Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25044
VINSON MASSIF, SEN ANTARCTICA 16,864 feet The view is unparalleled-a sea of ice caps �Q�@ L E and glaciers stretching out into the visibly curved horizon. Vinson Massif, an austere sweeping icescape, is 600 miles from the South Pole. There's only one way there-by charter with the UK-based company ANI. This intermediate climb takes about thre.e days to get to the summit. Try Vinson toward the end of your seven-mountain quest. Optimum season: December to January Temperature: -40°F Permit cost: Who's going to charge you? Language: You choose PUNCAK JAYA, SUDIRMAN RANGE, IRIAN JAYA, INDONESIA 16,499 feet More commonly known as Carstensz Pyramid (after the Dutch explorer who "discovered" it), Puncak Jaya (pro nounced POON-chack Jai-ah) is the least accessible of all the peaks. You almost have to go with a guided group-permits and charter fl ight negotiation is a headache and very expensive. Alpine Ascents charges $1 0,000 per climber. The region is home to the Dani people, the "stone age tribe" that had its first contact with Western man only 30 years ago. No tourist traps at base camp here. The Pyramid is a rock climb of moderate difficulty that entails a lot of scram bling. You go from rainforest to alpine ecosystems. en >< Optimum season: May to November Temperature: O°F to 40°F Per.mit cost: Variety of permits required for inland Irian Jaya (have to climb about four layers of bureaucracy) Language: Bahasa Indonesia, Dani dialect iIlIႀ䊉I". _ ___ " -"' � _ iii lrhe summit is the biggest and the baddest MT EVEREST, HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINS, NEPAL 29,028 FEET could be chalked up to an extreme form of male menopause. For Koch it's strictly Zen: "When I'm on a steep ice face, attached by an inch of metal, that's the only time when it's very clear to me what needs to be done." For Roderick it's biochemical: "Altitude cleanses your mind." Even cyn ical Child has his esote ric line of reasoni ng, and it's probably the most honest: "I t's better than sitting on your ass at a desk from nine to five." II nd Nepal has fashioned itself into a moun ineering center, making Everest one of the ore accessible climbs. For example, just the border in Pakistan, where climbing is not promoted, it's difficult to move gear in and out of the country. What is there left to say about Everest? Everything about it is spectacular. But because it's so hard to breathe at the summit, don't expect to around for a picnic on the top of the Bittersweet rewards. Optimum season: pre-Monsoon May, Monsoon October to November Temperature: O°F to -20°F Permit cost: $70,000 Language: Nepalese, Sherpani -.