737 Challenge remains on track following Tsunami threat

12th March 2011

After fears that the Japanese Tsunami might hit West Papua yesterday, reports suggest the island has not been affected at present and no damage has been caused to put Richard Parks’ world first expedition in jeopardy.

Richard is currently safe trekking above 3450m towards base camp of Carstensz Pyramid, the highest mountain in Oceania and the fifth leg of his 737 Challenge. Although a Tsunami would not affect his climb, devastation to any infrastructure on the island could have caused delays to Richard leaving the island. His team were also keeping a watchful eye on Bali where his international flight on to his next leg will leave from.

News reports so far suggest that neither islands were hit, a relief to much of his team.

Richard suffered a 2 week delay to his challenge after climbing Mount Vinson in Antarctica due to fuel strikes and then flight issues. Further delays to his expedition could cause huge problems as the clock ticks on his 7 month race. The next 2 legs following Carstensz Pyramid are the North Pole and Mount Everest back to back, followed by Denali – certainly the crux of the challenge. All are heavily reliant on the right weather conditions to aid success so timing windows have been planned meticulously. There are contingency’s, however further delays could seriously impact Richard’s world first quest.

Despite Richard’s delays in Antarctica however, he remains on track to complete his world first 737 Challenge. He has successfully completed The South Pole, Mount Vinson, Aconcagua and Kilimanjaro and is currently tackling Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia.

You can catch Richard’s updates from Carstensz and follow the challenge every step of the way by reading his daily updates.