The Duffel Shuffle Podcast

• The Life of a Mountain Guide - From the Tahoe Via to Mount Everest with Alpenglow Guide Mike Pond

  After returning from Everest, Sam and Adrian chat with Alpenglow Guide Mike Pond. In this episode of the Duffel Shuffle, they dive into the life of a mountain guide who guides everything from the Tahoe Via Ferrata in Olympic Valley, CA, to the summit of Mount Everest. Mike Pond is a career mountain guide who has spent his life climbing and guiding on mountains all over the world. At Alpenglow, he guides across the entirety of its programming, from rock climbing and the via ferrata, to high-altitude mountains in the Himalaya and beyond. Mike Talks about balancing life as a father, husband, and mountain guide Mike shares about the different styles of climbing and guiding that can be done Mike gives us a rundown of his experience climbing and guiding on Everest. You can follow Mike on Instagram at @mikepondclimbs. And you can check out his salve skin care product, Booboo butter, at the Alpenglow Office!Follow our podcast on Instagram @duffelshufflepodcast where you can learn more about us and our guests. Visit our website at www.duffelshufflepodcast.com and join our mailing list. The Duffel Shuffle Podcast is supported by Alpenglow Expeditions, an internationally renowned mountain guide service based in Lake Tahoe, California. Visit www.alpenglowexpeditions.com or follow @alpenglowexpeditions on Instagram to learn more.

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• Is Xenon Gas the Future of Climbing Everest?

  Following a successful Everest expedition in which Adrian successfully reached the summit for the 10th time, Sam and Adrian catch up to cover some of the notable storylines from the season. While much of the 'action' occurs on the South side of the mountain, a route that Alpenglow does not climb, Adrian has such intimate knowledge of both sides that his perspective is unique. Additionally, between mountain guide gossip and the Sherpa grapevine, a lot if information gets passed without percolating to the mainstream media, some of which we get an inside scoop on in this episode. Sam and Adrian talk about the following storylines from the 2025 Everest Season:- Deaths and Rescues: While the 5 fatalities on the south side of the mountain (and zero on the North side) is a relatively low number as compared to recent seasons, rescues and near-misses reached record highs.- Anja Blancha: One of only two successful no oxygen summits of Everest this season was achieved by the German climber, her 12th of 14 8,000ers without supplemental O2. - FKT Attempts: Neither Karl Egloff nor Tyler Andrews were successful in reaching the summit of Everest, both of whom set out for Fastest Known Times. - Xenon Climbers: Arguably the story of the season, Furtenbach Adventures' Flash Ascent of Everest using Xenon Gas was successful, but is Xenon really the future of climbing the tallest peaks around the world?Follow our podcast on Instagram @duffelshufflepodcast where you can learn more about us and our guests. Visit our website at www.duffelshufflepodcast.com and join our mailing list. The Duffel Shuffle Podcast is supported by Alpenglow Expeditions, an internationally renowned mountain guide service based in Lake Tahoe, California. Visit www.alpenglowexpeditions.com or follow @alpenglowexpeditions on Instagram to learn more.

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  1:48:22

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• Topo Mena: Catching Up on Everest from Base Camp

  Adrian Ballinger and the Alpenglow Expedition team had success on Everest! First, Sam and Adrian had a chance to catch up briefly following Adrian's 10th summit of the tallest mountain in the world. In this episode of The Duffel Shuffle, the two touch base with Esteban "Topo" Mena, Alpenglow's co-expedition leader, from base camp on the North Side of Mount Everest before Alpenglow's summit push.Topo Mena is an IFMGA guide, Black Diamond Athlete and an inspiration to many. Topo’s accomplishments include many summits of 8,000m peaks, including multiple on Everest as well as K2, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, Cho Oyu, Makalu, and Manaslu, as well as more than 250 summits of Cotopaxi in his home country of Ecuador. Topo has participated in grade VI first ascents in the Himalayas and in the Tien Shan, unsupported ascents without supplementary oxygen of 8000m peaks (including Mount Everest in 2013 at age 23 during his first expedition to the mountain), and numerous ascents pursuing difficulty or speed in his beloved Andes, or in the Himalayas, Karakorum, Alps, Tien Shan, Pamirs and Antarctica.Following up on Episode 2 of the Duffel Shuffle, Sam and Adrian check back with Topo to hear about his recovery, and how he perceives his return to "100%".- Topo talks about his role as Co-Expedition Leader alongside Adrian with Alpenglow Expeditions' Everest Team.- Topo shares a bit about the importance of a strong team on Everest, and how being co-expedition leader alongside such a strong team of guides makes the role easy.- Topo talks about his personal climbing goals, and his continued focus on opening a new route on Mt Everest.You can learn more about Topo on Instagram, @estebantopomena, and through his sponsor https://blackdiamondequipment.com/blogs/athletes/esteban-topo-mena.Follow our podcast on Instagram @duffelshufflepodcast where you can learn more about us and our guests. Visit our website at www.duffelshufflepodcast.com and join our mailing list. The Duffel Shuffle Podcast is supported by Alpenglow Expeditions, an internationally renowned mountain guide service based in Lake Tahoe, California. Visit www.alpenglowexpeditions.com or follow @alpenglowexpeditions on Instagram to learn more.

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• Ask Adrian Anything: Live from Everest Base Camp

  Adrian Ballinger is joining us live from base camp on the North Side of Mount Everest. We've collected more than 30 questions from you, the audience, over the past months, and now it is time to rapid fire answer as many as we can. With questions all across the board, we cover the following topics:- Everest costs, financial requirements and alternatives- Training and physical preparation for Everest and other climbing goals- How to progress as a climber, and comparing different training grounds- Mentorship and how to develop your personal climbing mindset- Routes, risk and other strategies- Acclimatization and other health factors- Equipment, food and staying comfortable- Sustainability and ethicsA huge thank you to those who submitted questions. We're stoked to interact with our audience, and ensure the content we're putting out is of interest to you! If you have further questions, DM us on Instagram, comment on our posts, or leave us a message on our YouTube episodes; we love hearing from you!Follow our podcast on Instagram @duffelshufflepodcast where you can learn more about us and our guests. Visit our website at www.duffelshufflepodcast.com and join our mailing list. The Duffel Shuffle Podcast is supported by Alpenglow Expeditions, an internationally renowned mountain guide service based in Lake Tahoe, California. Visit www.alpenglowexpeditions.com or follow @alpenglowexpeditions on Instagram to learn more.

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  1:45:17

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• Melissa Arnot Reid: More Than Just an Everest Guide

  Melissa Arnot Reid is not only a mountain guide, speaker and author, but she's also an athlete. Melissa is the first American woman to successfully summit and descend Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, a peak she has climbed a total of 6 times throughout her career. Melissa's new book, Enough: Climbing Toward a True Self on Mount Everest, released on April 1, and we had a chance to connect with her following the launch to learn more. - The three kick off their conversation with a bit of talk about running and Melissa's current running endeavors.- Melissa shares a bit about her book, the process of writing, the importance in her own healing journey, and the origins of the title Enough. - Melissa dives into her mountain experiences as a child, how she found her way into guiding through RMI, and some of the challenges of being a women in a predominantly male industry. - Melissa catches us up on life today, and raising two kids by two working mountain guide parents.You can learn more about Melissa on Instagram, @melissaarnot, and through her website www.melissaarnot.com/. Melissa's new book, Enough: Climbing Toward a True Self on Mount Everest, can be found wherever you buy your books, including on Amazon.Follow our podcast on Instagram @duffelshufflepodcast where you can learn more about us and our guests. Visit our website at www.duffelshufflepodcast.com and join our mailing list. The Duffel Shuffle Podcast is supported by Alpenglow Expeditions, an internationally renowned mountain guide service based in Lake Tahoe, California. Visit www.alpenglowexpeditions.com or follow @alpenglowexpeditions on Instagram to learn more.

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