Abiral Rai becomes first from Rai community to scale Carstensz Pyramid
The IFMGA-certified mountain guide and mountaineering instructor continues his Seven Summits journey while making history for the Rai community.
Abiral Rai, an IFMGA-certified mountain guide and mountaineering instructor, has successfully summited Carstensz Pyramid (4,884 m)—the highest mountain peak on an island—becoming the first person from the Rai community to achieve this feat.
“Today, we reached the summit at 7 a.m. local time,” Abiral shared in a brief text message. For Abiral, who has already climbed three of the world’s highest peaks multiple times, Carstensz was not a particularly difficult challenge. In addition to being an accomplished climber, he is also a mountaineering trainer.
Born in the Solukhumbu district, home to Mount Everest, Abiral developed a passion for climbing from an early age. He began his career in tourism as a porter in 2008 and steadily progressed through rigorous climbing training, eventually completing the prestigious IFMGA course in 2019. To date, he has led over 20 successful expeditions.
Abiral reached the Carstensz summit while guiding Hari Budha Magar, a Nepali double above-knee amputee and record-breaking mountaineer. Hari is on a mission to complete the Seven Summits challenge to inspire the world with what many consider impossible. Saturday’s summit marked his sixth of the Seven Summits.
For Abiral, Carstensz was the fourth peak in his own Seven Summits journey. He now has three mountains left to climb—Mount Vinson, Elbrus, and Kilimanjaro—to complete the challenge.
“My pursuit of the Seven Summits is about bringing my community onto the global stage in mountaineering,” he said.
The Rai community comprises just over half a million people in Nepal, representing about 2.2% of the population. While there are a few climbers from the community, Abiral is the first to complete the IFMGA course and is also the first Everest summiteer from the Thulung Rai subgroup, having reached the world's highest peak on May 12, 2022.
He remains committed to completing the Seven Summits challenge early next year.
