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Common name: Carstensz Pyramid

Original name: Puncak Jaya, Nemangkawi, Ngga Pulu, Carstensz Toppen, Gunung Sukarno

Location: Sudirman Range, Papua, Indonesia

Altitude: 4,884 meters (16,024 feet)

First (western) ascent: Heinrich Harrer, 1962

Facts and trivia: Although first sighted from afar by Jan Carstensz in 1623, the mountain was not registered and Carstensz was ridiculed for claiming there was snow this close to the equator until another Dutchman, Hendrik Albert Lorentz, reached the snowfields of Puncak Jaya in 1909. It took another 53 years before the peak peak was climbed by Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer (well-known for his “7 years in Tibet”, Eiger North Face, and “I come from the stone age” book).

Carstensz Pyramid is the highest island peak in the world, and technically the hardest of the 7 Summits. The standard route is up the north face and along the summit ridge, which is all hard rock surfaces and requires technical climbing skills. In addition, it is also one of the least accessible of the 7 Summits; the Grasberg mine does not allow hikers and the general public on their territory, requiring a 100-km hike from the nearest town with an airport, Timika, to the base camp, which usually takes about 4-6 days each way.

The mountain can be climbed all year round. This does not mean the weather is good for climbing all year round; as it is very close to the equator, it rains/snows a lot as the wet winds are pushed upwards from all sides.