The first attempt on Everest took place in 1922 by a British team led by George Leigh Mallory. What happened is an extraordinary story full of controversy, drama, and incident, populated by a set of larger-than-life characters straight out of an adventure novel. I spoke with Mick Conefrey about this story.

Bio: For thirty years I’ve made documentaries for the BBC and all the major  British and US channels. I’ve been everywhere from the Arctic to the Himalayas to Angkor Wat and written books on mountaineering and exploration.

I’ve been lucky to have been able to film all over over the world  from Cambodia to K2, from Puerto Rico to Spitsbergen. I’m particularly  interested in films about exploration and mountaineering, and have  filmed in the Alps, the Himalayas and Alaska. Several of my films have  won international and British awards, at festivals such as Trento,  Telluride, Banff and Kendal.

As both a film maker and a writer, I’m fascinated by the art of  narrative. I love to find good stories with complex characters dealing  with even more complex situations. My definition of good drama is what  happens when people are put under pressure, and exploration and  mountaineering provide plenty examples of this. My heroes: John Hunt,  Graham Greene, Robert Siodmak, Tom Woolfe, Alexandra David Neel, Tom  Wolfe, Orson Welles, Ella Maillart, Sir Richard Burton, John Banville,  Don Cherry, Lucinda Williams. My current squeezes: Jeanette Winterson,  Bobby Womack, Jo Nesbo, Carla Bley.

Website - https://www.mickconefrey.co.uk/

Book - https://www.mickconefrey.co.uk/books/everest-1953

Artwork by Phillip Thor - https://linktr.ee/Philipthor_art 

To watch the visuals with the trailer go to https://www.podcasttheway.com/trailers/

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Thank you Don Grant for the Intro/Outro. Check out his podcast - https://threeinterestingthings.captivate.fm

Intro guitar copied from Aiden Ayers at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UiB9FMOP5s 

*The views demonstrated in this show are strictly those of The Way Podcast/Radio Show*