A passion for volcano climbing

It’s fair to say that most people have a hobby. However, not everyone has a hobby as extreme as Ricardo Kaljouw’s. Ricardo’s passion is climbing volcanoes. What’s more, he has taken this hobby a step further by taking on the Volcanic Seven Summits challenge, with the goal of climbing the highest volcano on each of the seven continents.

Ricardo started working at Damen Naval in 2017 as a Senior ILS Engineer. His interest in mountain climbing began back in 2015 while he was still serving in the Royal Netherlands Navy as Sgt. Weapons Technician. It was then that he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. “Just like many climbers, my story started on Kilimanjaro which, at 5,895 metres, is the highest volcano in Africa,” he says. After scaling numerous other peaks around the world over the next few years he “started getting more and more drawn to volcanoes”.

Soon after climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Ricardo learned about the Volcanic Seven Summits. “Summiting all summits on all seven continents wasn’t actually first accomplished until 2011. An Italian and a Romanian – Mario Trimeri and Crina Popescu – did this when they summited Mount Sidley in Antarctica,” Ricardo notes. “To date, only 32 people in the world have completed this challenge. My goal is to become the first person from the Benelux to complete it.”

With Kilimanjaro ticked off the list in 2015, Ricardo has spent the previous years travelling the world to get closer to his aim of climbing all seven volcano summits. It was be noted that, during this time, he has also climbed many other mountains and volcanoes too: a total of seven 6,000-metre peaks, and fifteen 5,000-metre peaks. So how far has Ricardo progressed with the Volcanic Seven Summits challenge? Here below is a summary.
2015: Kilimanjaro (5,895m), Tanzania, Africa
2017: Elbrus (5,642m), Russia, Europe
2019: Damavand (5,895m), Iran, Asia
2022: Mount Giluwe (4,367m), Papua New Guinea, Oceania
2023: Pico de Orizaba (5,636m), Mexico, North America
2023: Ojos del Salado (6,893m), Chile/Argentina, South America

There is one more volcano to climb. “This is Mount Sidley on Antarctica. At 4,285 metres, this is actually the lowest of the seven volcano summits. But it is the most challenging because it is so remote and, of course, cold. Even in the summer, it can be minus 20 during the day. Only 50 people have stood at the top of this volcano, and not a single Dutch person.”

The trip – actually it’s more of an expedition – to climb Mount Sidley is not for the faint-hearted. “It is also the most expensive mountain climbing trip that you can take,” Ricardo adds. “This is why I have delayed this until December 2024. It involves two flights from Chile to reach the base camp of Mount Sidley. What happens from then on is very much dependent on the weather – but you need between six and nine days to do an attempt on the summit.”

Between now and December 2024, Ricardo will be busy preparing. This includes training six days a week to maintain physical fitness. “I have planned small ‘low cost’ trips in 2024 to maintain my climbing skills,” he says. “And I am taking ski lessons; this will be necessary for transportation of equipment in Antarctica. I am also writing a book about the challenge. It’s called ‘A Million Steps on Lava”; I’m waiting for the last chapter to take place and then it will be ready for publishing.”

For anyone reading this who is thinking about the safety issues of climbing a volcano, Ricardo says that “although these volcanoes show some activity, they are actually dormant”. Saying that, however, he has encountered a number of active volcanoes that are not on the ‘Seven Summits’ list. “I have seen eruptions when I was in the Congo; this is the largest lava lake in the world, where you look directly into the Earth. And in Guatemala we saw eruptions from quite close. The chance is always there – you just need to be careful and make good decisions.” It should come of no surprise to read that Ricardo also studies vulcanology in his free time.

Ricardo is keen to point out that his job at Damen Naval has played a critical part in his hobby. “As a Senior ILS engineer, I am primarily involved with coordinating training programs for our clients. This can be on location where the ship is being built, but also at the suppliers. We make sure that when we deliver the ship, everyone has the right knowledge to operate it. For example, travelling to Mexico for the POLA project was another advantage of my job – enabling me to combine my work with my passion. It was during my time off from work that I did a lot of climbing, including the Pico de Orizaba in Mexico.”

Compared to many people’s hobbies, Ricardo’s love of volcanoes can be described as extreme. However, he explains his choice of pastime like this: “I like to push my limits and see how far I can go; every time I have achieved something, I have realised that I can do more. In addition to that, I feel most alive when I am in the mountains.”