117 episodes

Thom Dharma Pollard hosts inspirational, intimate and unfiltered Stories That Inspire with guests and drawing from his own adventures around the world. The Happiness Quotient: connected, engaged, passionate people who inspire us.

The Happiness Quotient Thom Pollard

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.9 • 42 Ratings

Thom Dharma Pollard hosts inspirational, intimate and unfiltered Stories That Inspire with guests and drawing from his own adventures around the world. The Happiness Quotient: connected, engaged, passionate people who inspire us.

    Face To Face With George Mallory on Everest

    Face To Face With George Mallory on Everest

    *The mountaineering world was turned on its head on May 1, 1999 when the remains of George Mallory was discovered by Conrad Anker at about 26,750 feet or 8153 meters on the vast north face of Everest. When the news got out, it set the mountaineering world  on fire.

    In this presentation about the discovery Thom Pollard gives an in-depth firsthand look at what took place on the day he visited the site with Andy Politz, on May 16, 1999. Included is an excerpt from a talk given in Sydney, Australia in November of 2019 to The Australian & New Zealand chapter of the Explorers Club.

    *Audio is from Everest Mystery channel on YouTube. Here is the link to that video:
    https://youtu.be/bJkA7UNgL1k


    For exclusive content please consider joining our Patreon:
    https://www.patreon.com/everestmystery

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    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEk3e_XGyNnqwK2ZlxH7fEA/join


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    • 20 min
    Everest Left For Dead: The Haunting Story of David Sharp

    Everest Left For Dead: The Haunting Story of David Sharp

    Near the summit of Mount Everest in the death zone on the ridge of the north face there is a shallow cave, known infamously to all who climb there as the location where in 1996 an Indian man named Tsewang Paljor lay down to rest and never got up again. That man is referred to as green boots.

    Almost exactly ten years later, on the morning of May 14, 2006 a small team of mountaineers climbing toward the summit were surprised to find another climber seated there, barely alive sitting next to green boots. It was one of the coldest nights of the season. The man in the cave was David Sharp, an English mountaineer who was on his third expedition to Everest.

    During the time David Sharp* was sitting in the cave many people passed by, thinking there was nothing they could do to help. News of this reached the outside world and soon an international furor erupted over the death of David Sharp. Even Sir Edmund Hillary weighed in, outraged at the incident.

    This is the story of David Sharp.


    For exclusive content please consider joining our Patreon:
    https://www.patreon.com/everestmystery

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    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEk3e_XGyNnqwK2ZlxH7fEA/join


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    • 22 min
    Bring My Husband Home - Deliverance From 27,000 Feet on Mount Everest

    Bring My Husband Home - Deliverance From 27,000 Feet on Mount Everest

    "Do you think great expense and risk should be undertaken to remove bodies from Mount Everest?" The Indian government mounted an expensive and risky expedition to retrieve the remains of mountaineers who had perished on Mount Everest the year before. NY Times journalist John Branch tells us about his fascinating story that delves into the significant cultural and social significance of the Hindu families who grieved the loss of their loved ones.

    Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qFQw1Y-2m4c

    Deliverance From 27,000 Feet by John Branch:
    https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/12/18/sports/everest-deaths.html

    Our sponsor, Musa Masala:
    https://musamasala.com

    Everest Mystery poll question:
    https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxiXLttvZznaGXehZ1IE_iJMCZZJkiTkZO


    For exclusive content please consider joining our Patreon:
    https://www.patreon.com/everestmystery

    Or, please consider becoming a Channel Member for access to perks and to become part of a growing community:
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEk3e_XGyNnqwK2ZlxH7fEA/join
    Support the show

    • 23 min
    Death and Outrage on K2 - The Death of Muhammed Hassan

    Death and Outrage on K2 - The Death of Muhammed Hassan

    Interview with mountaineer Willi Steindl, who witnessed over 70 people stepping over Muhammed Hassan as he lay dying in the Death Zone on K2.

    The death of Mohammad Hassan on K2 has sent shockwaves through the mountaineering community. At 2:15Am on July 27 the Pakistani porter fell near the bottleneck at 8200 meters, found hanging upside down more than 5 meters below the path. 
    Hassan was a porter with no climbing experience, having risked his life to earn the higher wages paid to high altitude porters, in order to support a sick mother and a family… He was woefully outfitted, lacking a down suit, or proper climbing equipment.  


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    • 15 min
    Deeper Than Everest (By a MILE) - Legendary Explorer and Oceanographer Don Walsh, the Historic Dive of the Trieste and Future of Exploration

    Deeper Than Everest (By a MILE) - Legendary Explorer and Oceanographer Don Walsh, the Historic Dive of the Trieste and Future of Exploration

    My guest today was the FIRST to reach the DEEPEST point of the ocean, known as Challenger Deep. In 1960 US Navy lieutenant Don Walsh and  Swiss oceanographer and explorer Jacques Piccard piloted the bathyscaphe Trieste 35,797 ft BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE SEA, when it
    became the first crewed vessel to reach the bottom  the Mariana Trench, the deepest point in Earth's seabed.

    My conversation with Don Walsh could not have predicted that such a disaster as the Titan submersible would have taken place. Eerily, Don and I discussed the logistics of preparing a vessel to dive to such depths, the safeguards, the rigorous testing.

    Please stick around the the poll question near the end.


    Please join our Patreon:
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    Support the show

    • 31 min
    Everest's INDUSTRIAL Age: Death Toll Rises & Costly Rescues Require Action #everest #mountains

    Everest's INDUSTRIAL Age: Death Toll Rises & Costly Rescues Require Action #everest #mountains

    Angela Benavides is a High-Altitude Mountaineering and Climbing journalist for Explorers Web - https://explorersweb.com/

    PLEASE SUPPORT the families of Sherpa and mountain workers who have died while working in the mountains, check out this video: https://youtu.be/Htd_l89ejJY

    The two Polish climbers mentioned in the video who flew in from Kathmandu to rescue Carlos Soria on Dhaulagiri are Bartek Ziemski and Oswald Pereira.

    As of May 18 there are over 200 summits of Mount Everest with hundreds of others still moving forward to make their attempt to climb to the summit of Mount Everest.

    There are eight deaths as of May 18th, including for Sherpa, an Indian woman attempting to become the first to climb Everest with a pace maker, a Moldovan climber named Victor Brinza fell ill at South Col and passed away.

    The weather is holding. Families around the world anxiously await news from their loved ones to hear a report from the mountain 

    And if any of you watch my shorts, you’ve heard about new records Kami Rita Sherpa has summited Everst for the 27th time, he is 53 and the holder of the record for most summits of Everest

    And Kenton Cool has summited Mount Everest for his 17th time, becoming the person with the most summits for a non Nepali.

    And a 16 year old climber from China….The Chinese girl Sui Cho Yuan successfully reached atop Everest via the south slope at 5:42am on May 15



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    • 16 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
42 Ratings

42 Ratings

Rosewood Heart ,

Just What I Needed

As an armchair explorer and spiritual adventurer I am really happy someone shared this podcast with me. Thom is an awesome interviewer and also tells amazing stories about Mount Everest and his many wild adventures around the world. He’s also a learned person, sage like is a better way to put it. Have a listen and ‘be inspired’.

Samantha Q. ,

Spiritual and inspiring.

So many good things to say about the HQ. The explorers part, climbing, on the ocean, looking for both inside and outside recognition and learning.
The music is fabulous, great blues and awesome players.
The spiritual side offers such great insight, it’s a package of entertainment that resonates with me, that’s for Sure. Art, adventure and keeping the soul fed.

Bianchi in Jackson ,

Fascinating and engaging

What a fantastic podcast! Thanks Thom for your insights and for bringing such a great mix of guests to your show. The theme song is awesome too!

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