New Zealander Peter Hillary needs no introduction, as his last name recalls the historic achievement of his father, Sir Edmund Hillary, who, along with Tenzing Norgay, first summited Mt. Everest on May 29, 1953.
In this podcast, we discuss Peter's relationship with his father, his upbringing, adventures, and the future of mountaineering. We also discuss the Himalayan Trust, a foundation started by his father in 1961 that continues today, building schools, infrastructure, roads, and more throughout Nepal, a country close to Peter's heart.
https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2025/10/10/podcast-with-peter-hillary/

Australians Bianca Adler, 17, and her dad, Paul Adler, 50, are back in Melbourne, Australia, after their recent Everest attempt. They were thwarted by strong winds and illness, but made a valuable attempt. Bianca's social posts have gone viral as she struggled to breathe upon returning to Camp 4 at the South Col after reaching 8163 meters on the 8848-meter peak. She climbed with Rinji Sherpa of the Makalu region.

This podcast discusses Paul's Everest attempt and summit, Bianca's Ama Dablam attempt and summit and of course, Everest with the risks, decision-making, and emotions. I think you'll enjoy meeting this young lady, who, by the way, has become friends with Ryan Mitchell. The two gave me a lot of hope for the sport I love, as I saw two very mature young people embracing mountaineering. #everest2025

Climb On!

Alan

Memories are Everything

https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2025/10/03/everest-2025-podcast-with-bianaca-and-paul-adler/

Ryan Mitchell, a Summit Coach client, is back from his recent K2 attempt. They were thwarted by a deadly rockfall that killed two other people on other teams.

They climbed to Camp 1 to see the conditions firsthand and abandoned their expedition. However, they climbed a previously unclimbed peak near K2 for acclimatization, so there was some solid mountaineering this year for the Madison Mountaineering team led by Terray Sylvester.

They also collected 600 pounds of trash, primarily from the K2 Base Camp and Advanced Base Camp, which were exposed to unexpectedly dry and warm conditions.In this podcast, we discuss the expedition, its risks, decision-making and emotions. Ryan is currently dropping a new YouTube episode almost daily on his channel, which provides his followers with a unique inside look at what K2 offered in 2025.  #k2025

https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2025/09/08/k2-podcast-with-ryan-mitchell-after-k2/

The summer 2025 Karakorum for the 8000-meter peaks is over, and what a season it was. There were summits, deaths, disappointments and survivals. Was it a “successful” season? I’ll leave that judgment to others—but honestly, it often felt like safety took a back seat to ambition.

Summits:

K2- 42 with two deaths

Broad Peak: 0

Gashbrum II: 0

Gasherbrum I: 17

Nanga Parbat: 25 with one death#K2025

Climb On!

Alan

Memories are Everything

https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2025/08/24/k2-2025-coverage-wrap-a-rocky-season/

With teams still hoping to summit, popular American climber Ryan Mitchell, Phurba Sherpa, Terray Sylvester, ⁠Madison Mountaineering⁠ lead guide, and several other Sherpas ended their expedition after climbing to Camp 1. Terray felt the rockfall was too dangerous to continue despite several teams already higher on the mountain, hoping to summit on August 11.
Only a few teams remain on the mountain, each with a few climbers, including a few independent ones foregoing supplemental oxygen and HAP/Sherpa support like Czech climbers ⁠Jan Polacek⁠, ⁠Lenka Polackova⁠, and Pakistani ⁠Sohail Sakhi⁠. French climber ⁠Charles Page⁠, guided by Vinajak Malla, was last reported at 7661 m/25,134 feet, higher than the elevation of traditional Camp 4 of 25,080'/7600m as of August 11, 2:00 a.m. local time per his ⁠Inreach⁠.
Regardless of classification, they must work together to set the ropes, break the trail, and reach the summit. Then, they must descend, which might be one of the riskiest in recent history. Remaining teams include Seven Summits Treks, Imagine Nepal, and Elete Expeditions. As of yesterday, the fixed ropes are 200 meters above Camp 3, around 7400 meters or 24,300 feet. With Page's report, they are obviously higher now as they are on their summit push. Teams expect to summit on Monday, August 11.
Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything
⁠https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2025/08/10/k2-2025-coverage-risk-taking-case-study/⁠

After almost five weeks, a weather window long enough for a summit attempt on K2 has emerged. Most teams and many individuals have left, but an estimated (very rough guess) that 20-30 total people, split equally between commercial and independent climbers, remain for the summit push starting today, August 5th, 2025. #k2025
https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2025/08/05/k2-2025-coverage-k2-summit-push-on/

Signs of trouble on K2 and Broad Peak. First is the weather. There have been more high winds and heavy snowfall, preventing the establishment of Camp 3 on K2 and keeping the Broad Peak climbers below Camp 3. And the other concern is the lack of cooperation among the teams, as noted by Polish climber, Lukas Supergan: "... This could be achieved by a large, combined team from agencies and independent climbers working together. However, such cooperation is completely lacking. Leaders keep their plans secret."
Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything
https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2025/07/25/k2-2025-coverage-weather-stalls-plans-or-not/

Summits! We have summits in the Karakoram on Sunday, July 20, 2025. Also, climbers are acclimatizing at Camp 3 on BP, and most teams seem focused on an upcoming summit window around the end of July. Conditions are finally improving in the Karakoram after days of high temperatures, winds, and even snow and rain. One issue is that crows are eating food left at high camps! Tragically, one climber died last week on K2 from rockfall. Also, improvements are made for locals and visitors trekking the Baltoro Glacier. #K2025

Climb On!

Alan

Memories are Everything

https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2025/07/20/k2-2025-coverage-death-summits-and-progress/

Teams are finally progressing across the four northernmost 8000-meter peaks: K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum I, and Gasherbrum II. Multiple teams report reaching as high as Camp 3 on these peaks, thus setting an optimistic tone for summits this season. 

Although rockfall remains a clear and present danger, leaders feel more comfortable after recent snowfalls. However, climbers still need to be thoughtful and cautious about avalanche danger, as shown by the rescue of a stranded and injured Polish climber. Today, I discussed the conditions with Garrett Madison, the founder of Madison Mountaineering, who has a team on K2 for a summit but also on a mountain trash clean-up mission.

Climb On!

Alan

Memories are Everything

https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2025/07/14/k2-2025-coverage-climbing-in-peril/

The Karakorum's drought continues due to the low snowfall from Spring combined with warmer-than-normal temperatures; thus, rockfall is a real danger on K2, Broad Peak, Nanga Parbat and the Gasherbrums. Ryan Mitchell and his K2 team are acclimatizing on a nearby unclimbed peak, hoping for snow in the next two weeks. They're doing well, but patience will be tested this year on all the mountains. I discussed the hot weather with meteorologist Chris Tomer.Climb On!AlanMemories are Everythinghttps://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2025/07/08/k2-2025-coverage-dry-hot-and-rockfall/