EverestHistory.com: Mikel Alvarez

MIKEL ÁLVAREZ, FIRST MAN FROM VISCAYA AND BILBAO
TO ACHIEVE THE SEVEN SUMMITS CHALLENGE

The mountaineer from Otxarkoaga crowned the Carstensz Pyramid at 08:10 hours (01:10 hours in Euskadi).  The Bilbaoan mountaineer, Mikel Álvarez, has become today, Saturday, April 13, at 01:10 hours (08:10 hours in Irian Jaya) the first man from Viscaya to climb the Seven Summits.  This sport hit has happened after the sportsman born in Otxarkoaga crowned the Carstensz Pyramid, the highest mountain in the Pacific, located in Irian Jaya (Indonesia).

Photo: Mikel Alvarez in the summit of Everest,  23rd of May 2001

Mikel Álvarez is the fourth mountaineer of the State to achieve such a feat after Ramón Portilla (1994) from Madrid, Joxe Ramon Agirre (1994) From Guipuzcoa and Josep Pujante (1995) from Cataluña.  He is also the 68th sportsman to finish since the challenge was established in 1985. 

The summit assault began at 4 in the morning from the base camp located at 4100 meters, and after a dizzy ascent, he reached the summit at 8 hours and 10 minutes, alone. 

When he spoke to this press office, Mikel Álvarez was waiting the rest of his expedition party while taking pictures for Euskal Telebista and was trying to locate the plate that certifies the summit, a hard task because of the snow on the Pyramid.  To avoid any doubts, the climber has reached every one of the three summits of the mountain.

The Seven Summits of the World is a challenge of great adventure and large dimensions, which consists in climbing the highest summits of every continent of the Earth and of the two poles.  Mikel Álvarez has ascended Aconcagua (6959 m), in 1997, located in Argentina (America); Elbrus (5642 m) in 1998, located between Russia and Georgia (Europe); Mount Kilimanjaro (5895 m) in 1999, in Keynya (Africa); Mount McKinley-Denali (6194 m) in 2000, located in Alaska (Artic); Mount Everest (8848 m) in 2001, located between Nepal and Tibet (Asia); Mount Vinson (4897 m) in January 2002, in Antarctica; and the Carstensz Pyramid (4884 m) today, in Indonesia (Oceania). 

The first one to achieve such a feat was the American Dick Bass, who dedicated 17 years of his life to make their dream come true. They ended the seventh summit, climbing the legendary Mount Everest in 1985, after their fourth expedition to reach that evasive summit.

The Carstensz Pyramid is an overwhelming limestone massif that rises in the middle of the jungle, in the Indonesian region of Irian Jaya.  Mikel Álvarez has been part of an international expedition which includes Americans William Barkley Allen (1970, Florida), Kevin Lee Neal (1962, Indiana) and James Ronald Foutch (1969, Texas), and the Canadian Sean Christopher McEvoy (1967).

After this success, and before going back home in Artica (Navarra), Mikel Álvarez will fly to Australia to crown Kosciusko.  There is an international polemic over which is really the highest summit in Oceania.  Some think it is the Carstensz Pyramid that, without a doubt, by altitude is very superior over the rest of the mountains in Oceania.  However, others consider that this mountain in Indonesia is in Asia and therefore they say that the highest summit in Oceania is Mount Kosciusko with 2228 m., in the Australian Alps.  Thus, there are two international "lists" of climbers that have conquered the Seven Summits.  Mikel Álvarez wants to climb both summits to stay away from that polemic and to be in both lists of climbers. 

Bilbao, April 13, 2002

Notes: Climbers with Seven Summits (Carstensz): 68, including Mikel Álvarez Climbers with Seven Summits (Kosciusko): 64 Climbers on both lists: 38 

Update April 27th, 2002 at 15:45. Kosciusko (alone).

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera. Source: Mikel Alvarez

 

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