Tepat setahun lalu, nama Gunung Rinjani menjadi sorotan dunia bukan karena keindahannya, melainkan karena tragedi. Juliana Marins, pendaki asal Brasil berusia 27 tahun, meninggal dunia setelah tergelincir ke dalam jurang sedalam sekitar 600 meter di jalur pendakian Rinjani pada Juni 2025. Insiden ini mengguncang komunitas mountaineering Indonesia dan mendorong reformasi tata kelola pendakian gunung yang paling menyeluruh dalam sejarah pengelolaan taman nasional di Indonesia.

Exactly one year ago, Mount Rinjani captured global attention — not for its beauty, but for tragedy. Juliana Marins, a 27-year-old Brazilian climber, died after falling approximately 600 meters into a ravine on the Rinjani trail in June 2025. The incident shook Indonesia's mountaineering community and triggered the most comprehensive reform of mountain climbing governance in the history of Indonesian national park management.

Merespons kejadian tersebut, Kementerian Kehutanan (Kemenhut) dan Badan Nasional Pencarian dan Pertolongan (Basarnas) langsung melakukan evaluasi menyeluruh terhadap standar operasional prosedur (SOP) pendakian gunung di seluruh kawasan konservasi Indonesia. Hasilnya: sistem pemeringkatan jalur atau grading system yang selama ini hanya dikenal di kalangan pendaki berpengalaman kini ditetapkan secara resmi oleh negara dan menjadi dasar hukum pengelolaan akses pendakian.

In response, the Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut) and the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) immediately launched a comprehensive evaluation of climbing Standard Operating Procedures across all Indonesian conservation areas. The result: a route difficulty grading system — previously known only among experienced climbers — was formally enacted by the state and became the legal basis for managing climbing access.

Sistem grading yang kini berlaku membagi jalur pendakian ke dalam lima tingkat berdasarkan tingkat kesulitan, bahaya, dan risiko. Grade I dan II adalah jalur pemula hingga menengah, seperti jalur Cikopo Gunung Gede (Grade I) dan jalur Selo Gunung Merapi (Grade II). Grade III mencakup gunung dengan tantangan lebih serius seperti puncak Gunung Gede via jalur Putri. Grade IV — di mana Rinjani berada — mensyaratkan pendaki telah memiliki rekam jejak di gunung-gunung Grade III ke bawah, menggunakan pemandu bersertifikat, memiliki asuransi premium termasuk evakuasi helikopter, dan lulus tes kesehatan dari fasilitas layanan primer sehari sebelum mendaki. Grade V, yang mencakup Gunung Leuser, Carstensz Pyramid, dan Trikora, menerapkan persyaratan paling ketat.

The grading system now divides climbing routes into five levels based on difficulty, hazard, and risk. Grade I and II cover beginner to intermediate trails, such as the Cikopo route on Mount Gede (Grade I) and the Selo route on Mount Merapi (Grade II). Grade III encompasses more serious mountains like Gunung Gede's summit via the Putri route. Grade IV — where Rinjani sits — requires climbers to have documented experience on Grade III or lower mountains, use a certified guide, carry premium insurance including helicopter evacuation, and pass a health examination at a primary care facility one day prior to the climb. Grade V, which includes Gunung Leuser, Carstensz Pyramid, and Trikora, carries the strictest requirements of all.

"Ini sekali lagi pilot project di Rinjani, nanti kita terus replikasi ke gunung-gunung yang lain, ke taman-taman nasional yang lain."

"This is once again a pilot project at Rinjani — we will continue to replicate it to other mountains, to other national parks."

— Raja Juli Antoni, Menteri Kehutanan Republik Indonesia, Agustus 2025Minister of Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia, August 2025

Pilot project di Rinjani dimulai pada 11 Agustus 2025, setelah kawasan tersebut ditutup sementara selama hampir dua bulan untuk penataan ulang sarana, prasarana, dan protokol keselamatan. Sejak Januari 2026, rasio pemandu diperketat: satu pemandu hanya boleh membawa maksimal empat pendaki, turun dari sebelumnya lima pendaki hingga akhir 2025. Asuransi evakuasi helikopter juga kini diwajibkan tanpa pengecualian. Setiap pendaki dilacak secara real-time melalui teknologi RFID dan ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter), sehingga proses SAR dapat dilakukan jauh lebih cepat jika terjadi kecelakaan.

The Rinjani pilot project launched on August 11, 2025, after the area was temporarily closed for nearly two months to overhaul facilities, infrastructure, and safety protocols. Starting January 2026, guide ratios were tightened: one guide may lead a maximum of four climbers, down from five through the end of 2025. Helicopter evacuation insurance is now mandatory without exception. Every climber is tracked in real-time via RFID and ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter) technology, enabling far faster SAR response in the event of an accident.

Yang perlu dicatat, Federasi Mountaineering Indonesia (FMI) turut dilibatkan dalam penyusunan sistem grading nasional ini. Perwakilan FMI — di antaranya Rahmat Abbas, Tasril Mulyadi, dan Gatot Wisnu Wiryawan — tergabung dalam tim penyusunan tingkat kesulitan jalur pendakian bersama Kemenhut dan pemangku kepentingan lainnya. Keterlibatan ini mencerminkan peran FMI sebagai mitra strategis negara dalam membangun standar keselamatan mountaineering yang berbasis pengalaman lapangan komunitas pendaki Indonesia.

Notably, the Federasi Mountaineering Indonesia (FMI) was involved in developing the national grading system. FMI representatives — including Rahmat Abbas, Tasril Mulyadi, and Gatot Wisnu Wiryawan — joined the Kemenhut-led team that formulated the route difficulty classifications alongside other stakeholders. This involvement reflects FMI's role as a strategic state partner in building mountaineering safety standards grounded in the field experience of Indonesia's climbing community.

Kini, satu tahun berselang, sistem yang bermula dari Rinjani tersebut sedang dalam proses replikasi ke seluruh taman nasional dan taman wisata alam di Indonesia. Kemenhut dan Basarnas juga telah menandatangani MoU dan Perjanjian Kerja Sama (PKS) sebagai landasan hukum jangka panjang untuk penanganan darurat di kawasan konservasi. Bagi komunitas mountaineering Indonesia, perubahan ini bukan sekadar respons terhadap satu insiden — melainkan titik balik menuju budaya pendakian yang lebih bertanggung jawab, terukur, dan aman bagi semua pihak.

Now, one year on, the system that originated at Rinjani is being replicated across all national parks and natural tourism areas in Indonesia. Kemenhut and Basarnas have also signed an MoU and Work Cooperation Agreement (PKS) as the long-term legal foundation for emergency response in conservation areas. For Indonesia's mountaineering community, these changes represent more than a reaction to a single incident — they mark a turning point toward a climbing culture that is more responsible, measurable, and safe for everyone involved.