The Podcast on alanarnette.com

Ryan Mitchell, a Summit Coach client, is preparing to climb two 8000-meter peaks, without supplemental oxygen, with his friend and professional mountain guide, Justin Sackett. In this podcast, we discuss the expedition, its risks, decision-making and emotions. As usual, Ryan will film the climbs and post on his very popular YouTube channel.  We also discussed the upcoming Everest season and some potential policy changes, especially on the Nepal side.https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2026/01/23/podcast-with-ryan-mitchell-justin-sackett-plans-for-two-8000ers-no-os/

As we close out 2025, I caught up with Garrett Maddison, founder of Madison Mountaineering, for a rare moment while he was home in the Seattle area. Garrett summited all of the Seven Summits (Messner List) in 2025, plus had some interesting times on Cho Oyu, watched one of his teams struggle, like the others, on K2, and is actively guiding on Vinson. We discussed all this, including what to expect for Everest in 2026, with the more expensive permit fees, new requirements for Everest applicants from China, and proposals from Nepal.Climb On!AlanMemories are Everything <...

Mid-December is a quiet time in the mountaineering world, so I thought it would be nice to pick meteorologist Chris Tomer of Tomer Weather Solution’s brain on the upcoming winter season for mountaineering across the globe. And, of course, we have to touch on Everest.The 8000er season is chiefly over, and the true winter climbs have yet to begin in earnest. But soon, we will have activity in Antarctica with adventurers attempting full crossings, climbers going for Vinson, Tyree and maybe an unclimbed peak or two. Then, as we move towards the new year, the slopes of...

New Zealander Peter Hillary needs no introduction, as his last name recalls the historic achievement of his father, Sir Edmund Hillary, who, along with Tenzing Norgay, first summited Mt. Everest on May 29, 1953.In this podcast, we discuss Peter's relationship with his father, his upbringing, adventures, and the future of mountaineering. We also discuss the Himalayan Trust, a foundation started by his father in 1961 that continues today, building schools, infrastructure, roads, and more throughout Nepal, a country close to Peter's heart.https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2025/10/10/podcast-with-peter-hillary/

Australians Bianca Adler, 17, and her dad, Paul Adler, 50, are back in Melbourne, Australia, after their recent Everest attempt. They were thwarted by strong winds and illness, but made a valuable attempt. Bianca's social posts have gone viral as she struggled to breathe upon returning to Camp 4 at the South Col after reaching 8163 meters on the 8848-meter peak. She climbed with Rinji Sherpa of the Makalu region.This podcast discusses Paul's Everest attempt and summit, Bianca's Ama Dablam attempt and summit and of course, Everest with the risks, decision-making, and emotions. I think you'll enjoy meeting this young...

Ryan Mitchell, a Summit Coach client, is back from his recent K2 attempt. They were thwarted by a deadly rockfall that killed two other people on other teams.They climbed to Camp 1 to see the conditions firsthand and abandoned their expedition. However, they climbed a previously unclimbed peak near K2 for acclimatization, so there was some solid mountaineering this year for the Madison Mountaineering team led by Terray Sylvester. They also collected 600 pounds of trash, primarily from the K2 Base Camp and Advanced Base Camp, which were exposed to...

The summer 2025 Karakorum for the 8000-meter peaks is over, and what a season it was. There were summits, deaths, disappointments and survivals. Was it a “successful” season? I’ll leave that judgment to others—but honestly, it often felt like safety took a back seat to ambition. Summits:K2- 42 with two deathsBroad Peak: 0Gashbrum II: 0Gasherbrum I: 17Nanga Parbat: 25 with one death#K2025Climb On!AlanMemories are Everythinghttps://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2025/08/24/k2-2025-coverage-wrap-a-rocky-season/

With teams still hoping to summit, popular American climber Ryan Mitchell, Phurba Sherpa, Terray Sylvester, ⁠Madison Mountaineering⁠ lead guide, and several other Sherpas ended their expedition after climbing to Camp 1. Terray felt the rockfall was too dangerous to continue despite several teams already higher on the mountain, hoping to summit on August 11.Only a few teams remain on the mountain, each with a few climbers, including a few independent ones foregoing supplemental oxygen and HAP/Sherpa support like Czech climbers ⁠Jan Polacek⁠, ⁠Lenka Polackova⁠, and Pakistani ⁠Sohail Sakhi⁠. French climber ⁠Charles Page⁠, guided by Vinajak Malla, was last reported at 7661 m/25,134 f...

After almost five weeks, a weather window long enough for a summit attempt on K2 has emerged. Most teams and many individuals have left, but an estimated (very rough guess) that 20-30 total people, split equally between commercial and independent climbers, remain for the summit push starting today, August 5th, 2025. #k2025https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2025/08/05/k2-2025-coverage-k2-summit-push-on/

Signs of trouble on K2 and Broad Peak. First is the weather. There have been more high winds and heavy snowfall, preventing the establishment of Camp 3 on K2 and keeping the Broad Peak climbers below Camp 3. And the other concern is the lack of cooperation among the teams, as noted by Polish climber, Lukas Supergan: "... This could be achieved by a large, combined team from agencies and independent climbers working together. However, such cooperation is completely lacking. Leaders keep their plans secret."Climb On!AlanMemories are Everythinghttps://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2025/07/25/k2-2025...

Summits! We have summits in the Karakoram on Sunday, July 20, 2025. Also, climbers are acclimatizing at Camp 3 on BP, and most teams seem focused on an upcoming summit window around the end of July. Conditions are finally improving in the Karakoram after days of high temperatures, winds, and even snow and rain. One issue is that crows are eating food left at high camps! Tragically, one climber died last week on K2 from rockfall. Also, improvements are made for locals and visitors trekking the Baltoro Glacier. #K2025Climb On!AlanMemories are Everything<...

Teams are finally progressing across the four northernmost 8000-meter peaks: K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum I, and Gasherbrum II. Multiple teams report reaching as high as Camp 3 on these peaks, thus setting an optimistic tone for summits this season. Although rockfall remains a clear and present danger, leaders feel more comfortable after recent snowfalls. However, climbers still need to be thoughtful and cautious about avalanche danger, as shown by the rescue of a stranded and injured Polish climber. Today, I discussed the conditions with Garrett Madison, the founder of Madison Mountaineering, who has a team on K2 for a...

The Karakorum's drought continues due to the low snowfall from Spring combined with warmer-than-normal temperatures; thus, rockfall is a real danger on K2, Broad Peak, Nanga Parbat and the Gasherbrums. Ryan Mitchell and his K2 team are acclimatizing on a nearby unclimbed peak, hoping for snow in the next two weeks. They're doing well, but patience will be tested this year on all the mountains. I discussed the hot weather with meteorologist Chris Tomer.Climb On!AlanMemories are Everythinghttps://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2025/07/08/k2-2025-coverage-dry-hot-and-rockfall/

Teams are arriving at K2 Base Camp, but communications are limited, so not much information is coming out. We know that conditions are harsh, with high temperatures and low snow in the lower mountains. Given the absence of snow, climbers are concerned about rockfall this year.Climb On!AlanMemories are Everythinghttps://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2025/07/03/k2-2025-coverage-teams-at-bc-and-trekking-first-summits-2/

NOTE: This Podcast has extensive pictures so best viewed instead of listened to.Ryan Mitchell, a Summit Coach client, has gained considerable recognition thanks to his impressive video documentation of his 2024 summit of Mt. Everest with Madison Mountaineering. Exciting news! He’s all set to leave for K2 on Saturday, June 21, 2025.You may recall that in December 2022, Ryan contacted me for guidance and coaching on how to climb Everest in the Spring of 2023. He was new to climbing, so I advised him that while many companies would happily take his money to get...

The 2025 Everest expedition has come to a close, marked by strong winds, drones, challenging climbing, and innovative strategies. Along the way were reports of frostbite and helicopter evacuations, but many of these incidents went unreported to avoid negative publicity.Not all was bad, and one climber stood out: a German alpinist, Anja Blacha, made a near-solo ascent (she summited the same day as 30 other people), unsupported, setting a record. This is something we often overlook in our fast-paced social media world. The overall summit count for both sides of Everest in 2025 is estimated to...

What a week on Everest! We had both regular and unique summits, some of which may have unintended consequences for years to come. On the other 8000ers, the season came to a close with a few inspiring stories. The action is not over quite yet, even with an impending storm threatening to close the Icefall early next week, but allowing the remaining Tibetan side teams to summit a deserted peak. A narrative on descending from the summit of Everest and returning home with lessons from the mountain. #everest2025https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2025/05/25/everest-2025-weekend-update-may-25-season-ending-soon/

Blustery conditions stalled most summit attempts last week, but a few teams managed to reach the summit, bringing the total number of Everest summits to over 200. May 14th,  15th and 18th, 2025, were big days on Everest despite the strong winds on the first two. And today, May 18th, we saw more Nepal side summits and the first commercial team summit on the Tibetan side.Hundreds more are staged for their attempts, spread from Camp 2 to the South Col, or Camp 4. Meteorologists have told leaders to expect a decent weather window starting any day now. At l...

Summit, Forest, summit! With decent weather, climbers took full advantage of summiting four of the 8000ers, including the first Everest summits, with more teams on their way this season. One person attempted to set a speed record on Everest. The fixed line is to the summit of Lhotse and the Nepalese and Tibetan sides of Everest. 8K Expeditions did an excellent job of being dedicated and patient with high winds. With 456 Everest and 107 Lhotse permits issued, look for summits daily as the winds allow. And, a narrative on climbing to the South Col and preparing for the...

The last few days of low winds have allowed the rope fixing teams to make excellent progress. The rope team from 8K Expeditions summited Lhotse this afternoon, May 8, 2025, marking the first summits of the year. A separate team from 8K will summit Everest tomorrow. This opens the season to the plethora of climbers already staged at Camp 2, just waiting for this event. The Tibetan rope-fixing team has reached 7900 meters or higher on the Tibetan side. I anticipate they will summit over the weekend.Also, a narrative on the anticipation of summiting. #everest2025 Climb...