Seven Summits Climb Completed By Manchester Scoutmaster

MANCHESTER, CT — Tunxis Community College professor Mark Milewski successfully summited Indonesia’s 16,024-foot Mount Carstensz Pyramid on the island of New Guinea on Aug. 15, marking the completion of a project he started in 2007 to climb all Seven Summits—the highest mountain on each continent.

He is approximately the 160th person in the world to successfully climb all Seven Summits.

"Climbing the Seven Summits has been a wonderful adventure filled with exotic locations and fascinating people," said Milewski. "I'm grateful for my parents who sparked my love of the outdoors, to Scouting and Outward Bound, which further deepened it, and to my family, friends, and colleagues, who cheered me on during the 13 years it took to accomplish this goal."

The entire Carstensz Pyramid expedition took 12 days, from August 5 to 16. Milewski said he was on the mountain for three days, and his summit to the top was a 10-hour, 2,000-foot rock-climb.

Below is the order in which he completed all of his climbs:

1. Europe’s Mount Elbrus in (18,510 feet) in Russia – July 21, 2007
2. Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro (19,340 feet) in Tanzania – July 14, 2008
3. North America’s Mount Denali (20,320 feet) in Alaska – June 9, 2009
4. South America’s Mount Aconcagua (22,840 feet) in Argentina – Dec. 29, 2009
5. Asia’s Mount Everest (29,029 feet) in Nepal/China – May 20, 2016
6. Antarctica’s Mount Vinson Massif (16,050 feet) – Jan. 4, 2019
7. Oceania’s Mount Carstensz Pyramid (16,024 feet) in Indonesia – Aug. 15, 2019

Milewski will give a presentation highlighting his climbs of the Seven Summits at Tunxis Community College on Oct. 3, from 7-8 p.m. in Founders Hall. Light fare and refreshments will be served. The community is invited to attend.

An associate professor of business administration, Milewski joined Tunxis in 2010, where he teaches courses in management, business, ethics, entrepreneurship, and a business capstone. He uses much of what he has learned in climbing mountains in his courses which he relates to business, including teamwork and goal attainment. He is also advisor to the student Business Club and has brought many corporate guest speakers to campus.

Milewski, who started his training for high altitude mountaineering with climbing Mount Rainier in 2004, resides in West Hartford. He is Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 25 in Manchester.

Story and photos provided by Tunxis Community College