Australia’s Kościuszko (7,310’/2228m), located in the Snowy Mountains, is the lowest of the 7 Summits but is perhaps the most controversial. First, there is the pronunciation, then there is the debate about how it compares to other high peaks in Oceania (is New Zealand continent?) ), and last is the relative ease of this “hill” located next to a ski resort. In any event, today, it’s considered one of the seven on the Bass list, so most people seeking the 7 Summits will tick the box. The first summit was in 1840 by the Polish explorer Paul Strzelecki. I assume the First Peoples or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples or the Morano had a crack centuries earlier, but I could be wrong, as many Indigenous people treat mountains as sacred and not to be climbed.
Kuiousicoukiou?
Let’s take the pronunciation first. Trust me, after my intro last week; I received many corrections from the locals about how this Tennessee Boy butchered the name. As one learned reader told me, “Alan, I understand these names can be confusing being from around the globe, yet I’m just letting you know how to pronounce Kosciuszko like an Aussie. We would say Mount Kozzi – ozs – co, but fast. For some time, it was spelled without the letter ‘z’ in the name of the gentleman it was named after, but this has finally been corrected, and the ‘z’ has been restored.” OK, I’m going to go with Kozzie and call it good.
Before we go on, let’s honor the man whose names are behind all this discussion.
Seven or Eight?
Next, the controversy is the competition between Kozzie and New Guinea’s Carstensz Pyramid, aka Puncak Jaya (16,024’/4884m), both located on the Oceania continent—which is not a continent but a region of the southwest Pacific that includes Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and many other islands.
When American Dick Bass hatched the 7 Summits idea, he chose Kozzie as the highest in Oceania, choosing to view Australia as the only “true” continent. However, Canadian Patrick Morrow became the first to summit all seven with Carstensz in addition to Kozzie in 1986. Italy mountaineering legend Reinhold Messner summited all the peaks without supplemental oxygen, a first, and completed the task in 1986.
Difficulty
Finally, as to the difficulty, well, in winter, it can test your skills. While it can be hiked year-round, winter offers more of an alpine experience, and you will need proper clothing and gear to be safe. While not a hiking or climbing accident in 1999, four snowboarders were caught in an unexpected storm and lost their lives in a snow cave in Kozi. The group and their bodies were discovered in November after they had been missing since August. On August 14, 1928, W. Evan Hayes and W. Laurie Seaman departed Charlotte’s Pass and were never seen alive again. Finally, in 2024, in 2022, a backcountry skier, Andrew Seton, died in Kosciuszko National Park.
Routes
There are two primary routes to summit Kozzie, with the most popular starting at Thredbo Alpine Village. From there, you can take the Kosciuszko Express Chairlift to begin the 8-mile round trip Kosciuszko Walk, aka Summit Walk. The “trail” is actually a metal walkway designed to protect the delicate alpine environment. The gain is a gentle 991 feet or 302 meters.
An alternative is an 11.6-mile round trip from Charlotte’s Pass on a trail designed for driving, so the angle is modest. It crosses Rawson’s Pass, intersecting with the Thredbo ski ascent route. The gain is 1,273 feet or 388 meters.
The best time to hike Kozzie in Australia’s summer months of December through February, but March and April, plus October and November, offer nice weather as well.
So, I guess if you want to cover all the Seven Summits angles, here is the list of nine climbs:
- Everest, Nepal – 29,035/8850m
- Aconcagua, Argentina – 22,902/6960m
- Denali, Alaska – 20,320/6194m
- Kilimanjaro, Africa – 19,340/5896m
- Elbrus, Russia – 18,513/5642m
- Vinson, Antarctica – 16,067/4897m
- Carstensz Pyramid (Puncak Jaya), New Guinea – 16,023/4884m
- Mt. Blanc, France/Italy – 15,771’/4807m
- Mt. Kościuszko, Australia – 7,310/2228m
Episodes will drop each week:
- September 15: Introduction
- September 22: Mt. Kościuszko, Australia – 7,310/2228m
- September 29: Mt. Blanc, France/Italy – 15,771’/4807m
- October 6: Vinson, Antarctica – 16,067/4897m
- October 13: Carstensz Pyramid (Puncak Jaya), New Guinea – 16,023/4884m
- October 20: Elbrus, Russia – 18,513/5642m
- October 27: Kilimanjaro, Africa – 19,340/5896m
- November 3: Denali, Alaska – 20,320/6194m
- November 10: Aconcagua, Argentina – 22,902/6960m
- November 17: Everest, Nepal/Tibet – 29,035/8850m
Safe climbing to all.
Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything
Video podcast version of Episode 2: Seven Summits: Kościuszko
You can listen to my podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Anchor, and more. Just search for “alan arnette” on your favorite podcast platform.
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