Australasia Three Peaks Expedition – 2010

Ricky Munday, a 33-year-old Scots adventurer, plans to trek through remote forests and climb the three highest peaks in Australasia – Puncak Jaya (4,884m), formerly called Carstensz Pyramid, Puncak Mandala (4,640m) and Puncak Trikora (4,750m), all located in Papua New Guinea. The province contains the highest mountains between the Himalayas and the Andes. Ricky, from Bothwell, South Lanarkshire, will fly more than 8,000 miles to Papua New Guinea in November 2010 to raise funds for Raleigh and MacMillan Cancer Support and gather vital information about the condition of the peaks’ ice caps for scientists. He will spend two months in the remote Central Highlands, travelling between the mountains by light aircraft and trekking in on foot, and sleeping in tents and hunting shelters.

The tallest peaks contain permanent equatorial glaciers, which are currently receding due to the impact of climate change. Ricky said “We want to record them to help scientists understand the processes behind their demise and to document them for future generations. It’s quite a unique environment because basically it’s mountains on the Equator on an island. This is not really found anywhere else.” The expedition will create a photographic record and collect data for researchers at Glasgow University.

Ahead of his expedition, part-funded by a £750 JWCT grant, Ricky added: “I am both excited and nervous about the trip. I’ve been planning it for more than a year and the closer it gets, the more nervous I get. But I know when I get out there the nerves will disappear.”

Ricky’s long-term goal is to be the first person in the world to climb the three highest peaks on every continent.

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