It still seems high unless you go with a US based fully guided tour for all climbs.The Seven Summits look like they will cost ~$200k unless you go the absolutely no-frills options.
Denali: $2000 (unguided)
Aconcagua: $2200 (unguided)
Elbrus: $2200-$2400 (assuming Pilgrim Tours guided cost = $1091; & Summits Club Guided cost = $1390; can be done cheaper independently)
Kilimanjaro: $5000
Everest: $43,000 (Guided costs = $39,900 with 7summits Club)
Kościuszko: $2000
Vinson: $43,000 (difficult to do unguided)
Total = $99,400
If you do the Carstensz version it would cost around $19,000-20,000 if you went fully guided (7 summits Club guided trip = $17,670). That's too bad; it used to be much cheaper. I wish I did it years ago and before the more recent problems.'
That would still come out to around $120,000, even if you went fully guided on the more difficult peaks.
For peaks such as Elbrus, if you want to go guided, it's better to use one of the reputable local companies (such as Pilgrim Tours or 7 Summits Club). The 7 Summits Club does (comparatively) less expensive trips to Everest and Carstensz and is a very reputable company. I haven't signed up with them, but if I did, I would choose them. I met those guys while mountaineering in the Atacama. They eat good and were always inviting us over to their big tent for dinner, dessert, and games. While we were eating things like Ramen Soup and crackers, they were dining on salmon, champagne, and chocolate mousse (and would share it with us free of charge!). They also had satellite weather forecast and they shared them with us. I was really impressed with their operation and with the famous climber Alex Abramov, who owns the company. After we got back, I sent him an email through his website thanking him for his hospitality, and he thanked me for being a good father to my son. It was a really nice comment, especially considering Alex is probably one of the most well known (especially outside the US) and best climbers in the world. Here is the email he sent:
Hi Scott
It was grate time on Ohos!!!)
Irena, Oleg and Dima reached summit with me.
I was wary glad to se how much time and love you give to your sone. You are very good father.
When I was return to Moscow I decide to take my sone from my first family to my present house.
And it happened, because I sow how you love your child.
Now me and my sone stay together.
Please be happy. And see you in the mountains.
--
Отправлено из мобильной Яндекс.Почты
Anyway, if you do go guided on some of these, I would seriously look into his company for some of your trips.
). 19K' is not 14K', and as y'all probably know, altitude doesn't care for our fitness or mountaineering skills, or lack thereof. Or our body's previous response(s) to altitude. I know people who have died of AMS and know (of) super fit people who had to turn back from several thousand feet below the Kili summit due to AMS. Unlike for Everest and some other ultra mountains, no statistics are kept for Kili. Unless an event makes it to the press, one hardly ever hears of/from people who went up too fast for their genetics/health/stars and had to retreat, or didn't live to tell the tale. The week before I went, a middle aged guy died well below the summit (I think around the tree line) and another young man (20s), who claimed to be fine at the summit, died on the way down a few months after my trip. One companion (not on Kili) got HAPE at ~16K' (after a couple of nights of being fine at 15K') even as she insisted that she was fine. Cognitive skills could be compromised at altitude, if not already diminished at sea level by ego, cockiness, other pre-existing character flaws and questionable judgment patterns.
