Part 7 of Everyday Everest, my new Podcast series, drops today with chapters 22, 23 and 24. I'll continue my annual coverage as usual. Based on my 2020 Virtual Everest series, Everyday Everest follows a fictional team of nine climbers and their personal Sherpas from leaving home to trekking to base camp, acclimatizing, and finally, on their summit push, returning home. I'll have a twenty-minute episode a few times weekly for the next two months. In Part 7, our protagonist, Harper, and the team climb through the Icefall and into the Western Cwm. The team's oldest member, Jim, is struggling. “Any advice?” He asked their guide, John Paul, who had been close by his side all morning. “Slow, steady, and make sure you are always clipped in. No need to rush. We are making good time.” Jim appreciated the positive spin. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alan-arnette1/support

Part 6 of Everyday Everest, my new Podcast series, drops today with chapters 17, 18 and 19. I'll continue my annual coverage as usual. Based on my 2020 Virtual Everest series, Everyday Everest follows a fictional team of nine climbers and their personal Sherpas from leaving home to trekking to base camp, acclimatizing, and finally, on their summit push, returning home. I'll have a twenty-minute episode a few times weekly for the next two months. In Part 4, our protagonist, Harper, makes her first trip into the Khumbu Icefall. She was nervous, following Moingma, her combing Sherpa, "Mingma looked at her as Harper took a second carabiner off her harness. He went across first. Clipping in ‘biners to the two safety ropes on either side of the ladder, he stepped onto the first rung, then the second and without so much as a pause, he was across, standing there staring at her. Harper could almost hear him in a deep John Wayne drawl; “OK, kid, I showed you how to do it, now get on with it.” #everest2024 Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alan-arnette1/support

Part 5 of Everyday Everest, my new Podcast series, drops today with chapters 14, 15 and 16. I'll continue my annual coverage as usual. Based on my 2020 Virtual Everest series, Everyday Everest follows a fictional team of nine climbers and their personal Sherpas from leaving home to trekking to base camp, acclimatizing, and finally, on their summit push, returning home. I'll have a twenty-minute episode a few times weekly for the next two months. In Part 4, our protagonist, Harper, now at Everest Base Camp, is enjoying the smells from home as she unpacked her duffle when she is suddenly interrupted. #everest2024 Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alan-arnette1/support

Welcome to the Everest 2024 Weekend Update in mid-April. This week's headlines are a bit concerning. The fixed line that should already be at Camp 2 is only halfway through the Icefall. I'm not sure this is bad news for climbers, but Everest permits lag significantly from 2023, down 34%. However, we saw the first 8000er summits this past week, with many more to come. Base Camp at Everest is filling up. Trekkers are on the move, and mountains are seeing summits. Hello, spring 2024. #everest2024 Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alan-arnette1/support

Part 4 of Everyday Everest, my new Podcast series, covers chapters 11, 12 and 13. I'll continue my annual coverage as usual. Based on my 2020 Virtual Everest series, Everyday Everest follows a fictional team of nine climbers and their personal Sherpas from leaving home to trekking to base camp, acclimatizing, and finally, on their summit push, returning home. I'll have a twenty-minute episode a few times weekly for the next two months. In Part 4, our protagonist, Harper, visits a Monastery and observes the monks during their daily prayers, "Without a cue, the drumbeat began. One of the senior Monks started his chant – actually a prayer. Others joined in. They created an unbelievable resonance that built as it bounced off the artfully painted walls. Harper closed her eyes to take this moment in without the filter of sight. It was spiritual and sensory.#everest2024 Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2024/04/13/everest-2024-everyday-everest-podcast-series-part-4-blessing-in-the-khumbu/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alan-arnette1/support

In 2024, Everest has become completely commercialized. Shock, right? Well, Will Cockrell's new book, Everest, Inc: The Renegades and Rogues Who Built an Industry at the Top of the World, tells us how it happened. If you love Everest, despise it or don't really care, this book has something for everyone. In this fascinating read, Will did extensive research and uses quotes from original interviews with more than a hundred Western and Sherpa climbers, clients, writers, filmmakers, and even a Hollywood actor; the voices of the people who have made the mountain what it is today. In this Podcast, Will tells me that he positioned Everest, Inc. as the opposite of Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air. His book gets to the heart of the mountain through the definitive story of its greatest invention: the Himalayan guiding industry. It all began in the 1980s with entrepreneurs like Rob Hall and Gary Ball, Todd Burleson and David Breashears, with Dick Bass establishing a new, innovative industry for climbing high-altitude mountains, including Mt. Everest. Many of the pioneers are still living and climbing today and have helped thousands reach their climbing dreams. I talk through the three areas of commercialization with Will: the industry's formation in the 1980s and '90s, the early 2000s, when Western companions dominated guiding climbing Nepal, and the late 2000s, until today, when Nepali-owned operators lead 80% of all commercial clients. Everest, Inc: The Renegades and Rogues Who Built an Industry at the Top of the World will be published by @simonandschuster imprint @gallerybooks on April 16, 2024. You can read about Will on his website and YouTube. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2024/04/12/everest-2024-interview-with-will-cockrell-on-his-new-book-everest-inc/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alan-arnette1/support

Part 3 of Everyday Everest, my new Podcast series, drops today with chapters 8, 9 and 10. I'll continue my annual coverage as usual. Based on my 2020 Virtual Everest series, Everyday Everest follows a fictional team of nine climbers and their personal Sherpas from leaving home to trekking to base camp, acclimatizing, and finally, on their summit push, returning home. I'll have a twenty-minute episode a few times weekly for the next two months. In Part 3, our protagonist, Harper, sees Everest from the Everest View Hotel just above Namache Bazaar: "Harper stopped. They all stopped, quietly letting their eyes trace the Khumbu Triple Crown: Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse—two of the fourteen highest mountains on the planet. The signature white plume flowed off the summit of Everest like a bride's long wedding gown train. Mother Goddess of the Earth never looked more lovely. Tony spoke, "I have been dreaming of this since the sixth grade." Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything #everest2024 Everest 2024: Everyday Everest Podcast Series Part 3–The Trek Begins --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alan-arnette1/support

Welcome to Part 2 of Everyday Everest, my new Podcast series during the Everest 2024 climbing season. I'll continue my annual coverage as usual.Based on my 2020 Virtual Everest series, I'll have a twenty-minute updated episode of the story a few times a week for the next two months. Everyday Everest follows a fictional team of nine climbers and their personal Sherpas from leaving home to trekking to base camp, acclimatizing, and finally, on their summit push, returning home.In Part 2, our protagonist, Harper, looked at the Boudhanath stupa with admiration. The 2015 earthquake damaged the stupa, but you would never know that now. She looked at the eyes of Buddha and remembered the saying, "Buddha is always watching." Somehow, she found that comforting.The main characters areHarper - protagonist, strong climber, Aconcagua, Denali (Husband -Marc, Daughter - Olivia, Son - Jay)Dutch - solid climber, quirkyTony - solid climber, introvert, impatientMichael - Good experience, Manaslu, good friendJim - Second Everest attempt, not strongAaron - good climber, strong friendBart - good climber, strong friendPablo - weak mentally, Aconcagua, DenaliClaudia - strong climber, Aconcagua, DenaliGuide John Paul - highly experienced, patient, good leaderSidar and Guide - Dawa SherpaGuide - Gyalzen SherpaGuide - Tenzing SherpaWe will go through Everest climbing each day as the team arrives in Kathmandu, flies to Luka, and treks to EBC. We'll follow them at base camp through the acclimatization rotations and receive invaluable help from the Icefall Doctors and Climbing Sherpas. And, of course, the summit pushes starting in mid-May.While there will be accurate historical references, this series is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.Next up is Part 2, "Kathmandu"Climb On!AlanMemories are Everything --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alan-arnette1/support

Welcome to the kick-off of Everyday Everest, my new Podcast series during the Everest 2024 climbing season. Based on my 2020 Virtual Everest series, I'll read an updated version of the story a couple of times a week for the next two months. Everyday Everest follows a fictional team of nine climbers and their personal Sherpas from leaving home, trekking to base camp, acclimatizing, and finally, on their summit push. The story's protagonist, Harper, sets the tone for the story when she tells her husband, Marc, "Honey, I'm going to climb Everest." #everest2024 Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2024/04/08/everest-2024-everyday-everest-podcast-series-welcome-and-part-1/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alan-arnette1/support

Welcome to the Everest 2024 Weekend Update. The Everest spring season is on track. Hundreds of people are advancing towards Everest Base Camp on the Nepal side of the Mountain. The Tibet side remains quiet, as teams will not arrive for at least another week. There are a few snags here and there, but nothing serious at this point. #everest2024 https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2024/04/07/everest-2024-weekend-update-april-7-climbers-on-the-trek/ Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alan-arnette1/support

If it's April, it must be time for Everest. The Icefall Doctors are hard at work. Climbers and trekkers are making their way through the Khumbu or driving from Lhasa. Shepars and base camp crews are building tent platforms and preparing their spots for the teams. Yaks and mules are meandering ever higher, loaded with supplies. Katmandu is filled with tourists and visitors, boosting the local economy. Hang on, everyone. It's time. #everest2024 https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2024/03/31/everest-2024-weekend-update-april-1-season-underway-lost-legends/ Climb On!! Alan Memories are Everything --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alan-arnette1/support

We are getting closer to #Everest2024, and there are some new rules Nepal is proposing. In this interview with Garrett Maddison, founder of Madison Mountaineering, we meet Garrett and how he started his company. We also discuss his recent “Aconcagua Ambush,” where he and his client summited the highest peak in South America, spending only one night on the mountain and using an experimental oxygen system that has promised other high peaks. Also, his thoughts on Nepal’s plan to require all climbers to use WAG bags to remove solid human waste from Everest high camps, the use of helicopters on Everest, and a limit on luxuries at base camp.https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2024/02/19/everest-2024-interview-with-garrett-madison-on-his-aconcagua-ambush-and-the-upcoming-everest-season/ You can follow Maddison on their website, Facebook, and IG. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alan-arnette1/support

How can a 19-year-old can afford to climb Everest? Well, Ryan Mitchell, 19, living in central Massachusetts, explains how in this podcast. Ryan, a Summit Coach client, contacted me about a year ago, wanting advice and coaching on how to climb Everest in the Spring of 2022. He had little to no experience, so while I told him there were many companies who would take his money and have him on Everest, the best approach would be to wait at least a year and gain the skills and experience it would take to make a safe attempt on the world's highest peak. He agreed, and we've been working together for the past twelve months. In this podcast, Ryan explains how he is funding his climbs, his training approach, and critically, is his "why" You can follow him on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIDQSqdVuNwtfRMKqfX-o7g https://www.youtube.com/@RyanMitchellYT I know you will enjoy this. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alan-arnette1/support

The past few months have been difficult in the mountaineering world. We have seen climbs on many 800ers that turned out tragically: Mohammed Hassan on K2, Anna Gutu, Migmar Sherpa, American Gina Marie Rzucidlo and Tenjen Lama Sherpa on Shishapangma. A few dramatic rescues and a never-ending quest for records. I turned to long-time alpinist Adrian Ballinger, co-founder of Alpenglow, to try and make sense of what's going on, what can be done to prevent these seemingly preventable deaths and if the pursuit of records is worth the risks. We also discuss his return to Everest planned for 2024 after missing the last four seasons due to China's closure on their side of Everest .Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alan-arnette1/support

I caught up with German Alpinist Jost Kobusch, who now lives in Chamonix, France, to discuss his upcoming 2023/24 winter, no O's, solo attempt of Everest's West Ridge. No climber has reached the summit using this route and precise style. He will begin climbing on December 22, 2023, the beginning of the astronomical calendar winter. He will complete his climb no later than February 28, 2024. In 2019, Jost reached his high point of 7,329-meters/23,750-feet. His second attempt in the winter of 2021/22 ended much lower, around 6300 meters/20,669 feet, when the jet stream moved over Everest bringing hurricane-strength winds to the area. So he returns for his third climb, hoping to tag 8000 meters and get a good look at the Hornbein Couloir. He will pre-acclimatize on two 7000-meter peaks as part of his Altitude Academy, a training program of sorts open to anyone. We cover a range of topics from what he learned from his previous attempts, his 2021 solo, the winter summit of Denali and even back to 2017 when he began climbing in this style in Pakistan's 7296m high Nangpai Gosum II (great video on YouTube.) We also discuss what he's doing differently this time, his style of solo, no O's, and more. I think you'll enjoy meeting this 31-year-old climber. He sees three issues: His physical condition The mountain conditions Weather You can follow his climb on his website, which has an excellent 3D GPS tracking map using Zoleo, and also on his social media channels Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alan-arnette1/support

Norwegian Kristin Harila, 37, Tenjen (Lama) Sherpa summited all fourteen 8000ers in three months and 1 day (92 days.) The first was Shishapangma on April 26, 2023, and the last K2 on July 27, 2023. In 2022, Harila summited twelve of the fourteen, but China refused them entry into Tibet to attempt Shishapangma and Cho Oyu thus, she returned this year to complete her project. She is no stranger to mountaineering. In 2021, she became the fastest woman to climb Everest and Lhotse in a record 12 hours. The 36-year-old is from Vadso/Norway and is a former cross-country skier. Today, she claims her profession as a runner, skier and former mountaineer as she announced she is retiring from climbing with the end of this project. While she came to mountaineering late, she's summited twenty-eight 8000-meter peaks since her first, Everest, in 2021 and made a name for herself with several records, including: Fastest person, together with Sherpa Lama overall, to True summit all 14 peaks over 8000m in 3 months and 1 day (July 27th, 2023) Fastest person overall to summit the five highest mountains in the world in 69 days, Everest, K2, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu. Fastest woman to climb Mount Everest, 8848 and Mount Lhotse, 8516, in less than 8 hours on May 23rd, 2023. The previous record for reaching the true summits of the 8000ers was five years and four months by Nirmal Purja Pun Magar. Both climbers have been criticized by some in the climbing community for climbing with too many Sherpas, using supplemental oxygen and using helicopters to fly from mountain to mountain. Harila's journey was not with controversy. They included switching teams and Sherpas from 2022 to 2023, using helicopters to fly Sherpas to Camp 2 on Manaslu, and the one that caught global attention when a High Altitude Porter, Muhammad Hassan, not climbing with her team died on K2. Her team gave aid, but he died. A video taken hours later showed other climbers, not Harila's team stepping over the dead body on the way to the summit. Harila was widely criticized for his death, yet her team did everything to save his life. The Pakistani government investigated the incident and posted a detailed report clearing Harila's team of any wrongdoing and gave her photographer, Gabriel Tarso, an “appreciation letter” for his effort to save a life that night. We explore all of these controversies in detail in this podcast. This is the full report for download: Muhammad Hussain’s Death on K2 and Kristin's report on her website. A GoFundMe account is open for donations to support Mr. Hassan’s family. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alan-arnette1/support

Climber, author, and journalist Billi Bierling is well-known in the mountaineering world for her work with the Himalayan Database. We get to know Billi in this podcast, discuss the commercialization of mountaineering, her new book and the future of the HDB Remember to visit my blog for frequent updates on all things mountaineering. https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alan-arnette1/support

The 2023 Everest spring season is over, with some records to take pride in and others to be avoided. If there were one word to summarize the season, it would be chaotic or perhaps deadly. This spring was the deadliest season in history on Everest. Nepal issued a record 478 climbing permits to foreigners. Add in one and a half Sherpa supporting each foreigner; over 1,200 people pursued the summit this spring. Fears were rampant of a 2019 repeat with long lines and deaths. The lines never developed, thanks in part to colder weather that sent a higher number of climbers home in mid-season, many with a persistent virus. However, the deaths developed, but not because of the record permits or climate change. These are red herrings to abdicate responsibility. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alan-arnette1/support

Monday, May 22nd, was a windy but good day for summits and records. About fifty more people summited, advancing the season total to close to 500. The season could end this week as winds will become too dangerous. In this Podcast, we have reached the summit, and I describe how it feels and then the descent to Camp 2. Remember that you can see daily updates on my blog at https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/ Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alan-arnette1/support

With masses of climbers on Everest, today we saw over 100 more summits bringing the season total to over 166 and the sixth death of the season. There were many "records" set as well, some in the beholder's eye. Several hundred remain to attempt the summit. Narrative on climbing to the summit Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alan-arnette1/support