Located 20km southeast of Lord Howe Island, Ball’s Pyramid, a bizarre mountain in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, rises 562 meters above the waters. More specifically, it’s “all that remains from a shield volcano that was formed 7 million years ago and is the tallest volcanic stack in the world.” Continue reading for a video, more pictures, and additional information.
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The first successful climb to the summit was made on 14 February 1965 by a team of climbers from the Sydney Rock Climbing Club, consisting of Bryden Allen, John Davis, Jack Pettigrew and David Witham. There had been an earlier attempt in 1964 by another Sydney team, which included adventurer Dick Smith and other members of the Scouting movement.
They were forced to turn back on their fifth day, running short of food and water. In 1979, Smith returned to the pyramid, together with climbers John Worrall and Hugh Ward. They successfully reached the summit and unfurled a flag of New South Wales provided to them by Premier Neville Wran, declaring the island Australian territory (a formality which it seems had not previously been done).
