The Podcast on alanarnette.com

If you follow mountaineering, you know Guy Cotter. He summited Everest as a guide with Rob Hall and Gary Ball in 1992, has run Adventure Consultants for thirty years, and has quietly helped bring mountains to the big screen since Vertical Limit. On October 16, Tenzing premieres on Apple TV. Jennifer Peedom’s film is about Tenzing Norgay, with Genden Phuntsok as Tenzing and Tom Hiddleston as Edmund Hillary; Guy was the alpine production supervisor. He scouted locations in Nepal and New Zealand, then kept up to 150 actors, stunt doubles, and crew safe on Aoraki Mt Cook and the Tasman Glacier in mid-winter, with temperatures as low as -23C/-9.4F.

In this conversation, Guy explains why he called himself terrified for the entire shoot, and walks through his “status light” approach to risk. He describes bolting a camera crane to a cliff while a helicopter held it to recreate the Hillary Step, and pulling 60 people off the Grand Plateau just before a three-day storm closed in. We also talk about what history got wrong about 1953, and why Tenzing’s story matters for every Sherpa and mountain worker today.

Then we turn to the proposed 7,000-meter rule for Everest. We close with this year's accidents on Broad Peak, Himlung, and Manaslu, and what all of us should learn from them about snow, patience, and turning around.

I’ve known Guy for more than two decades, and he’s one of the few people I can ask anything. He’s candid, thoughtful, and, as always, funny. I hope you enjoy our chat, and enjoy the movie.

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything

It opens on Apple TV on October 16, 2026.

Hi everybody, Alan Arnette here with another podcast and a blog on alanarnette.com. It is Monday, October 5th, 2026, and this is going to be a rather reflective podcast.A couple of months ago, I talked about the tragedy on Broad Peak. Many of you listened and left thoughtful comments. Thank you for that. Since then, it's been a tough season in the mountains. A really hard year. I took some time to think deeply about a few key questions and how to move forward—not speaking for the industry or the climbing community, but from my own experience, observations and opinion.Today I want to step back and look at the bigger picture. Are the mountains becoming too dangerous? Or is the risk changing, and are we changing with it?I'll tell you up front, I'm going to ask more questions than I answer. I don't have all the answers. Nobody does. But I think there are some useful things we can learn together.And let me be clear about one thing. I'm not ready to say the mountains are too dangerous to visit. I still believe in climbing. I also believe we should be willing to change our plans when the conditions call for it. That sounds simple from home. On a mountain, it can be one of the hardest things you'll ever do.Risk is part of the contract we make when we choose to climb. Sometimes we understand that risk. Sometimes we don't. And sometimes we understand it and accept it anyway. That's humanity. And for many people who live beneath these mountains, it isn't much of a choice at all. It's home.So, grab a beverage, or take a walk with me in your ear. And if you're driving, keep your eyes on the road.Let's get into it.Sources:Full blog post with the names of those we lost:https://www.alanarnette.com/2026/10/05/changing-mountains-changing-risk-is-there-always-another-route/Have you ever walked away from a climb you really wanted? Tell me in the comments.SHOW NOTES & SOURCES(Figures current as of October 5, 2026.)My earlier coverage• Broad Peak podcast: https://youtu.be/pi_YtoX7q5g• Learnings from Broad Peak Tragedy: https://www.alanarnette.com/2026/08/13/learnings-from-broad-peak-tragedy/• Tragic Tibet-Nepal Flood Update: https://www.alanarnette.com/2026/09/03/tragic-tibet-nepal-flood-update/• Manaslu Over for Most—Finally!: https://www.alanarnette.com/2026/09/22/manaslu-over-for-most-finally/• Avalanche Hits Himlung Base Camp: https://www.alanarnette.com/2026/09/27/climbers-missing-after-avalanche-hits-himlung-base-camp-fourteen-missing/Langtang collapse: the science• World Weather Attribution: https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/rapid-warming-in-the-himalaya-exacerbates-geohazard-cascades-beyond-adaptation-limits/• Yale Climate Connections (Bob Henson): https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/08/the-worrying-climate-link-to-nepals-avalanche-and-flood-catastrophe/• Blatten, Switzerland (2025): https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/06/that-swiss-glacier-collapse-it-wasnt-a-one-off/Langtang toll and recovery• Nepali Times: https://nepalitimes.com/when-is-a-dead-person-really-dead• Explorersweb: https://explorersweb.com/langtang-flood-update-1453-dead-6664-missing/Manaslu• Nepal Department of Tourism royalty report: https://www.tourismdepartment.gov.np/content/186/royalty-report---countrywise-expedition-permitted-report/• Camp 3 avalanche: https://abenteuer-berg.de/en/manaslu-two-dead-in-avalanche-at-camp-3/• Explorersweb: https://explorersweb.com/high-risk-on-manaslu-two-die-in-avalanche-summit-push-continues/Himlung• Peoples' Review: https://peoplesreview.com.np/2026/10/02/himlung-avalanche-toll-rises-to-15-one-still-missing/• Explorersweb: https://explorersweb.com/fourteen-missing-as-avalanche-hits-himlung-base-camp/Adapting to changing mountains• CBC The Current: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/mountain-guides-melting-glaciers-9.7046691Memories are Everything.#mountaineering #Himalaya #Manaslu #BroadPeak #Nepal #climbing

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/

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 YouTube
• RyanMitchellUnfiltered 
• Instagram
• Website

You can follow Justin at:

• Skyline Mountain Guides
• Instagram
• Facebook

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything

https://www.alanarnette.com/2026/08/06/podcast-with-ryan-mitchell-justin-sackett-no-os-everest-update-and-plans/

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/#

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/

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

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

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/

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/