Bonus! Want to Climb Mount Everest? The Training May Leave You Breathless

Outside Podcast

Wilderness, Sports

4.3 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 30 May 2026

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Howdy pals. It’s Saturday, which means it’s time for another Long Read podcast from the Outside Archive. We assume, dear listener, that you find Mount Everest interesting. We assume that because, over the decades, many of our most popular articles and podcasts have been about the world’s tallest mountain, and the fascination it inspires in climbers and non-climbers alike. And today’s Long Read podcast is a story that connects the dots between both kinds of people. Over the last twenty years, climbing Everest has evolved from something only attempted by elite mountaineers to the apex of adventure tourism. And this evolution has had all kinds of interesting impacts on how these climbers train for their attempts. So our Long Reads editor, Fred Drier, went deep into training mode with two very different amateur Everest aspirants, to learn how you train to get to twenty nine thousand feet if you only live at five thousand feet. Or zero thousand feet. Depending on your personal disposition, this story will either convince you that you have what it takes to climb the world’s tallest mountain, or make you perfectly comfortable in the knowledge that you’re never going to try. Either way, you’re going to be entertained. Please enjoy “Want to Climb Mount Everest? The Training May Leave You Breathless” by Fred Drier, read by a friendly robot. f your favorite way to read is with your ears, I encourage you to join Outside Plus. It gives you unlimited access to everything in the Outside Network, including more audio stories from Outside, Backpacker, Climbing, SKI, and more. Plus mapping apps like Trailforks, Gaia GPS, and MapMyFitness. And for our podcast listeners, we have a special offer for 25% off. Head to outside.watch/listen to learn more.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode of The Outside Podcast is brought to you by Visit Idaho.
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1:15.4	Get inspired, get psyched, and get ready for Idaho's famous Whitewater. Watch the 3100 series, now streaming on YouTube. This is The Outside Podcast with Paddyo.
1:35.0	Howdy pals? It's Saturday, which means it's time for another long-read podcast from the outside archive.
1:46.1	We assume, dear listener, that you find mount everest interesting we assume that because over the decades many of our most popular
1:51.2	articles and podcasts have been about the world's tallest mountain and the fascination it inspires
1:56.4	in climbers and non-climers alike and today's Long Read podcast is a story that connects the dots
2:02.7	between both kinds of people. Over the last 20 years, climbing Everest has evolved from something
2:07.6	only attempted by elite mountaineers to the apex of adventure tourism. And this evolution has had all
2:13.7	kinds of interesting impacts on how these climbers train for their attempts. So, our Long
2:19.4	Reeds editor, Fred Dreyer, went deep into training mode with two very different amateur
2:24.8	Everest aspirants to learn how you train to get to 29,000 feet if you only live at 5,000 feet,
	...

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