and friendly, the local market and neighborhoods were truly fantastic, the Papua Province Governor visited for a day, and there was a day long ritual war between local clans due to a dispute over the death of a tribal member. Basically, about 1000 people were involved in a series of clan war dances complete with spears, bow & arrows, etc. At the conclusion, an agreed upon price (~$10,000 USD) was paid by the perpetrator to the affected clan and everyone went home satisfied. Although not the norm, men clad only in penis gourds and women in grass skirts were seen in and around the village, especially during the war dances.

On the 5th day our Bell 212 helicopter ride to Zebra Wall (12,100’) arrived at 8 AM and by 9:20 AM we were finally near the mountain. By 11:30 AM we were ready to hike up to base camp (13,800’) with incredible amounts of equipment. As we were trying to figure out how to carry all this stuff, 6 people on a multi-day trek between their village and Tembagapura (a mining town below Freeport Mine) passed by Zebra Wall. We arranged with the 3-men to serve as porters and help carry our group equipment and arrived at base camp in the early afternoon.

Once at Base Camp, it was obvious that Franky was a very reliable leader. With 22 successful summits of Carstenz, he was extremely knowledgeable of the route and had the maturity to allow us to climb as individuals. James and I met in Yosemite, CA USA prior to the trip to climb as a team in preparation for the expedition - knowing your partners on an expedition of this sort is a big plus - we knew if we could just get to the base of Carstenz we would figure out a way to reach the summit. Of course with Franky's experience this was not a problem, but I really did want to climb Carstenz and not be "guided" to the summit. We were prepared to climb without any fixed lines - but as it turned out, Franky had beta from a February 2005 Indonesian ascent that the fixed lines were in place and in good shape and the anchors were adequate - this indeed was the case. Our acclimatization was cut short due to schedule constraints, but an adequate schedule is as follows: Acclimatization at Enarotali (>5000') followed by a day at Zebra Wall (~12,100') followed by a full day and night at Lakes Valley Base Camp (~13,800') is adequate. Adding a day or two for adverse weather is also recommended. Do to continuing precipitation and the altitude, we were concerned that we might run into snow on the summit ridge. We did indeed encounter some minor snowfields on the last several pitches, but these presented no real problems. We learned the hard way that it is essential to have a satellite phone on the expedition - especially in regards to being able to contact the commercial helicopter pilots regarding their return trip and any weather concerns. Franky did provide the second expedition with a satellite phone. In order to be complete, I have updated and corrected a topo provided by Rob Milne and it is available upon request. (Note: Rob died on Everest in June 2005). I would highly recommend looking at the start from the ridgeline above base camp on an acclimatization day and carefully identifying the start and some reference points that can easily lead you to this location in the dark. From the Yellow Valley at night it is all but impossible to see the face and locate the start of the route. The route has lots of loose rock - helmets are essential.

Malaria pills are really a good Idea - Pat & I did not use them but wish we had. On a visit to the Enarotali medical clinic, Pat found a teenager with malaria in the ward. Malaria is a real problem in Papua Province. After returning to Manado via Timika and Makassar, I had the opportunity to dive Bunaken Island, considered to be one of the top 10 dive sites in the world. It was truly beautiful with many colorful fish, corals, and sponges and visibility exceeding 120’. After Franky saw me off at the airport, I began the long journey home via Singapore, Seoul, and San Francisco arriving in Sacramento the afternoon of July 14th.

Franky's team is really great and provides a solid support network. Of the 9-members, 4 have bachelors’ degrees (Franky - Philosophy, Avi - Fisheries, Rudy - Engineering, David - Geology). He also runs raft trips, highland tours, etc. form his Manado location. Franky is also a solid Christian man, as is most of his team. Indonesia is a religious tolerant country and we encountered no problems whatsoever in this regard.

There will always be challenges with permits and logistics on an expedition of this sort in a remote location like Papua Province. We really want to take a moment to say thank you to the Indonesian Government, Army, Police officials and Freeport Mine for all their help - on every occasion they acted professionally and the entire experience was a positive experience. In all of the towns and villages we visited, the local markets and residential areas were fantastic places to walk and observe the local people and customs. Everyone was friendly and I rarely had any concern for my personal safety. It was a safe, legal and successful expedition - would I do it again with Franky - you bet.

In summary, the completion of the undisputed Seven Summits and the Adventure Grand Slam was a lifetime goal and I am both satisfied and relieved at its completion. I feel I finished it in the best manner possible for me personally. Doris, my wife of 40-years, has been a constant source of inspiration and support. She is not only my wife, but also my lover and my best friend. I really appreciate her support and understanding – Thank you honey.

Quick Summary: 7-Summits Undisputed Version, South Pole by plane, North Pole from Borneo Ice Base.

Adventure Grand Slam: Date: 4/19/05, Age: 59-years, 131-days, oldest person, 2nd American and 8th person in the world.
Undisputed Seven Summits with both Kosciuszko and Carstenz Pyramid: 7/8/05, Age: 59-years, 211-days, 46th person and oldest person in the world.

One last time a big thanks to my sponsors. Without them I could not have done these expeditions. Please give them your support. They include: Abram Interstate, Donner Ski Ranch, Epiphany Sales Inc, Foresthill Beacon, Foresthill Messenger, Foresthill Telephone, Grant Hardware and Plumbing, Guard Transmission, Klinger Construction, Monte Verde Inn, Power Play Energy, Ragen MacKenzie Investment Services, Pasco Scientific, Power Play Energy, SciTech Astronomical, Townsend Design, VG Donuts and Bakery and numerous individual contributors. Keep in mind that the Foresthill Divide Web page has copies of all of my 7-Summits updates at http://www.foresthilldivide.com/7summits.htm.

Randy Peeters
4404 Morning Star Place
Foresthill, CA 95631 USA
(530) 367-5561 Home
(916) 390-4464 Cell
rlpeeters@msn.com

My Climbing Partner – On Belay!! Just Kidding

James High on the Summit Ridge of Carstenz Pyramid

Home | About Us | Clients | Contact | Gallery | Awards | Links