The Podcast on alanarnette.com

Alan Arnette
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Alan Arnette is a renowned mountaineer and Alzheimer's advocate. He is well-known in the mountaineering community for his extensive climbing experience and his blog at alanarnette.com, which chronicles his expeditions and provides insights into mountaineering. He summited Mount Everest in 2011, Mount Manaslu in 2013, and K2 in 2014 at 58, making him the 18th and oldest American to summit the second-highest peak in the world. https://www.alanarnette.com

  1. 1d ago

    Broad Peak 2026 Lessons From a Tragedy

    Two weeks ago today, on July 30, 2026, ten climbers died in a single avalanche on Broad Peak. The event has received extensive media coverage, in part because Nirmal “Nims” Purja, one of the most consequential mountaineers of his generation, died. Also among the dead were six other highly experienced high-altitude guides — one with 28 8,000-meter summits — two very experienced clients, including one with 12 8,000-meter summits, and a Texas climber attempting her first 8,000er. The discussion across social media has ranged from praise to blame, sparking an intense debate over responsibility and judgment — with some pointing fingers and naming names. There were ten climbers across four independent teams with no single leader. It would be easy to start speculating, and that’s not what I’m doing here. I begin with what matters most: who they were, not just how they died. Memories are Everything Alan https://www.alanarnette.com/2026/08/13/learnings-from-broad-peak-tragedy/

  2. Aug 6

    Podcast with Ryan Mitchell & Justin Sackett: No O's Everest Update and Plans

    Ryan Mitchell, a former Summit Coach client, planned to climb two 8000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen with his friend and professional mountain guide, Justin Sackett, but not everything went as planned. In this podcast, we discuss the expedition, its risks, decision-making and emotions. No O's is serious business. Of the 13,532 Everest summits by 7,563 people, only 221 have been done without oxygen. And it's deadly. Of the 327 deaths, 170, or 52%, were climbers who were not on O's.  Ryan has become very popular since he summited Everest at age 20 in 2024 with Madison Mountaineering. He made a serious attempt on K2 in 2025 but was stopped by deadly rockfall that took lives last year. He now lives in the Pacific Northwest and is building an impressive climbing resume, including ascents of Everest, K2, Ama Dablam, Denali, Aconcagua (2), Mt. Washington, Shuckson, and more.  Justin cut his climbing teeth on Mt Rainier with over 50 summits before founding his own company, Skyline Mountain Guides. He guides in the Pacific Northwest and internationally on Aconcagua, Kilimanjaro, and more. Listen to the end, or fast forward to  You can follow Ryan at: Ryan Mitchell YouTubeRyanMitchellUnfiltered InstagramWebsiteYou can follow Justin at: Skyline Mountain GuidesInstagramFacebookClimb On!AlanMemories are Everything https://www.alanarnette.com/2026/08/06/podcast-with-ryan-mitchell-justin-sackett-no-os-everest-update-and-plans/

  3. Jul 3

    Madalin (Cris) Cristea's Everest 2026 Sea-Summit-Sea Podcast

    Romanian Madalin (Cris) Cristea, 34, summitted Everest on May 20, the busiest day of the season, along with 273 other people. But he didn't just "summit"; he summited after walking 1,125 kilometers (approx. 700 miles), starting on March 4th, 2026, from the village of Digha, India, on the Indian Ocean. Oh, then he walked back, covering 2,000 km (1,242 miles) over more than 100 days. https://www.alanarnette.com/2026/07/03/madalin-cris-cristea-sea-summit-sea-everest-2026/#

  4. Jun 17

    Denali 2026 Coverage: Podcast with Summiteer - John Bartolic

    The Denali 2026 season is well underway, with a dated climber report as of June 1, 2026, of 513 climbers, mainly on the West Buttress route. 97 climbers have completed their trips, and 381 are left to check in and begin their climbs. One team that did summit was one from American Alpine Institute and Summit Coach client, John Bartolic. John, a Southwest Airlines pilot living in Dallas, Texas, is relatively new to mountaineering, with a Rainier summit last year and a Pico de Orizaba summit a few months ago. His next includes Kilimanjaro and Everest. We discussed everything from motivation, training, gear, clothing and weather to logistics and had a special remembrance of Mayor Stubbs of Talkeetna, Alaska, who died in 2017. I met Stubbs in 2007 on a climb. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2026/06/17/denali-2026-coverage-podcast-with-summiteer-john-bartlic/

  5. Jun 3

    Everest 2026 Season Summary–Records, Crowds, Trash & Winds

    Welcome to my annual Everest summary, where I review what happened and who did what. Quirky. That's my word for Everest 2026. Or perhaps, "normal." The 2026 Everest spring season has come to a close. There were delays, strong winds, changing drone and helicopter rules, moments of concern and challenging climbing. Despite the dramatic headlines in the mainstream press, it was actually a fairly normal season, as evidenced in part by roughly 80% of this year's 1,008 summits occurring between May 17th and May 26th, consistent with historical trends. The Himalayan Database will publish what I consider to be the definitive results later this year. #everest2026 If you would like to be notified when my memoir, "Hard or Impossible? Summiting K2 for Ida is available – I'm still looking for an agent. Complete the form at the bottom of this introduction page: https://www.alanarnette.com/memoir

  6. May 31

    Everest 2026: May 3 Weekend Update Record Season Over & 1 More Death?

    The 2026 Everest spring season has come to a close, marked by delays, strong winds, changing drone and helicopter rules, and challenging climbing – yet despite the dramatic mainstream press headlines, it was actually a fairly normal season. As usual,  there were reports of frostbite and helicopter evacuations, but many of these incidents went unreported to avoid negative publicity. There are reports today that a Sherpa "was left to die at C3." Oh, and record permits and record summits, including 274 on one day! I'll post my season summary and wrap-up in a few days. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything

  7. May 24

    Everest 2026: May 24 Weekend Update Nearing the End

    What a week on Everest and Lhotse. The first Everest summits were on May 13 by the rope team, plus a few fast followers. Then the jet came in and stopped everyone, and when it left, well, hundreds summited, including a record 274 on May 20. I'm estimating there have been over 850 summit in total by members, guides and Sherpas. With only a few teams left, we are seeing the end of the season coming into view in breezy conditions.Climb On!AlanMemories are Everything https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2026/05/24/everest-2026-may-24-weekend-update-nearing-the-end/

  8. May 22

    Everest 2026: Garrett Madison Podcast from Camp 2, 2 More Deaths

    A long-standing tradition is to connect with Garrett Madison, founder of Madison Mountaineering, on an expedition. I caught up with Garrett at Everest Camp 2, 21,500 feet, during their summit push. They are targeting May 25, just a few days away. I wanted to talk to him about icefall conditions and delays, the changing rules around the jet stream, and more. I hope you enjoy. We had more summits overnight, including yet another multi-summit record. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2026/05/22/everest-2026-garrett-madison-podcast-from-camp-2-2-more-deaths/

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Ratings & Reviews

4.4
out of 5
16 Ratings

About

Alan Arnette is a renowned mountaineer and Alzheimer's advocate. He is well-known in the mountaineering community for his extensive climbing experience and his blog at alanarnette.com, which chronicles his expeditions and provides insights into mountaineering. He summited Mount Everest in 2011, Mount Manaslu in 2013, and K2 in 2014 at 58, making him the 18th and oldest American to summit the second-highest peak in the world. https://www.alanarnette.com

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