The Podcast on alanarnette.com

Everest 2026: March 1 Weekend Update

The backbone of every Everest season on the Nepali side are the Icefall Doctors, a team of highly skilled Sherpas who establish the climbing route and set the thin nylon safety rope from Base Camp to Camp 2 in the Western Cwm.Today, they left Namache Bazaar for EBC, where they will receive refresher training under the watchful eyes of the Kuhumbu Climbing Center teachers. Next, they will use drones to scout the route and, around March 16, begin the laborious task of setting ice screws, pickets, v-threads, and other techniques to attach the rope to the moving ice. And of course, there are the ladders that are hauled to deep, open crevasses, thus providing passage for the thousands of trips through the Icefall this season. In the Podcast, I introduce the season and review some of my background posts on costs, total summits and deaths, route figures, and more. #everest2026 Climb On! Alan Memories are Everythinghttps://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2026/03/01/everest-2026-icefall-doctors-launched/

Podcast with Astronaut & Everest Summiteer Scott Parazynski

In this podcast, I speak with Scott Parazynski, who is about as unique an individual as you will find these days. Consider a small fraction of his achievements: Five-time space shuttle astronaut, seven spacewalks, and a former NASA researcher. Spent over 8 weeks in space with more than 47 hours outside on spacewalks, and traveled over 23 million miles in orbit. Attempted Everest in May 2008, but was forced to turn back before the summit due to a ruptured disc while at Camp 3 Served as team physician for the Discovery Channel's Beyond the Limit series for IMG May 20, 2009, at 4:00 am, he successfully summited Everest Visited the wreck of the Titanic Conducted a scientific dive in the summit caldera lake of the 19,700-foot Masaya volcano, the world’s highest lake Life-long SCUBA diver and accomplished mountaineer Commercial, instrument, multiengine and seaplane-rated pilot with over 2,500 flight hours I hope you enjoy the episode and perhaps consider reading his book, The Sky Below: A True Story of Summits, Space, and Speed. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2026/02/06/podcast-with-scott-parazynski/

Podcast with Ryan Mitchell & Justin Sackett: Plans for Two 8000ers, No O's 1

Ryan Mitchell, a Summit Coach [https://www.summitcoach.org/] 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/

7 Summits in One Year: Podcast with Garrett Madison

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! Alan Memories are Everything https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2025/12/23/7-summits-in-one-year-podcast-with-garrett-madison/

2025 Wrap Up & Talking Weather with Chris Tomer

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 Acocnagua become busy with a new group of aspirants wanting to test themselves at 7,000 meters, perhaps for training for an upcoming Everest climb. In this Podcast, I briefly review the 2025 year in mountaineering and share my thoughts on a “Climber’s Holiday Season." #everest2026 Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2025/12/12/2025-wrap-up-talking-weather-with-chris-tomer/