Baker Street With Thom Pollard

"I'm not doing too good at Everest Base Camp, " says a reclining Ryan Mitchell behind an oxygen mask covering his face. Ryan Mitchell is on oxygen at Base Camp with an SPO2 of 35. And the Icefall Doctors have stopped cold in their tracks. A serac the size of a building is blocking the only route up the mountain. And 3,500 people are waiting at the foot of Everest with nowhere to go.The 2026 Everest season hasn't really started yet — but Tyler Andrews and Karl Egloff — gunning for the fastest no-oxygen ascent in history, the growing army of no-O2 no-Sherpa alpinists, and the looming regulatory changes that could make this one of the last seasons this style of climbing is even legal.**THANK YOU TO OUR CAMP FOUR SPONSORS HERE AND ON PATREON**:Barbedwire Henriette PiMike NicholsonTom McLeodGeoff (mountain climber)Ursula DimbergerNoelle Dud13yRESOURCES FOR MORE RESEARCHEverest at 19! YouTube Influencer Ryan Mitchell's Path to the Tophttps://youtu.be/w1mJsdeE81QEverest 2026 - Without These

I want to start with a number: 31,797 kilograms.That is the amount of human waste that was removed from Mount Everest in the spring of 2025. One season. One mountain. Can anyone save Everest? That question has never felt more urgent than right now. With the Tibet side closed, record numbers of climbers heading for the summit, and a waste crisis decades in the making — 2026 is the year that puts everything to the test. Here's what's really at stake.**THANK YOU TO OUR CAMP FOUR SPONSORS HERE AND ON PATREON**:Barbedwire Henriette PiMike NicholsonTom McLeodGeoff (mountain climber)Ursula DimbergerNoelle Dud13yThis video discusses new regulations for climbing Mount Everest, requiring climbers to first ascend a 7,000m peak in Nepal. It highlights significant environmental concerns and the potential impact of climate change on the mountain. These changes could alter the appearance of Mount Everest, addressing issues like pollution and ensuring a more sustainable future for mountaineering.FOR THE LINK TO THI

Everest is changing—faster than most people realize.For decades, the mountain has been quietly “dialed in.” Better forecasting, supplemental oxygen, fixed ropes, and accumulated experience have made it safer—even as more people attempt it than ever before.Now, a new wave of technology is accelerating that change. Drones, AI systems. and the possibility—real, not theoretical—of lighting Everest from space.**THANK YOU TO OUR CAMP FOUR SPONSORS HERE AND ON PATREON**:Barbedwire Henriette PiMike NicholsonTom McLeodGeoff (mountain climber)Ursula DimbergerNoelle Dud13ySend us Fan Mail If you've been enjoying the podcast and find value in the content, we'd be incredibly grateful for your support. Your monthly contribution helps ensuring that we can continue delivering great content for you to enjoy.Click on the link below:https://www.buzzsprout.com/268133/supportThank you!Thom Dharma Pollard Support the showHere are a few ways you can help support us:Patreon for access to exclusive content:https://www.patreon.com/eve

From New York to the top of the world in just three days, twenty-three hours, and seven minutes. That’s not a myth. That’s Andrew Ushakov.  An American who quietly, stealthily went about his goal to climb Everest in a matter of days and  has shocked the world with his historic ascent.Mountaineering news was focused on a team of four special forces elite from England - the Mission:Everest team - who’d made news with their splashy PR effort, a line of clothing for men and women, and their controversial use of  xenon gas to boost their epo. They accomplished their goal of leaving London, summiting Everest and returning back to London in seven days.And then: Andrew Ushakov slips in there with a faster ascent, without the use of xenon.Will mountaineering forever be changed by his climb?I had the opportunity to interview Andrew from his hotel room just two days after his  climb. Yes, he did the unthinkable—launching from sea level in New York to standing on the summit of Everest in under four days. Send us Fan Mail

In this awesome episode, we speak with musician and radio host Jonathan Sarty, the creative force behind the Cold River Radio Show — a live variety show bringing music, literature, and storytelling to life in a remote mountain tourist town where culture can feel hard to come by.We talk about the need for artistic connection in small places, and our new collaborative segment: Within the Zone.Whether you’re a longtime listener or hearing about Cold River for the first time, this episode is a reminder that creativity thrives wherever we make space for it.

In this episode: Prof. Sam Vaknin explains narcissism as a disruption in early childhood self-formation, leading to a lack of boundaries, empathy, and a false self. He describes narcissists as having an "empty schizoid core" that feeds on others to maintain a fantasy of grandiosity. Vaknin highlights the narcissist's ability to manipulate others through shared fantasies, exploiting their vulnerabilities. He contrasts narcissism with other mental illnesses, noting its unique blend of emotional dysregulation and controlled behavior. Vaknin also critiques social media's role in fostering negative emotions and isolating individuals, contributing to a broader societal disconnection from reality.Attend the free 3-day seminar on healing and recovery from narcissistic abuse. Contact Prof. Sam Vaknin at samvaknin@gmail.comSend us Fan Mail If you've been enjoying the podcast and find value in the content, we'd be incredibly grateful for your support. Your monthly contribution helps ensuring that we

A vast number of those under the age of 35 spend between six and eight hours a day using computer simulated games, essentially in a world far from reality. And, what's worse, the vast and expanding realm of social media are designed to bring out and leverage the worst in their users, all negative affects such as anger and malicious envy. It is a toxic environment. The core philosophy of social media is asocial. They want you divorced or with no friends. They want your eyeballs on the screen at all times....more eyeballs, more advertising, more money for them.There is malice in social media platforms, they leverage elements of narcissism and violence, that is why there is so much trolling and hatred. Today I have with us Professor Sam Vaknin, professor of psychology and author of over a dozen books on narcissism including Malignant Self Love: Narcissism Revisited, The Narcissist on Instagram: Epigrams and Observations, and Toxic Relationships: Abuse and Its Aftermath.Prof. Vaknin's youtube channel: h

She woke in the dead of night, unsure if she’d succeed, fail… or die. Because the last person to attempt what she was doing did die. Melissa Arnot would be walking right past one of Everest’s most infamous bodies—Sleeping Beauty on her sixth, but most perilous climb, of Mount Everest. She was climbing without bottled oxygen, a feat only a handful of women have ever accomplished.In this inspiring interview with Melissa Arnot Reid, she discusses her beautiful memoir - Enough: Climbing Toward a True Self on Mount Everest - a journey into the soul of one of the world’s great climbers, from the rarified heights of Chomolungma to the dark depths of her personal demons. It's a story familiar to anyone who has struggled to find compassion for themselves.About EnoughA searching, uplifting memoir by the celebrated, groundbreaking climber: a journey of overcoming where the mountain’s highest peaks can only be reached by traversing the dark crevasses of the soulAt twenty-seven, when Melissa Arnot Reid accepted a tan

What a world it would be if we encouraged just one human being once each day, what a world it would be, if we followed the core spirit of our being.Send us Fan Mail Support the showHere are a few ways you can help support us:Patreon for access to exclusive content:https://www.patreon.com/everestmysteryEVEREST MYSTERY Membership for access to perks and exclusive content:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEk3e_XGyNnqwK2ZlxH7fEA/joinTip Jar for anyone who would like to help support us:https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/EverestMystery

Nothing says life on the road and all that comes along with than the life of a touring musician. It’s not Leer jets and posh hotels, sold out auditoriums. The music you hear pouring out of small bars and music houses, cafes come from people like you and me, passionate, driven, inspired…..they drive 8 hours from gig to gig, sleep in modest hotels - or behind the bar after it closes. They set up their own kits and amplifiers, collect their hard-earned cash after the gigs, get up the next morning and do it all over again.Here's a bonafide troubadour. Seth Walker, touring since the mid 90’s. Seth is an American blues, guitarist singer songwriter….author, poet, painter…..has followed the song of his soul. He wrote his own book during covid called YOUR VAN IS ON FIRE...poetry, art, anecdotes from life - he grew up on a commune - and on the road, like playing with Alain Toussaint, Willie Nelson...he’s chased the vibe his whole life, lived in New Orleans, Austin, Nashville...he wanted to eat, sleep, drink and br

Alone on Everest*. No Oxygen. No Support. No Limits....IN WINTER!Jost Kobusch is redefining the boundaries of human endurance. In the dead of winter, with temperatures plunging to -40°F and winds howling through Everest’s infamous West Ridge, he set out on a nearly impossible mission: to climb Everest solo, without supplemental oxygen, on one of the most dangerous routes in history.Doubted by the world’s top climbers—some giving him just a 0.1% chance of success—Jost pushed higher than any solo winter climber before him, reaching 7,537 meters (24,727 feet). In this exclusive interview, he reveals the mental and physical battle of facing Everest alone, his obsession with testing his limits, and what it truly takes to survive where few dare to go.Send us Fan Mail If you've been enjoying the podcast and find value in the content, we'd be incredibly grateful for your support. Your monthly contribution helps ensuring that we can continue delivering great content for you to enjoy.Click on the link below:https://www

Love. Adventure. Tragedy. Some couples chase dreams together, but for these three, their love stories ended high in the mountains—where eternity and ice became their final resting place.In this special video, we explore three heartbreaking mountaineering love stories:

The cost of climbing Everest just went up—A LOT! But, at what cost? Nepal has raised permit fees to $15,000 per climber, yet none of that money is going toward improving Sherpa safety. In this video, we expose how Everest has become a business where money talks, and ethics disappear.Featuring an exclusive interview with Angela Benevides of ExplorersWeb, we uncover the heartbreaking story of Nawang Sherpa, who had no prior Everest experience but was assigned to assist a climber attempting a no-oxygen summit bid. When things went wrong, Nawang refused to leave his client’s side. Both men perished.No safety reforms. No accountability. Just another tragedy buried under Everest’s growing commercialization. So we ask—what's a life worth?Send us Fan Mail Support the showHere are a few ways you can help support us:Patreon for access to exclusive content:https://www.patreon.com/everestmysteryEVEREST MYSTERY Membership for access to perks and exclusive content:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEk3e_XGyNnqwK2ZlxH7f

For 100 years the fate of Sandy Irvine has been shrouded in speculation and mystery, even mis-direction. Now, new evidence is emerging that could re-write what we thought we knew.In this episode, we’ll update you on the groundbreaking DNA testing currently underway, share what we know about the discovery of Sandy Irvine's boot in October of this year, explore what might come next. We’ll also hear from Everest historian Tom Holzel, and Mark Synnott and Jamie McGuinness.Here is the video version of this episode:https://youtu.be/gxhDXeqZMRERESOURCES REFERRED TO IN THIS EPISODE:Sandy Irvine & the Camera Were Discovered? Mark Synnott's Revealing Intel https://youtu.be/glMT08zmAP0Why We Can't Find Sandy Irvine's Body on Everest - w/Jamie McGuinnesshttps://youtu.be/SDbRRU1YMLwFamily of Everest Victim Sandy Irvine STUNNED by Discovery of His Remains with Julie Summershttps://youtu.be/NR8NG0ei9SAChina's SECRET: The Camera & Irvine's Body Were FOUND on Everesthttps://youtu.be/qv_sK

Well, we packed too lightly for such a chilly hike. But, we nabbed a 4000-footer before high-tailing back to the warmth of a smaller peak that offered us a sunny vantage point. Today, the topic of Metta, or Lovingkindness.Come along on our lovely hike in the White Mountains.Send us Fan Mail Support the showHere are a few ways you can help support us:Patreon for access to exclusive content:https://www.patreon.com/everestmysteryEVEREST MYSTERY Membership for access to perks and exclusive content:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEk3e_XGyNnqwK2ZlxH7fEA/joinTip Jar for anyone who would like to help support us:https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/EverestMystery

Just imagine the surprise and shock you would get if when your telephone rings one morning and it's a call from Kathmandu, Nepal and on the end is a world famous mountaineer, that his team has found the partial remains of your long lost great uncle, who disappeared 100 years ago. That happened to today's guest, Julie Summers, the great niece of Sandy Irvine, who disappeared alongside his climbing partner George Mallory on June 8, 1924 endeavoring to become the first to stand on top of the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest.I interviewed Julie from her home in Oxford, England.She shares her shock at receiving the call and discusses all things about the Mystery of Mallory and Irvine and what might have happened on that fateful day in June of 1924.The interview with Julie has been edited for brevity. The full interview with Julie can be heard on The Happiness Quotient podcast at this link:--------------------------------------Resources for a deep dive:Sandy Irvine & the Camera Were Discov

BREAKING NEWS: SOME OF THE REMAINS OF legendary mountaineer Sandy Irvine have been discovered on the Rongbuk Glacier of Mount Everest in Tibet by a National Geographic team that had been endeavoring to do a ski descent of the Hornbein Couloir.World's foremost authority on all things Mystery of Mallory and Irvine Jochen Hemmleb is interviewed here only hours after he learned of the momentous discovery.Here is the interview with Jamie McGuinness mentioned in the interview, Sandy Irvine's Body Is Gone: https://youtu.be/SDbRRU1YMLwJochen Hemmleb's website: https://jochenhemmleb.com/web===================Ways you can help support this channel:Our Patreon for access to exclusive content:https://www.patreon.com/everestmysteryChannel Membership for access to perks and exclusive content:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEk3e_XGyNnqwK2ZlxH7fEA/joinTip Jar for anyone who would like to help:https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/EverestMysterySend us Fan Mail Support the showHere are a few ways you can help suppo

Mount Everest—legendary, dangerous, and shrouded in myths. But how much of what you've heard is actually true? Are climbers really lining up like rush hour traffic at 29,000 feet? Is the mountain littered with bodies and trash? Let's peel back the layers of Everest’s most shocking myths and separating fact from fiction. You’re NOT going to want to miss the last one because it’s a doozie!Videos referenced in this video:Ryan Mitchell: https://youtu.be/w1mJsdeE81QGreen Boots: https://youtu.be/T_LHay8ZuoADavid Sharp: https://youtu.be/qGKDFjXLAf4=================================Ways you can help support this channel:Our Patreon for access to exclusive content:https://www.patreon.com/everestmysteryChannel Membership for access to perks and exclusive content:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEk3e_XGyNnqwK2ZlxH7fEA/joinTip Jar for anyone who would like to help:https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/EverestMysterySend us Fan Mail Support the showHere are a few ways you can help support us:Patreon for access to excl

Under the glow of séance candles a psychic medium sits trancelike at a table, in front of her is a blank notebook. She begins to write the words of a spirit claiming to be George Mallory  - the mountaineer who disappeared with his partner Sandy Irvine high upon the north face of Everest only months previously:“I am Mallory” the words appear from her pen “I can remember still the struggle for breath….and the awful cold.”Today we’re going to explore something truly otherworldly, the automatic writings of Geraldine Cummins, one of the great spiritual mediums of her time….who between November 1924 and January of 1925 wrote numerous scripts based on visits by George Mallory.When you hear the episode you'll become a believer!Send us Fan Mail If you've been enjoying the podcast and find value in the content, we'd be incredibly grateful for your support. Your monthly contribution helps ensuring that we can continue delivering great content for you to enjoy.Click on the link below:https://www.buzzsprout.com/26813

They say that gong to the summit is only halfway. And nowhere was that more true than on May 10, 1996 on Mount Everest. On that day Everest became the stage for one of the most harrowing disasters in mountaineering history. Eight climbers perished in a brutal storm, and as the world tried to make sense of the tragedy, a chilling truth emerged: success on Everest isn't just about reaching the summit—it's about surviving the descent. In Part 2 of our deep dive into the '96 Everest disaster, we uncover the unsettling facts that point to two ambitious guides, Rob Hall and Scott Fischer, whose decisions played a pivotal role in the events that unfolded. The stakes were high, the clock was ticking, and the mountain demanded its toll.IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN PART 1 YET, HERE IS THE LINK:https://youtu.be/_tEe2p9eKgUIndividuals who lost their lives during storm of 1996-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------South/Nepal:Yasuko Namba (client) - JapanRob Hall (own