Climbing the World to End Alzheimer's
Kosciuszko 2011 Climb
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2011 Climb Dispatches: Vinson 2010 | Aconcagua 2011 | Everest 2011 | Denali 2011 | Elbrus 2011 | Kilimanjaro 2011 | Carstensz 2011 | Kosciuszko 2011
I climbed seven of the eight Seven Summits in 2010/11. It took 18 airlines, 58 flights, 116,112 miles flown, 120 time zones and 201 nights away from home over 322 days to raise awareness and research funds for Alzheimer’s, and to honor my mom, Ida Arnette, who was taken by this disease in 2009. Read the 7 Summits overview.
With a tip of my hat to Dick Bass, who started all the 7 Summits stuff, I wanted to include Kosciuszko in my project. I had summited Carstensz on October 22, 2011 and flew immediately to Sydney focused on completing my 8th of the 7 Summits climbs in one year.
Arriving in a bit of a haze, I rented a car with the intention of getting out of Sydney and resting up for a couple of days before going to Kosciuszko. However, once on the road, I kept driving thoroughly enjoying the vast countryside of the New South Wales (NSW) area of eastern Australia.
Drive Left
I kept saying out loud, “look right, drive left” as a way of coping with the swapped lane driving. I reached a small tourist town that served as a gateway to the Snowy Mountain area and asked for information about Kosciuszko at the information center. The polite women behind the counter proceeded to tell me that it was snow covered, I needed snow shoes and would probably not make it. I smiled and politely thanked them.
The next stop was more encouraging as I bought my entrance ticket to the Kosciuszko National Park. This time, I was told, lots of people are climbing it daily and the route is a bit snow covered in places and the summit proper was heavily corniced preventing the usual approach so everyone is just going straight up. I liked this scenario better!
I continued to the ski village of Thredbo and found a great studio apartment for one night, it even include wifi. As I looked out my window towards the ski lifts, however, low clouds covered the tops of the mountains. I knew weather could be a problem with many fellow climbers telling me that of all the 7 Summits, Kosciuszko, proved to be difficult. Some told of getting lost in dense fog, others of high winds and blowing snow. So I went to bed wary.
A Perfect Day
The next morning it was if someone had taken glass cleaner to the skies – pure blue, no clouds and temperatures in the high 30’sF. I had considered taking the slightly longer route from Charlotte Pass rather than the ski lift from Thredbo, but in the end, the ski lift won out and I bought my lift ticket and boarded it at the opening time of 9:00 AM along with a large group of international students.
I relaxed on the short ride up reflecting the culture shock of just being in the jungles of New Guinea only 3 days earlier. This was my 8th climb and I had been gone from home for almost 7 of the last 11 months. But I was eager to stand on the summit of Australia’s mainland highest peak and looked anxiously ahead as the lift stopped. It was 8 miles round trip with an elevation gain from 6,354′ to 7,310′.
The route was more than obvious – a raised metal grated boardwalk had been installed for the majority of the walk. Over 100,000 people a year do this walk, so in the interest of protecting the fragile tundra, the walkway was constructed. A few other people soon joined the walk and I made good progress towards Kosciuszko.
It became visible about half way. I was surprised at how large it looked, even from a distance. It was a classic smooth mound standing high over the surrounding area. Completely snow covered, I could understand how some people might go astray in harsh weather. But the day was beyond perfect.
8 of 7
I reached the end of the boardwalk where the Kosciuszko Walk merged with the trail from Charlotte Pass which starts at 6,026′. All that was left was to gain the summit by going straight up the snowy mountain side. I was glad I had worn my jacket and gloves and it was a bit chilly with a lite breeze off the snow but in a few minutes I stood on the summit. It had taken a little over an hour; the shortest summit climb of all 8 by far!
I asked some of my fellow summiteers to take my picture while standing on top of the rock marker, it seemed everyone was doing this. I called for the 8th time from these climbs and posted a audio dispatch to my blog. Then I sat down on a big rock and looked around.
The first summit was Mt. Vinson in Antarctica on December 9th 2010. This was the last summit on October 25, 2011. I had made every summits except for Denali stopped by weather, 3100′ short of the summit. But it was OK. I had been able to send our Alzheimer’s message of hope, need and urgency from each continent reaching over 12 million people and raising money for research, awareness and caregivers.
It had been a good year.
Memories are Everything®
Alan Arnette is an Alzheimer’s advocate for individuals, their families and anyone impacted by this disease through his professional speaking, climbing and website.
His objectives for the Memories are Everything® climbs are:
- Educate the public, especially youth, on the early warning signs and how to prepare
- Increase awareness that Alzheimer’s Disease has no cure
- Raise research money for Alzheimer’s non-profits
He has completed two major projects:
- NO CURE, always fatal
- No easy, inexpensive method of early detection
- 3rd leading cause of death in the US
- New case every 68 seconds, 4 seconds worldwide
- Impacts more than 5+m in US, 25m+ worldwide
- Devastating financial burden on families
- Depression higher for caregivers
- Issues are increasing rapidly as population ages
The Alzheimer’s Immunotherapy Program of Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy and Pfizer Inc. funded my climbs for the 7 Summits campaign and ongoing efforts between November 2010 and November 2012. All money I raised then and now from donations goes directly to the organizations I have selected. During the campaign, content posted here was my own but subject to certain limitations in conjunction with the support of the AIP.
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