Do Go On - 519 - The 1996 Mount Everest Disaster

Episode Date: October 1, 2025

We're kicking of Block 2025 with a disaster episode. Specifcally, one of the worst Mount Everest seasons ever. This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 08:56 (though as alw...ays, we go off on tangents throughout the report).For all our important links: https://linktr.ee/dogoonpod Check out our other podcasts:Book Cheat: https://play.acast.com/s/book-cheatPrime Mates: https://play.acast.com/s/prime-mates/Listen Now: https://play.acast.com/s/listen-now/Who Knew It with Matt Stewart: https://play.acast.com/s/who-knew-it-with-matt-stewart/Our awesome theme song by Evan Munro-Smith and logo by Peader ThomasDo Go On acknowledges the traditional owners of the land we record on, the Wurundjeri people, in the Kulin nation. We pay our respects to elders, past and present. REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Mount_Everest_disasterhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5LtdIwZF50https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Indo-Tibetan_Border_Police_expedition_to_Mount_Everesthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Krakauerhttps://people.com/everest-true-story-11699920https://himalayan-masters.com/1996-mount-everest-disaster/https://www.ultimatekilimanjaro.com/1996-everest-disaster-deaths/https://www.breezeadventure.com/blog/1996-mount-everest-disaster-what-really-happened Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 Big news about our 2025 world tour. Slash Australian New Zealand tour. That's the world, baby. That's our oyster. We have sold out a bunch of the shows. And if you've missed out in Perth or Brisbane, fear not, we've added some extra shows. So you can go to our website.
Starting point is 00:00:18 Do go onpod.com. And soon we'll be in Hobart, Canber, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Auckland, Wellington and Brisbane. Can't wait. Hello and welcome to another episode of Do Go On. My name is Dave Warnicky, and as always, I'm here with Jess Perkins. Hello. Hello, Jess.
Starting point is 00:00:50 Hi, Dave. And this week we are joined by the great man, Marcel Blanchester, will, yeah. They said it couldn't happen, but I'm back. By they, you mean Dave and I. Yeah. I'm thinking I'm back. Yeah. That's John Wick.
Starting point is 00:01:03 Is it? Yeah. I'm thinking I'm back. Yeah. I love it. I love John Wick. Yeah, there has been an error in booking the studio. We double booked.
Starting point is 00:01:12 So you'll be recording your podcast over there. Yeah. And to be honest, like, you know how it is in the content minds, like that you have to be making stuff all the time. And I love doing your podcast, but I do need to be doing a bonus episode. So if you wouldn't mind, I will be whispering my episode underneath this episode. Well, you've got your own camera and everything over there. Welcome back to another episode of the Comedy Riders Group podcast.
Starting point is 00:01:34 My name is Marcel Blanche de Wilt. Anyway, so I've just done that. Great, okay. You barely even notice. He's just going to be, anytime one of us makes a joke, he's going to be punching it up on his podcast over there. See, I understand the intention behind that, but I don't know if the audience, if it's clear. You have a problem with that joke is. And we're like, oh.
Starting point is 00:01:52 I'm just thrilled to hear you guys listen. You clearly have listened. Yeah, I'm mostly just going, here's my problem with that. You know what you've done wrong there? Somebody tells a great joke and you go, hmm, not for me. That's what I do. I don't like it. I don't like it.
Starting point is 00:02:07 Now, Marcel, you join us in what is the biggest month? The biggest months. And I do go on calendar. This is the first episode of Blockbuster tober 2025. Block to be 1225. I thought you were about to throw up. I wasn't sure what was happening. The hands went over the mouth.
Starting point is 00:02:26 I was like, oh, he's going to catch his vomit. I thought you could do a big fart sound. Blocktober 2025. Okay, yes. Welcome to Blacktober, no mercy. I'm going to say the hands are making it harder to understand what you're saying. If I could give a note. Just try it without the hands.
Starting point is 00:02:45 Welcome to Blocktober, no mercy. Yeah, that's very effective. Yeah, that's true. And you can use that as a drop. AJ or Connor can use it as a drop for future Blocktober things. Do you need some drops? Yeah, for the next eight weeks. Block, tuber.
Starting point is 00:03:00 Block, block, block, block. Yeah, I'm thinking I'm block. I've got this. I'm block. What about a bit of a countdown? Can you do number nine? Well, you've just done that. Let's go back and forth.
Starting point is 00:03:14 Okay, let's actually, let's go through the whole list and we'll all do a number. So we're going to be nine episodes. I'm going to do it like a Colz ad, though, just so you know. Okay. Number nine. Number eight. number seven number six
Starting point is 00:03:33 number five number four number three did we get there so quickly are we already a three I think I did four number two number two
Starting point is 00:03:54 number one Oh, congratulations on getting number one. That's exciting. Yeah, big get for me. We'll be a get for my voiceover career. We'll be getting AJ to put those in every week. I'm sure he will remember. So, Marcel, maybe you don't know.
Starting point is 00:04:09 I'm sure, and maybe you do know, but maybe people at home are tuning in for the first time. This is Blockbuster Tober. Well, we've annexed the month of November. Yes. Do we do our annual count? This might be the 7th or 8th annual Blocktober. Yeah, we've been doing it for a while
Starting point is 00:04:24 where we take some of the most requested topics We put them in a big poll, and then people vote on them as well. So these are the topics that do go on listeners have chosen. And people would be at the water cooler being like, can you believe it's blocktober already? You know, they're at work and the Zoom meetings. I already blocked over. Yeah, they say stuff like, what are you doing for block?
Starting point is 00:04:45 There'll be people that are leaders of big businesses, opening their shutter windows, going out to their balcony and saying, you there, boy, what day of blocktober is it? Yeah, that's what they'll say? Number one. So we, yeah, it's a big countdown. If you haven't heard the show before at all, we take it in terms of a report on topic.
Starting point is 00:05:05 And usually we don't know what the topic's going to be with each other, but because Matt is in charge of the block tober pole, by the way, he's finishing up his UK tour at the time of this recording. So that's why he's not here this week, but he's very much. And we wish him well. And it's nice to be here. You needed another person with a deep voice, and I'm here to fit that brief. Thank you.
Starting point is 00:05:26 Correct. We needed a 6'11 man to fill in for Matt. Yeah, I am taking up most of the room. On this week's company writers group, we're going to be analysing the Do Go On podcast and how they approach an episode. And I'm going to be a sort of fly on the wall. Yeah, our first approach is to be little
Starting point is 00:05:43 and not take up much space. Hey, I'm not even here, so pretend you're not even listening to those portions of it. Okay, great. So, yeah, we're taking turns to report on the topic. Jess has been assigned number nine this year. Yes, that's right. I actually, I remember this one because we usually don't know the topic like I said, but we,
Starting point is 00:06:01 and we always start with a question to get us on the topic. So maybe, unless it's tangential enough, maybe you ask the question to Marcel because he doesn't know what the topic is. Well, it's a bit of a, it's, it's, either of you can buzz in, basically. So here's my question. In which year did these events occur? You just yell out the year when you know what it is. Dolly the sheep was cloned.
Starting point is 00:06:22 Ooh, I'm excited. The Port Arthur Massacre. John Howard took the guns away because of the Port Arthur Massacre. I mean, like, 97? Very close. The Atlanta Summer Olympics. 96. Oh, 96 pick up six.
Starting point is 00:06:38 And then the last two were Tupac was killed and Jess started primary school. Oh, congratulations. And are these events connected? I think so. Interesting. I don't think someone as powerful as Tupac could exist in the world where I was also existing. Your parents were watching the news and said, Tupac's been shot, Jess, get your school back.
Starting point is 00:07:00 Time to go. We're going to keep it back for another year, but... You're ready. It's time. So, yes, this is about the 1996 Mount Everest disaster. Oh, no. Yeah. It's going to be as funny as your Tenerife disaster episode?
Starting point is 00:07:17 Probably not. I mean, surely, not that many people died on this one. You'd have to have a lot of deaths on Mount Everest. Yeah. No, that's true. That's true. Death toll was. it's less.
Starting point is 00:07:27 Great, that's good. Something positive. Because people as well, the long-time listeners who rank their episodes in order of death poll. Yeah. Yeah, Tenerife would be up there, I think. Up there, although I think it would be beaten by World War I. That's true. The Great War, I call it.
Starting point is 00:07:42 I think he's splitting hairs. And possibly even more deaths was on the smallpox episode. Yeah, that's one you don't think about. Okay, so Tenerife might be top ten. Top ten. The Tylenol murders. Poor. No, that was, that was not in the hundreds.
Starting point is 00:07:59 I can't remember. I don't remember anything. But this is about the 1996 Everest disaster. That's so good because that was a previous block topic that you did. I was a great report. I remember being a good one. Absolutely. I just also wanted to show the listeners that like, yeah, I listen.
Starting point is 00:08:14 Yeah, I get it. And they appreciate that. They're like, finally, a guest who listens. I have seen that in the comments one. It's like, Marcel, he listens. He gets me. And I, and I, and I, was that your wife? commenting that.
Starting point is 00:08:27 Yeah, it was my dear wife. She's very supportive. So this has been suggested by quite a few people, which is not a surprise. It's made it into Block. It's been suggested by Erica from Sydney, Tim Randall from Brisbane, Anastasia from Redhill in the ACT, Kenner from Auckland, Sof Waldron from Melbourne, Kevin Hand from Davis, California, Jared Gia from Valabeech,
Starting point is 00:08:50 and Sarah M from Sydney. So quite a few people. A lot of Australians in there, which is interesting. Not an Australian heavy report, I've got to tell you. Okay, that's disappointing for you. It is. Tell me, people are tuning out. They go, oh, Alice, are the Australian heavy ones. There are Aussies in it.
Starting point is 00:09:05 Okay. And Kiwis. I'm listening. I'm back listening. And they're basically Aussies. And they love that. They love that mountain because of Edmund. They love that mountain.
Starting point is 00:09:15 Yeah, they really claim that mountain. Yeah, and as they should. It's definitely, yeah, it's not in Nepal or, anyway. So People Magazine really summarizes it for us, which I appreciate, and this is how the story will start. It takes hikers an average of two months to reach the top of Everest. That's crazy. Climers must first trek on a seven to 12-day hike to base camp,
Starting point is 00:09:37 where they spend four to six weeks a climating. Yeah, OK, People magazine. They wrote a climatting. A climatting. I would have thought a climatizing. Me too. So we're saying that it takes most of block term, climb Everest.
Starting point is 00:09:53 Yeah, absolutely. There could be someone at the first week of October who's there right now by the end of block. They'll be up the top. And thinking of in those terms, just one more episode of block and I'm there. I'll be there. Yeah. Can you listen to podcasts or your AirPods freeze into your ears maybe?
Starting point is 00:10:09 Oh, yeah, good call because you know, you always see it on the box like keep above minus 30 degrees Celsius or whatever like. And would it be rude to listen to a podcast like where you're there with your mountaineering mates? I'd worry that because we're so funny I'd worry that somebody would sort of laugh and lose their footing laugh themselves off a hill
Starting point is 00:10:27 but what a way to go You're laughing the whole way down That's how I want to go to be honest That would be my dream death When I laugh I just want to take that out of God That would have been my dream death Let's all across the episode
Starting point is 00:10:40 Reveal our dream deaths Okay So far mine is laughing off a hill Yeah That'd be pretty nice People magazine continues The summit push then takes four to seven days as hikers slowly ascend the mountain before making one final 10 to 12-hour climb to the mountain's peak.
Starting point is 00:10:56 Everest's unpredictable weather and difficult breathing conditions make this one of the most physically and mentally demanding climbs in the world. How interested would either of you be in climbing Everest? I've thought about this a lot. Great. Of course you have. Because I've done maybe two previous Everest-based topics. And are you jealous of this topic being taken away from you?
Starting point is 00:11:23 No, I've had my time on the mountain. Okay. And when it's gone badly. Do you hear what he just said? You're looking for other summits now. Yeah, that's right. I'm looking for K2, Kilimanjara. K3.
Starting point is 00:11:35 I've had my time on the mountain. That's going to be in his retirement speech when he finally steps down from the podcast. And every time I look into the Everest stories, I start thinking, I'd love to do that. Would you? I'd love to be at the top there. I'd love to... It would just be cool. It would be cool.
Starting point is 00:11:55 But then I've watched videos of people... There's great video. Have you seen... Like on YouTube, there's someone who films the whole 12 hours on the way up. And it looks very difficult. You have to be extremely fit, which I am not... And never planned to be... Did you fast forward?
Starting point is 00:12:08 Did you skip through this video? I didn't watch the whole thing now. You get to the top. They have a look around. It's fantastic. Yaddi, yada. Selfie. Done.
Starting point is 00:12:15 Next mountain. But... We could just Photoshop you on the top of Everest if you want. But please do that. That's all I need. Because to the point that I was talking about so much, my wife has made me promise that I will never attempt it. Because she's like, it's bad for the planet, you'll die.
Starting point is 00:12:31 Yeah, you'll 100% die. And it's also such a selfish thing to do. Like you hear about those, especially the dads who go, oh, I've just had a baby. I'm going to get into ultramarathon running or I'm going to climb Everest. Like, how about you climb the stairs into our house and look after our child? That's my Everest.
Starting point is 00:12:51 Quite a bit of that in this. Anyway, I've sworn off it. So that's my answer. Okay, so you would like to, but your wife won't let you. I'd like, no, I don't want to do the two months. Wow, wow, wow. I agree with the wife, by the way. I don't want to do the life risking part.
Starting point is 00:13:08 No. I just want to, I'd like to be up the top. If I could teleport up there and have a look around. Yeah, sure. I'd do that. Even then I'd be like, a bit cold. Yeah, but you have to be so fit, and I'm not going to be. No.
Starting point is 00:13:17 I'm not going to do it. No. I have no interest in any death-defying things, skydiving, mountain climbing, those sorts. Any of those things, we're like, oh, the thrillers touching the veil. Is that what they say? Touching the void? The void, yeah. Yeah, the idea, when people are really fascinated by pushing the human body to its limits,
Starting point is 00:13:40 I'm always like, that's interesting, I guess. I've got ADHD, I'm tired most of the time. I find just doing regular stuff, like making a doctor's appointment, that's my Everest. So true. And yet, I don't get a medal, and nor do I get a Sherper. I'd love, oh, let's invent that, maybe like a Sherper for everyday tasks. Ooh, an assistant. You want a PA.
Starting point is 00:14:04 A parent. I was thinking about this just the other day. I was daydreaming about being in a Hollywood movie. Oh, great. And then I was like, but so often in Hollywood movies, like, because it'd be fun to be in like an action romp, right? So imagine being in a speedboat or something And I'm trying to have a cool scene Where I'm driving a speedboat
Starting point is 00:14:20 I'd be vomiting But now they're doing on the volume They're not doing it You'd be doing on set Do you reckon? Yeah So you're saying in In film
Starting point is 00:14:32 The Ryan Gosling Fall guy He didn't actually drive that speedboat With his hands tied behind his back He probably did though In the Sydney Harbour Yeah Because he's cool
Starting point is 00:14:43 So yeah My thing is, if I even attempt it, imagine, like, I get migraines, and, like, extreme weather really triggers it. I'd be having a terrible time on Everest. Can you get two months to acclimatize that extreme weather? Hey, I think we should be more mindful of the person that's listening to this podcast as they climb the mountain. Chip, you made a bad choice. Yeah, because they're going, oh, maybe I should turn back, but the mountains full of, like, there's a whole line of people climbing up the thing as well. Yeah, that's off putting to those photos.
Starting point is 00:15:12 It'd be so awkward to turn back like you're going up a water slide. line climbing the stairs and going I'm too scared for this water slide and everyone has to watch you go oh what a worse and you have to say like I forgot my keys I'll be back I'll be back your keys to the water slide yeah I need them
Starting point is 00:15:27 God where don't put them Oh so embarrassing I've got to go back to our sorry excuse me sorry so obviously people have been climbing Everest since the 50s that's when Hillary first did it
Starting point is 00:15:44 It got to the top anyway. Okay, a little bit of erasure of the locals there, Jess. Absolutely true, sorry, yes. Calling you out right here. That's why I'm here. That's what Matt Stewart would do. We'd call you out. That's absolutely true.
Starting point is 00:15:55 And they say that, I mean, I don't remember this from, uh, because we've done, Edmund Hillary, haven't we? Yes. And did you do Tenzing as well? Of course, Tenzing Norgay. Teng Norgay was definitely. So they were the first to climb, well, the first people confirmed to have climbed to have climbed Mount Everest and like get to the summit.
Starting point is 00:16:11 To summit, that's right. Yeah. So, Marcel is absolutely correct. I mean, the Sherpers have been there for a very long time, but not to the summit. Is that the idea? I think that people think that they, no one. I mean, there's no evidence. But also, I like as well that the locals are probably like, yeah, there's a big mountain there.
Starting point is 00:16:30 Like, we've got other stuff to do. We've got other priorities. But white people are like, you guys want to touch the top, bro. You go to get the top. Brace each other top. Yeah, because we ruin everything. I'm just waiting for the teleport machine. Is that so bad?
Starting point is 00:16:42 Yeah. Five minutes up the top. I guess. I mean, it would probably take a while to get into like appropriate clothing for the top and then you're going to teleport there. Well, I'm only there for five minutes because I just wear a tuxedo or something. You'd be pretty cold. First person to summit Everest in a tuxedo.
Starting point is 00:16:57 Surely that's a world record. Anyway, so in this particular expedition in 1996, there were several groups climbing on Mount Everest at that time. Four of those tend to be the focus on this story. Really, it's mostly like two of them. but there are sort of four main groups that we'll talk a little bit about. So I'm going to introduce them. There's a lot of names here. You don't have to remember most of them.
Starting point is 00:17:20 I'll let you know the ones you probably try and clock. So the first group is adventure consultants. They're a New Zealand-based adventure company. They were founded in 1991 by Rob Hall and Gary Ball. Now that's one. Why are they called those Hall and Ball? Hall and Ball. If you have matching surnames, you have to start a business together.
Starting point is 00:17:39 Hole and Ball, one of my favorite 80s bands. Love Hall and Ball. So Rob Hall is one of the names to remember. Rob Hall. But not Ball? Not Ball. How's this as well? Jess says,
Starting point is 00:17:50 don't remember all these names. First name, remember this name. Like, okay, I don't know what to believe. Don't fucking worry about Gary Ball. Okay, that's true. Prior to starting their company, Hall and Ball,
Starting point is 00:17:59 famously climbed the seven summits in seven months. Wow. Guartering the much media attention of fame, particularly in New Zealand. Considering it's supposed to take two months to get to Everest. Seven summits in seven months. You've got five months left for the other six? The seven summits also aren't like,
Starting point is 00:18:12 all in the same area. Yeah. Wife and kids at home. Yeah, honey, we've got to do seven summits in seven months, okay? Come on. Come on. Okay. Is the seven summons?
Starting point is 00:18:22 Is that the one on each continent? Yeah. Does that mean that they, one of them was Cosiosco, which you're up and down in a couple of hours of Australia. Yeah, I've done Cosiosco. I walked Cosiosco with my parents. That one. True.
Starting point is 00:18:35 Do that early. Do that first. I do that on day one and then say, I'm doing the seven summits. One tick. All right. Man Eribis, I'm coming for you. Well, actually, it's seven summits is, there's actually about nine of them. It depends on which version you do.
Starting point is 00:18:49 Okay, I'm doing the one with Cosiosk. You can make a couple of adjustments as to which ones you climb. But, yeah, Cosiosco is one of them technically. Anyway, so in 1996, the Adventure Consultant's Expedition consisted of 19 people, including eight clients. So their guides were Rob Hall. He was the expedition leader. We have Andy Harris.
Starting point is 00:19:08 Rob Hall's 35, Andy Harris, 31, and Michael Gruy. 37. I loved this in one of the books I read. He's described, Michael Groom is described as a 33-year-old, but he's 37. Interesting. He probably was 33 once. That's true. He's in his 30s.
Starting point is 00:19:26 Described as a 33-year-old Australian with carrot-colored hair and a lean build of a marathon runner. He was a Brisbane plumber who worked as a guide only occasionally. In 1987, forced to spend a night in the open while descending from the 28,000 foot summit of I forgot to look up how to pronounce this properly. Kanchanjunga, he froze his feet and had to have all of his toes amputated. Oh no. This setback had not put a dampener on his Himalayan career, however. He'd gone on to climb Everest in 1993 without supplemental oxygen.
Starting point is 00:19:59 You need your toes. Yeah, for both plumbing and climbing, I reckon. Yeah, plumber's toes. Yeah. Vital. They're vital. Plummer's toes. How are you gripping?
Starting point is 00:20:09 How you gripping? Why are you gripping? But also a great conversation as well. Like, you had a pub or whatever. It's like, you actually lost my toes on a mountain. And then to like just to pull off that shoe in those moments. But he's from Brisbane. Can't even wear thongs.
Starting point is 00:20:23 That's true. Oh, yeah. Can't even check on the flip-flops. He'd be wondering of like, just leave me on the mountain. Yeah. I'm from Brisbane and I can't wear thongs anymore. I mean, he'd be thinking about like this is like a pre-crock friendly time. Yeah, probably went Birkenstocks back then.
Starting point is 00:20:38 Yeah. This is what we think of, like, sometimes there's that feeling of, oh, the 90s were better. everything was better back then. Not for this guy. No. He'd be killing it now. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:20:46 Which I'm sure he is. And we will be trying to guess who lives and who does. Then we have their clients, Frank Fishbeck. He had attempted Everest three times and reached the South Summit in 1994. He was 53. Oh, my gosh. He said it three times. Attempted three times.
Starting point is 00:21:05 This is number four. The South Summit in 94. So yes, this would be his fourth time. When I said to South Summit, is that making it or is that? South Summit is like, it's sort of a shelf, just, it's not far from the top. Mate, you've done it. That's, no, but that's also brutal because there'd be people that exclude the South Summit people. They'd be like, oh, did you climb it or did you get to the South Summit?
Starting point is 00:21:24 Exactly. It's like, nice try. I could see the top when the cloud moved. You don't get to sit with us, mate. Now you're in your 50s. It's very expensive too, isn't it, to climb out of us? Oh, yeah, absolutely. Especially if you pay for the oxygen.
Starting point is 00:21:37 Yeah. So the South Summit, it's a subsidiary, peak of Mount Everest between South Coal which is another kind of and the main summit so yeah it's very high up You just want to picture the mountain in my head
Starting point is 00:21:52 Just picture it and just like Okay there's the top About here that's probably it Next to the top Next to the top Like second on the podium Can you guys would just like reach up And get to the top
Starting point is 00:22:02 Yeah you would be annoyed Because you'd be like Oh if I keep pushing now I could Yeah it must be hard to make those decisions in the moment of like do I have the strength to because if you push too hard
Starting point is 00:22:14 or you make the wrong decision are you endangering your life? You'd see a bunch of cool people up there at the top like cheers and their glasses and stuff toasting to the moment. There's a guy on a tuxedo. You're like, he got up there? That's just the bartender.
Starting point is 00:22:27 There's a bartender at the top. And like you're looking around the South Summit, a bunch of losers are like, no, you love the South Summit. He's like, oh, I've got to get out of you. We'll be up there. Then we have a 46-year-old Doug Hansen. He had previously attempted Everest with Hall's team the year before in 1995
Starting point is 00:22:44 and didn't make it to the summit, so he was back again. Hanson, any coincidence that this is the same year that Mbop? Oh, yeah. Was he trying to get away from that? People are making that joke at the pub all the time? Oh, Hansen, you're the fourth brother, are you? And he's going, the spell's different. I'm Hansen with an E! And he's like, I've got to get out of here. I've got to get somewhere they don't know. Whole album's good, though. That whole Hanson album's very good. What was the other Penny and Me is another one of those songs?
Starting point is 00:23:12 Is that from a different album? Penny and me? No. That's definitely a handsome song. Look it up. That's a handsome song. Possibly from the live album, three-car garage. Who knows?
Starting point is 00:23:23 It is actually, damn it. And is it on that album? It's from the album underneath in 2004. No. Come on, Dave. And there's some people yelling at their iPod. It can't be that late. It was 97, but I was pretty close.
Starting point is 00:23:40 Yeah, but they did a few demos of it. Yeah, thank you so much. I appreciate that. Okay, so I've Googled it for you. You're not happy with my answer. You're Googling it for yourself. How do I know a song from 2004, Hanson? I don't know, Dave.
Starting point is 00:23:56 But it's not my fault. Is this what Block's all about? Yeah, Dave and I fighting. Dave and I fighting like siblings. Not on block, you guys. Come on, guys. Can't we all get along? I should have remembered, where's the love?
Starting point is 00:24:07 That was another one from now. That was the follow up to love. Where's the love? No one likes it. Where's the love? That's where is the love? Another absolute banger. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:24:16 Yeah. Head says, Where's the love? It's not enough. Yeah, that's pretty good. It makes some work around and around. Yeah. Great album.
Starting point is 00:24:25 Okay. Then we have 34-year-old Stuart Hutchinson. He was the youngest client on Hall's team. Stewie. Steui. Thirty-four's very young. He had previous, 34, God, take me back. Marcel's older than us.
Starting point is 00:24:39 It's okay. I'm 36. He's not disgusting. You're 36. You'll never climb Everest without it, actually. We're 35. You never climb members without it. And we're like, oh, 36.
Starting point is 00:24:49 Oh, how are you been walking still? So, Stuart had a previous 8,000 metre experience, including K2. He did a winter expedition of that in 88. He's had his time on the mountain. And he's done Everest north side in 1994. So you can, there's a couple of obviously different ways you can climb Everest. he's going up the north side before but I don't see reach the summit
Starting point is 00:25:14 Some of us have gone up the north side That's how I prefer to go up If you know what I mean Some people are the south side I'm a north side sort of guy You know what I mean Dave, do you know what I mean? I don't think I get on my fist
Starting point is 00:25:25 You're going to bump my fist If you know the north side Oh I'll bump it But I'll pretend I know what you mean Yeah, all right brother Yeah Nice one man That's how Dave's ended up in some really questionable games
Starting point is 00:25:34 Yeah All right brother That's just my go-to move We have Lou Cazichick, who's 53. He had climbed six of the seven summits. Is this the seventh? Yeah. Oh, this would be ticking up.
Starting point is 00:25:47 This is one day away from retirement. He's not making it. He's 53. All right. And he's 53. Yeah. Can we have one woman, please? Perfect.
Starting point is 00:25:55 Ysuko Namba, who's 47, had climbed six of the seven summits, and she was aiming, but she was basically going to become, if she made it, the oldest woman to summit Everest. Oh, great. We're getting some good representation. And what was her name? Yusuko. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:26:12 Was she from Japan? Yes. Oh, that's cool. This is proper, like, heist team sort of stuff. Can she do, like, I'm going to stereotype here
Starting point is 00:26:19 because it's a heist movie. Can she do samurai ninja stuff? Unfortunately, she can, yes. Okay, great. She fits the stereotype. She's like, ugh, yes. She's like, yeah, I can, but I don't see how that's going to help us,
Starting point is 00:26:30 Summit Everest. Because, you know, like, there might be baddies up there as well. Yeah. And she, like, brings out of a sword, and she's like, yeah, and I'm back, and then she, like, cuts down some baddie shepherds from the south side.
Starting point is 00:26:43 They're like, we're just here to help. We're here to keep you alive, okay? Okay. Okay, this is a, all right, this is a movie right here is, like, climbing on a mountain, but you do need some villains in it. Yeah. So, some bad sherpers. I think they would argue that the weather is villains or humans in the real villain.
Starting point is 00:27:00 Yeah, that's pretty much all movies is we've revealed that humans were. They go, wow, humans kind of suck. We have 56-year-old John Task is the oldest climber on the adventures consultant team And he is his first time he didn't have any other experience with 8,000 meters Oh God Then there's 49-year-old Beck Weathers That's a name to remember Because of the name?
Starting point is 00:27:20 Beck Weathers Beck is a guy Beck is a man Oh sorry but Weathers We said weather was the enemy It's Beck Didn't pay that enough credit I was like what
Starting point is 00:27:31 Forgetting my own joke from seconds ago He'd been climbing for 10 years Was also making a bit That's a long climb Most people take two months Man Actually only takes Most people like three weeks
Starting point is 00:27:44 But he's brought up the average Because it's taken him 10 years I mean actually I'm good I actually just love it on the mouth I'm just gonna crawl all the way up My wife has left I have no hope to get back to I just have to stay here
Starting point is 00:27:57 I just have to keep going He was also making a bid for the seven summits That's gonna take him 70 years He said he's already 49. Yeah, I'll get there. It's the only way to win her back to prove that I can do this. And finally on the Adventure Consultants Group was John Crackauer. Does that name Ringabout?
Starting point is 00:28:19 Yes, it does. Is that the author, journalist? Correct. And he's written Into the Wild. He wrote Into the Wild about Chris McCandless, which I've done a report on. Oh, the connected universe. I know. So he's a journalist.
Starting point is 00:28:34 He was working on assignment for Outside magazine, and his book Into the Wild about Chris McCandless had just come out that same year, and then he's off to climb Everest. Really? Wow. A bit greedy to have a magazine called Outside. So what? Just write about everything that could possibly happen outside.
Starting point is 00:28:50 I think it's smart, because if you go to niche, then... It's like having a magazine called People Magazine. Yeah, it's like that. That'll never work. How ridiculous. It's like having a magazine called Mari Claire. It's a magazine about... All right, one issue.
Starting point is 00:29:03 She discovered radiation. Move on. Don't forget penicillin. That's issue too. That's one of hers. So this is from John Crackow who wrote this. Hall had also broken a deal with outside magazine for advertising space in exchange for a story
Starting point is 00:29:19 about the growing popularity of commercial expeditions of Everest. Crackow was originally slated to climb. I'm probably not him writing then because he wouldn't talk about himself in third person. Crackow was originally slated to climb with Scott Fisher's mountain madness team I'll talk about the saying
Starting point is 00:29:34 I don't want to do a mountain madness but Hall landed him at least in part by agreeing to reduce outside's fee for Krakow's spot on the expedition to less than cost so he basically was like Hall was basically like out of pocket to have this journalist come along
Starting point is 00:29:51 right because it's good exposure it's good exposure they don't add for him as well that you want much exposure on the mountain that's true that you lose your toes he based and I think there was some sort of deal as well about advertising space eventually in outside magazine because uh mountain madness who I'm about to talk about is another company
Starting point is 00:30:12 but they're based in America and Hall knows that they're based in New Zealand they're going to need a lot of advertising in the US to have to get sort of US clients to climb with them rather than going to meet so many more US clients who want to climb them like oh I got to climb the mountain. I got to show people that I'm capable. And Australians are like, oh, no, you should be right. Yeah, whatever. Yeah, no, I've done Cosiosco, mate. I'm all good. Just walked up with my mum. I just, I just did it. I was a teenager. Just did it. We had a packet of thins chips with us. Just just mere years after Tupac Shakua died. Yeah, that's right. I climbed Kosciuszko. Pretty crazy. So, um, Krakow was an accomplished climber. He'd been sort of
Starting point is 00:30:56 That's good news. Climbing for a long time. He had not climbed a peak of 8,000 metres before, but he was a very good climber. And he's lugging that typewriter up there as well. Exactly right. And of course, as always, they had multiple Sherpers working with them as well in different capacities. There were at least seven climbing Sherpers. They're the ones that would go up ahead of them and set fixed lines for them to use and stuff like that.
Starting point is 00:31:25 Are they all going to get names in this stuff? I have them. Okay, great. Okay, hang on. Oh, are they background characters? Well, I was just like, I've named a lot of people. People are looking at the time stamp. Yeah, they're like, oh, fuck.
Starting point is 00:31:41 Okay, so yeah, for, you're fucking smart us. So for adventure consultants, we have Angdorje, Areta, Chaldem, Kami, Lakpa, Chiri, Naguong, Norbu, and Tenzing. And we all get tensing's back. Tensing pops up a bit. Is this the Tensing? Nah. Tensing Legacy. You're pretty old.
Starting point is 00:32:04 That's a good name for the movie. Tensing Legacy. And then we have the Mountain Madness crew. So that's a Seattle-based mountaineering company, founded by Scott Fisher, Wes Krauss, and Michael Allison. Scott Fisher is another name to remember because he is leading the expedition. For Mount Madness. Mountain Madness.
Starting point is 00:32:21 And to go by Twister rules from the movie Twister, not the game twister, is that in the movie Twister there's the storm chases and like there's got like the cool team down to earth like Helen Hunt's team and then you got like the other team
Starting point is 00:32:35 that are a bit more aggressive corporate are we going by those sorts of rules that there's a good team and a bad team? I need you to put it into the 2024 Twisters universe same same thing
Starting point is 00:32:45 same thing we've got the ones who are like doing it for the right reasons and then the baddies other there's also a bit more of a rodeo vibe oh yeah Don't forget as well that in the 2024 version, they're also like storm chases online and they're making cool YouTube videos.
Starting point is 00:33:05 That's got to be John Crackow's writing about it. Their version, 996 versions. We saw Twisters when we were in New York because there's not enough to do in New York. You just go to the movies. And our favourite line was the main character, her mum, sort of goes, you chasing again? Was it scary in the movie Not to spoil anything too much But the Twister rips apart a cinema at once
Starting point is 00:33:32 Did you go Oh my God What if a Twister came into this cinema? Yeah I turned around to everyone else The Cinder I was like, guys We're in a cinema What should we do?
Starting point is 00:33:41 That's what I said Get out of the chair And they said Shut up And I was like Oh! Okay I guess
Starting point is 00:33:50 I looked around I was like Glenn Powell Where are you Save me Glenn Carry me out of here, Glenn. I'm not hurt, but it'd be nice. Carry me out of here, Glenn.
Starting point is 00:34:00 I want to see her again. I'm on the hunt for Helen. Pretty good. You're chuffed with that. It's a little earworm there. That guy's going to be still hearing that up the peak. Carrying me out of here, Glenn. Such a hot man.
Starting point is 00:34:22 Such a terrible name. A hot man called Glenn, is that allowed? Hey, there's probably a few Glenn's listening to this very episode. And Glenn, look at yourself with the mirror. I want to say to all the glens out there, you're a stone cold fox. Shut up with a sexy name like Marcel. You don't get to tell the glens they're okay. That's true.
Starting point is 00:34:41 Hey, come on, on the hotness. Now, Dave, Dave can be hot. Can it? Yeah. Really? Yeah. A hot Dave? All right, I'm going to.
Starting point is 00:34:48 Actors named. Dave Franco. Yeah, I was going to say Franco, but he's a bit crook, isn't he? No, that's the brother. James Franco's the crock-word. You're right, Dave Franco's fine. At the type of recording. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:34:58 True. I accidentally typed in Day. Who are some other Dave's? Hot Dave's. David Attenborough? Hot voice. Hot voice. And, you know.
Starting point is 00:35:06 David Tennant. Oh, he's good-looking. Yep. And has a great vibe. Yep. Oh, the guy from X-Files. David Dachovney. Californiccavoys.
Starting point is 00:35:18 Yeah. Molder was hot. Hasselhoff. Okay. Harbour. popular in Germany David Harbour Yeah, one of the Thunderbox Okay, we've got some superheroes in here Dave
Starting point is 00:35:28 Come on, Matt Super Dave Super Dave. Super Dave. David Bowie. Dev Patel has come up which is interesting. He's hot. He is 100% hot.
Starting point is 00:35:36 He's very hot. That's how greedy you are for hot days but you have to start going into Debs as well. Okay. Is anyone going to say, Warnike? Yeah. Is he on the list?
Starting point is 00:35:47 Is it come up? Hottest Dave's. Oh, no. Maybe it's hot daves. Maybe not hot test, Dave's. Yeah, that's right, you're right. Don't put yourself in that kind of. Yeah, great.
Starting point is 00:35:54 Too much pressure. Okay. And we don't even get started on Jesses. There's too many sexy ones. Two sexy Jesses. Number one with a bullet. Number one. Jess Perkins.
Starting point is 00:36:06 Jess Perkins. Mountain Madness. Okay. With, what's his name, Fisher? Scott Fisher. So Scott Fisher, he's 40. He's leading the climb. We also have Neil Beedleman, who's a professional outdoorsman.
Starting point is 00:36:18 He's one of the guides. That's great. Neil Beedleman. And Anatoly, Bookery. who's 38, that's the name to remember. He is a professional mountaineer famous for making a sense of 10 out of the 14 of the 8,000 apiece
Starting point is 00:36:30 without supplemental oxygen. Wow, Anatoly. Yeah. Because still going by a movie and heist rules, he got a strong accent maybe. Yes, he is, I forgot in where he's from. He sounds maybe like South American or maybe Italian or something.
Starting point is 00:36:46 He is, he was born. I wanted to be an accent. Russia. What we feel, we can do, okay, great. Yeah, we can do Russian. Can we do that one? Yeah. Is that one okay?
Starting point is 00:36:57 And we, that sounds like. I wasn't going to do the Japanese woman earlier. Yeah, that's fair. They also have eight, I think eight clients with them. Martin Adams, who had climbed several other peaks before. Charlotte Fox had climbed all 53 of the 14,000 foot peaks in Colorado. Wow. and two out, 8,000 metre peaks.
Starting point is 00:37:22 So she's a very accomplished climber. We have Lenny Gamalgard, Dale Cruz, Tim Madsen, who had climbed extensively in Colorado and Canadian Rockies, but didn't have experience at this sort of out, this 8,000 metre. Now, I'm intrigued here. I've never listened to a do-goan episode where we've spent this amount of time going through the cast of character. It feels a little bit like I'm at a play reading. and the person is reading all the characters that are going to appear in the play.
Starting point is 00:37:53 Yeah. And I'm just like, we got to start this play. But now I'm thinking maybe they're just not much of the story. So you're like, I've got to just, I'm filling time. I'm padding here. I'm padding here with the cast list. It just sort of, it's sort of. It feels weird to just be like, yes, there's like a couple of groups of people
Starting point is 00:38:09 and they climb this mountain, right? Like, I don't know, it felt almost disrespectful to like not mention them. Yeah, I'm intrigued. But a lot of them don't come up much in the main story. I hope Charlotte Fox comes back I'm rooting for her I'll never mention Charlotte Fox again We wish I well
Starting point is 00:38:24 We had Sandy Hill Pitman Sandy Hill, probably climbed a few Sandy Hills We had climbed six of the seven summits Wow Pete Shoning Cleve Oh Cleve Shoning as well
Starting point is 00:38:36 It was Pete's nephew Who was a nice to do with your uncle Do you know many handsome glibs? Cleve Oh yeah Let's look it up Act is named Cleve I do have
Starting point is 00:38:46 I know it has some handsome glebs, but not clebs. Yeah, I don't know. I know a gleb. The other two groups that are usually mentioned in relation to this Everest disaster are a Taiwanese expedition where Taiwanese mountaineer Gao Hingho led a five-member team on the climb. And finally, a climbing expedition mounted by the Indo-Tibetan border police with, I think, six members making the climb. Oh, this is a good squad too. Yeah. This is like one of those,
Starting point is 00:39:17 this is like those movies where they're like rat race where everyone's headed to the same goal. Yeah, but I re-watched rat race recently. Me too. It's fun. It's a romp. It's a bit of fun. It's a bit silly, a bit of fun.
Starting point is 00:39:30 So as we said before, the average time it takes to climb Everest is about six to nine weeks with the bulk of the time spent trekking to base camp and acclimatizing to high altitude. Most treks begin in Lucla, which is a small town in northeastern Nepal, situated about 2,860 metres or 9,000 feet above sea level. It's served by the Tensing Hillary Airport,
Starting point is 00:39:56 which is why it's often the starting point of the climb, because it's sort of the closest you can get. According to Wikipedia, Luka Airport is a very short and steep airstrip, often compounded by hazardous weather, resulting in several fatal accidents. It's been called the most dangerous airport in the world. Oh, gosh.
Starting point is 00:40:12 Tenerife wants that you're number. Yeah, just to fly there is already very risky. And then you're going to spend ages acclimatizing to high altitude. Who's got this sort of time? Who's got the time? Who, what? Like, read a book. Yeah, that's a lot.
Starting point is 00:40:28 How good of video games? That's fun. Maybe with like remote work, people can, they're trying to also get in on their zooms while they're climbing the mountain. Imagine. Imagine. Brendan, have you got the most updated numbers and it's just behind him? He's like, yeah, yeah, somewhere here to this tent.
Starting point is 00:40:45 Yeah, hang out of a sec. That's what I forget. Sorry, a yak's just taking a shit right next to me. I don't even want to go camping for the weekend. So this is, what, nine weeks in a tent? Absolutely not. No way. Oh, yeah, based on Krakow's riding, even before they are on the mountain properly, it's gross.
Starting point is 00:41:02 It's awful. Really bad. You go, what, shit in like a, out in the open or in like a, probably not the open. They probably have like a portal to touch set up. No, it was in the open at one point. Really? Yeah. It's going to be freezing in a sin.
Starting point is 00:41:12 as it comes out your anus as well. Oh my God. Hopefully, yeah. Hopefully after it's out. Otherwise it'd be hard. Freezing it out. On the way out. Oh, my God.
Starting point is 00:41:21 So the adventure. Yeah, I don't want to do that. No. The teleport. No one's asking you to do it. I know. I know. I've been told I can't do it.
Starting point is 00:41:30 I've just seen the time and realized how little we've, I've just named them. I've been letting you drive this. I've named them. It's been a great list. It's a great list. I know, but I'm good at driving a car. Not good of driving a podcast. We've got Pete Fisher.
Starting point is 00:41:45 We've got Barry Hall. Let's not do it again. Scott Fisher. Scott. I want the listener to know that I'm very intent. I'm an improviser. I watch Jess and I go, oh, do I jump in? I'm deciding what pace she wants to work at.
Starting point is 00:41:58 I assumed you wanted us to work at a pace where we spent a long time in the cast list. We're having a lot of fun. I'm having a good time. It's blocktober. It's bloctober. Let your hair down. Exactly. There's no time that was a blocktober.
Starting point is 00:42:12 I'm in a rush. I've got places to be. Must be nice. This podcast is brought to you by Squarespace. Squarespace is the all-in-one website platform designed to help you stand out and succeed online. Whether you're just starting out or growing your business, Squarespace gives you everything you need to claim your domain and showcase your offerings with a professional website.
Starting point is 00:42:32 Now, with Squarespace's collection of cutting-edge design tools, anyone, and I mean anyone can build a bespoke online presence that perfectly fits their brand or business. Even me? Even you. I literally did with Squarespace. Fantastic. Maybe you started with Blueprint AI, Squarespace's AI Enhanced website builder to get a fully customized website in just a few steps.
Starting point is 00:42:54 Did you do that? Yeah. Squarespace also offers a complete library of professionally designed an award-winning website templates with options for every use in category. It's easy and intuitive, no experience required as exemplified by Jess. Yeah. QuestSpace also gives you everything you need. to offer services and get paid, all in one place from consultations.
Starting point is 00:43:18 That's how I pronounce it, on purpose, from consultations to events and experiences, showcase your offerings with a customizable website designed to attract clients and grow your business. Get paid on time with professional, on-brand, invoices, and online payments. I also pause in weird places on purpose. He's also gesticulating a lot with his fingers. Head to Squarespace.com slash do go on for a free trial and to save 10% off of your first purchase of a website or domain.
Starting point is 00:43:53 The adventure consultant groups arrived at Lucla by a helicopter on March 31st, 1996. Crackauer writes, A strong walker pre-climitized to the altitude could cover the distance from the Luca Airstrip to Everest Base Camp in two or three long days. What? Because most of us had just arrived from sea level,
Starting point is 00:44:10 however, Hall was careful to keep us to a more indolent pace and gave our body's time to adapt to the increasingly thin air. Seldom did we walk more than three or four hours of any given day. On several days, when Hall's itinerary called for additional acclimatization, we walked nowhere at all. So they're really, they'd taken their time just to get to base camp. I wonder, like, imagine finding out that the people you're with are a bad hang and knowing that this is, we've got to put up with this.
Starting point is 00:44:35 And you can't bring many books. Yeah. It's before audio books as well. Kindle. Yeah. Yeah, you're on day one going, he sucks, she's annoying, he sucks, she sucks, she sucks, like, she could be okay, all right? But then like, yeah. Yeah, he spoke to her for five minutes, she sucks.
Starting point is 00:44:52 Oh my God, yeah. And here's the thing, I hate most people. Yeah, it'd be so hard to just get a, you want to be able to riff with people. Yeah. And I don't imagine that people who are really serious about mountaineering and fun to riff with. Yeah. And you reckon there must be a bit of judgment, like, with the lower shelf we're talking before. Like, if you're like, oh, yeah, this is my seven.
Starting point is 00:45:09 the summit and everyone's like yeah and then it's like a 53 year old guy being like yeah my first time haven't done anything before you'd be like what yeah so we can't even god they'd be just be talking about other climbs they had yeah it's like that joke that they make about white people smoking weed that the only time the only time they talk about is other times that they smoked weed it'd be this same thing it's like oh yeah okay 2 it was good oh you don't k2 yeah yeah i actually did west side oh really yeah i got a great west side story about it yeah tell me more tell me more And you're right, like, some of them are, like, semi-professional or professional mountaineers.
Starting point is 00:45:45 I think Doug Hansen, who I mentioned before, is one of the names that will come up later as well. But he worked for the U.S. Postal Service and just, like, saved up all his money and pay. This is tens of thousands of dollars to do these expeditions. And he'd be thinking of it in same sort of terms of, like, this is just another mail run, but it's just steeper. That's what I'd be thinking. This is just another podcast. Yeah. You know, you've got to just take it one step at a time.
Starting point is 00:46:09 Yeah. So on the 6th of April, they arrived at the lower end of the Kumba Glacier, a 12-mile or 19-kilometer tongue of ice that flows down from the south flank of Everest. Tongue of ice. That's what they call me in high school. Why, Marcel? No context is required. I think it makes sense of context. Tongue of ice. I was okay. At a party, there'd be like the bucket of ice where the drinks are.
Starting point is 00:46:36 I'd put my tongue in the ice and go, guys, who wants to smooch? And they'd all say, no, thanks. Yeah. And you go, please. It's me, the tongue of bones. Please. I wouldn't even feel it. If that makes you feel better about it, I won't know.
Starting point is 00:46:53 Crack hour writes, it's 16,000 feet now we've left behind the last trace of green. He talks about, like, as they're this kind of weak-ish, as they're walking towards this glacier. It's like, it's quite beautiful. It's like a nice time of year. It's a lot of foliage. Yeah, the sun is quite warm. In the afternoon, it's like stripping down to a t-shirt and just walking. It's lovely.
Starting point is 00:47:15 We're never going to die. This is perfect. We're beyond that now. He says from that point on, it would be a barren monochromatic expanse of rock and wind-blown ice. And there's still a couple of days trek from Everest Base Camp as well. Krakow describes the group staying in Lube, a small settlement that was crowded with multiple climbing parties. There was a bit of a bottleneck at this point due to the unusually late and heavy snowfall. And this is where, like, there were so many people there, there was one, there's like one stone toilet.
Starting point is 00:47:45 So people are just having to shit just anywhere that it was creating like... A second Everest. It was creating a second Everest. North Face? Poop Everest. Wow. So they're just shitting in, that's lovely for the locals. There's tiny little cabins they can sleep in, but the bunks are like covered in lice and bedbugs.
Starting point is 00:48:06 And for fire, they're just... just burning yak dung, which doesn't burn particularly well. Oh, I must smell awful. Smells really bad. It's creating really bad fumes. So he's, like, coughing up a lot all the time. And this is the moment when you're determining who's a good hang, because the guy who keeps making the joke, like,
Starting point is 00:48:22 this isn't exactly the writs we're staying at. And then other people would come in. He's like, I was just saying to Rob it, this isn't exactly the writs we're staying it. Like, yeah, okay. Yeah, got a chuckle from the second group. I'll try this again. Here we go.
Starting point is 00:48:34 Here we go. I love this. Crack, I'll write about this in his book, I reckon. Yeah, this is good. John, write it down. Write that down. So it's like, it's overcrowded, it's awful, it's very unhygienic. They had planned just to stay the one night, but it was unexpectedly extended when word travelled back to Loubert that one of the climbing sherpers who had gone out ahead had fallen
Starting point is 00:48:56 in a crevasse. Oh no, was he okay? Yeah, he was hauled out by four other sherpers. Ball and hold. Ball and hold. But he was injured badly and needed help. So Rob Hall and Mike Grum. It wasn't a Tanzing Jr., was it?
Starting point is 00:49:08 It wasn't. Okay, great. So Rob Hall and Mike Groom left the rest of the group to go and rescue the Sherper and bring him back to safety. So they were delayed a little bit there, which was awful because the conditions were just horrific. Is this one of those situations where, if only this didn't happen, everything would have been okay? Probably not. This is not a hole in the Swiss cheese. I don't think so.
Starting point is 00:49:30 This is not a Tenerife, I don't think. By April 9, the rest of the Adventure Consultants group had the all clear to proceed with their climb, as Rob Hall and Mike Groom had managed to save the Sherper and get him to base camp where they would now wait for the rest of the group to join them. So they've kind of... Oh, they've gone ahead. Yeah, basically.
Starting point is 00:49:47 But there's still other guides with the clients so they can proceed. Yep. So having endured horrific conditions in Lubet, many of the group members were really sick. Like, even I think Andy Harris, who was one of the guides, the New Zealand guide,
Starting point is 00:50:04 was like shitting and vomiting, constantly but was just like I have to get out of here so he was almost crawling up the mountain did some gastro stop there might be some gastro stop at the next place yeah did they think about
Starting point is 00:50:16 checking the chemist so they were just desperate to get to base camp if only just to escape the filthy and unhygienic conditions that they were stuck in and you've paid so much money for this crazy
Starting point is 00:50:28 yeah this would have gone a long way in Europe yeah where's a hot towel or something yeah that evening they arrived at Everest Base Camp, which would be their home for the following six weeks. Wow. It's pretty crazy. Do you have any information about, like I am intrigued about how do you kill time?
Starting point is 00:50:45 Are you just so tired that you're napping and stuff? Well, you're doing a tossing the ball around a little bit? Yeah, I'm not really sure what they do. I mean, in the movie version, they're fading out. They're going six weeks later and we're just there. Yeah, yeah. We're skipping along a little bit. There probably is a bit of like, I don't know, playing cards, reading a book.
Starting point is 00:51:02 Oh, cards are classic. Cards are classic. They're probably doing that thing when you take it in terms to prepare dinner for the rest of the group that kind of being. Yeah, yep, yeah. But you're also kind of doing like, you're not just at base camp all day, every day for six weeks.
Starting point is 00:51:13 They're sort of, they'll do a little climb up a bit further, come back down. Do you mind, speaking of just like this being a little interlude sort of moment that we just go back to a little bit of comedy writers group podcast. Yep, absolutely.
Starting point is 00:51:25 Let's talk a bit about like pace in terms of how much an audience can pace themselves in regards to a podcast. Do people like an epic size podcast, you know, maybe they listen to it on a drive. And are you thinking as the person doing the report, is there enough joke opportunities in this? Is this a good one?
Starting point is 00:51:46 Typically, I would have that thought, but given that it's block and the people have asked for this, if there's no jokes in it, I'm like, well, you chose this. This is on you. You did this. Okay. I've done my job. Fucking, you do yours.
Starting point is 00:51:59 I put all of the blame and onus of my job onto the list. But it is also encouraging them to, to get on board because it is a relationship. That's right. Yeah, interesting. It is interesting. And if I can also be like, actually, I think that it's a thing like that.
Starting point is 00:52:14 That's more like what I do. That's my impression of you. I think you'll find comedy is easy. All right, great. Back to Dougal one. I've got a little list here of like the altitudes. Dave has been writing the mold down. Too many names.
Starting point is 00:52:33 Of the altitudes of the different camps. but they really mean very little to me. Still, I find that interesting, yeah, because the whole idea is that you go to a bit, acclimatized to that bit and then push ahead, is that right? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then, like you're saying, you go up, even for a day, you go up a little bit, then you come back down,
Starting point is 00:52:48 so you can breathe easier at night. But you literally, like, you go and do a bit of a climb. Let's say they go from base camp to camp one. They feel so sick that then they go back down to base camp because they've become a little bit used to that. And then the next time you push back up, You don't feel as sick. And this is what's called edging, right?
Starting point is 00:53:07 It's edging. They're edging the mountain. Edging towards disaster. That's right. So base camp is at, do you want meters or feet? I've got both. Maybe both. Because there are...
Starting point is 00:53:17 Yeah, we want it in inches. Base camps at 5,364 meters or 17.5,000 feet. Okay, that's already like so much tall than Gosco, right? Oh, yeah. And is Everest known as a grower or a shower? It's a shower. Okay. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:53:33 Camp 1 is 6,000 and 65 metres or 19,000 feet. So they're all kind of like 1,500 to 2,000 feet from each other, which isn't that far. But that's up. Correct. Can I clarify something as well in terms of measuring things? Is base camp when the climb begins or does leaving the airport? I feel like the airport would already start to feel like I'm starting to climb.
Starting point is 00:54:01 Like I'm on the hike. I'm on the expedition. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But base camp, and once again, if we can get phallic about this, do you start measuring from the base or do you start measuring from where you're, the balls, the airport are the balls, I guess.
Starting point is 00:54:16 Well, I think the balls are probably sea level, right? That's how we're measuring this chode. Okay, interesting. Yeah, let's make the balls sea level. Okay. So then... You're measuring from the balls? Because I think tip to taint is the expression maybe
Starting point is 00:54:35 Right Yeah look it's tough I'm not 100% sure He doesn't mention it in those terms It doesn't come up Crackauer never made the connection Really god He doesn't say
Starting point is 00:54:46 Because they love flowery language Like oh we're at the shaft We're about to mount the shaft Yeah Yeah I'm also just I'm feeling like It's not my space to make these These comments as someone who doesn't have a penis
Starting point is 00:54:59 Oh, okay. You know what I mean? Yeah, but you've been around them. How dare you? As one of the sexiest jesters. My parents listen to this. They don't. No, she hasn't.
Starting point is 00:55:12 Not our little girl. So what level are we at? Camp two. Do you want all of them? How many are there? Four and then the summit. Yeah, no, we've got time for this. Okay.
Starting point is 00:55:23 So, okay, I think I did Camp 1. So Camp 2 is 6,400 metres or 21,000 feet. Camp 3 is 7,000. 200 metres or 23.5,000 feet. Camp four is 7,920 meters or 26,000 feet. That's crazy. You're not even at the top. You're at 8,000 meters. The top is 500, 225,600 meters. Dave doesn't get it because he doesn't like musicals, but that's really good. That's a song from. What's it from? Is that come from away? No. It's from rent. Is it really? Yes. Oh my God, I thought it was from, I would have sworn it. I think you'll find it's from
Starting point is 00:55:58 Fid the on the roof. We've got our musical expert Marcel here who's seen every musical except four labours. And finally the summit at 8,849 metres or 29,000 feet. Say that again. 8,849 meters,
Starting point is 00:56:17 29,000 feet. That's so crazy. You would just feel heaps. Like when you're actually climbing it, you're like, you're not thinking about numbers, I feel. I feel you'd be like, this is just a lot. That's a lot, but you are thinking numbers if you didn't quite make it.
Starting point is 00:56:31 People are like, oh, really, you only got to 8,700. Yeah, that's true. I mean, commercial planes typically fly between 30,000 and 42,000 feet. And if you're at the summit, you're at 29,000 feet. So basically where planes fly. You can wave to planes. You know, when you're on a plane and it has the map and it says the temperature outside, it's always like minus 40 degrees.
Starting point is 00:56:53 Yeah, why do we need to know that? It's always terrifying, isn't it? And I'm pumping up the fan above me because I'm hot. But that's unbelievable that they're that high. Yeah. You've ever been high, man? Like, you're at a height that if the plane, the window, like, smashes, they have to drop down oxygen or you'll pass out, like, in seconds.
Starting point is 00:57:15 And they just live in there. And we've got people who are climbing without supplemental oxygen, yeah. Wow. It's pretty crazy. So I mentioned there was a lot of different climbing group. on the mountain at this time and the 1996 season had a particularly high number
Starting point is 00:57:30 of climbers sort of the coverage on Everest all aiming for the summit during the narrow window of favourable weather which is sort of April to May before monsoon weather hits Yeah you got to go out of there
Starting point is 00:57:43 before block Yeah you got to get out of there If you're actually thinking about if you are listening to this on the mountain during block You should go back down Yeah I would go back down try again You don't often offer
Starting point is 00:57:55 mountaineering advice on this podcast But having heard that, I reckon, unless you're that guy that's been there for 10 years. I mean, you're... Beck Wethers. He's like a mountain goat at this point. Do you think we should give more mountaineering advice? I think it wouldn't hurt. Because also, you never know what context people are listening to.
Starting point is 00:58:11 Always carry an extra carabina. And if you're also, for any hikes at all, Death Valley, a lot of people die in that. I don't know if you've heard about that, because people don't take enough water. Yeah. They take more water. I mean, probably don't have to do that on Everest. Surrounded by the shit. Melt the snow.
Starting point is 00:58:26 Yeah. But then you have to make sure that you're... I've watched a lot of those mountaineering movies, like Vertical Limit with the Chris O'Donnell. You familiar with his work? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Was he Robin?
Starting point is 00:58:38 I think there was that one called Touching the... What is he, Robin? Touching the void, I think. Yeah, touching the void. Dave's done a report on that story. That also put me off, trying to climb me in. I wasn't on that episode, but I listened to it while I was away on holiday. And I was like, I should never come back to this podcast.
Starting point is 00:58:50 This is one of the best we've ever done. And I wasn't there. But yeah, that I was like... I'm actually team Jess. shut up Marcel He refuses to listen to episodes John, I don't know Yeah, fair enough
Starting point is 00:59:01 But that, yeah, that story was just harrowing But incredible And yeah, same I'd be like, I'd never be in that situation This is crazy Yeah, every time I was doing that report
Starting point is 00:59:14 I was thinking These people have chosen to be here Yeah It's the same with these people There's a lot of people Have paid their life saved Like the post guy That's years and years and years
Starting point is 00:59:24 of saving to do this. I remember, too, some people think what we do is crazy. Yeah. You know, oh, I could never do a podcast. I could never go on stage. Like, we are climbing Everest every week in some people's minds. Recently, we were reflecting on a particular night in New Orleans on our U.S. holiday last year. Like, oh, I can hear the blues music.
Starting point is 00:59:47 We got up and did karaoke. And everyone was having a really good time at this karaoke, and we were like cheering along for everybody else who got up there and then we got up and nobody gave us anything. No. It was brutal. What? What did you sing? Nine to five.
Starting point is 01:00:02 We did Dolly, of course. That's appropriate. Bit of fun. So we got up, we're doing nine to five. People are just staring at us, giving us nothing. And Aiden said, that was the like, oh man, I've never bombed so hard in front of people. And I was like, I have. Man, that was nothing.
Starting point is 01:00:16 I was like, what are you mean? What do you think it was? Is it one of those stairway to heaven situations or the My Way murders in Korea where you can't sing my way is a nine to five rule. I don't know. Maybe, because people are trying to let their hair down, Jess. People are trying to enjoy their night off.
Starting point is 01:00:31 And I'm reminding them of work. You're reminding them of work. But I'm also reminding them of Dolly. And she's a vacation in a person. You can't do nine to five. You can't do work bitch. There's a lot of, you can't remind them about their day job.
Starting point is 01:00:44 You can't do return to sender. You remind the postman about his job. Great song though. Work bitch is very good too. Return to sender. Yeah. I've got no doubt that you and Edna were up there killing it too I've got no doubt you should have chosen no doubt
Starting point is 01:00:58 That would have been a bop Yeah don't speak And put a wig on for fuck sake Like we put a wig What? He bombed in a wig That's a hard bomb Yeah Because also you go and check me out
Starting point is 01:01:08 This is going to be fun Much in the way that that guy said This isn't exactly the Ritz Like it's that it's that vibe of this is going to be real fun We were all having a good time How did we kill the vibe But yeah he was like God Maybe there's someone who passed away the week
Starting point is 01:01:20 Before that looks just like Aiden in a wig and they thought it was in poor taste that you were coming on stage and doing that act. You know what, that's got to be it. Or did the host get back up afterwards and be like, okay, everyone, I'm just going to do a couple now to reset. Maybe 9 to 5 in an Australian accent sounds like American slurs. Yeah, and they're like, what the fuck? This is offensive. Tumble out of bed and I stumble to the kitchen.
Starting point is 01:01:45 What? You said a word? Pour myself a cup of ambition. Maybe you were just bad. Did you think about that? No doubt about that. But the whole night there had just been one man
Starting point is 01:01:58 doing the worm across the floor. Well, that's good. And he kept dropping his wallet. It kept coming out of his pants as he wormed across the floor. Somebody had to keep picking up his wallet and handing it to him. This man danced like a maniac.
Starting point is 01:02:13 I got videos. This guy rules. I need to see the... A man doing the worm with his wallet. His wallet just kept falling out. I thought we were all having a good time. But people do not like it, and Aden got a sense of what it feels like to be a stand-up and bomb in front of a small crowd. Now, back to the mountain, this is another fun activity they could be doing.
Starting point is 01:02:31 Karaoke. The worm. The worm. Don't do the worm on the mountain. The worm. That's in the safety briefing that they give you. No worm. Parasin break dance moves you're allowed to do. You can pop and you can lock.
Starting point is 01:02:43 Oh, you can freeze. Oh, you can definitely freeze. But yeah, when you get the brochure from, they're like, yeah, we're pretty crazy here in Mountain Addness. But you can't. To the worm. We draw the line at the worm. We had to implement that rule after we lost Greg. Sorry, Craig.
Starting point is 01:03:00 Craig wormed off the moon. Okay. Yeah, that's how I want to go. That's how I want to go. You've got yours. You've got yours. You go first by worming off the mountain and then I laugh at the mountain. And you land on top of me.
Starting point is 01:03:15 I'm like, oh, God. And I'm at the bottom of the mountain not climbing it. And that's how I want to go. Crushed by my mates. The dream. And I will be putting up like a wily coyote type sign, like right before you guys. Says Yelp? Yeah.
Starting point is 01:03:32 Says, uh-oh. Yeah, oh-oh, it's good. As you hear, me-hmm. Yeah, what is that? You got a mosquito on the mountain? It's just laughing. I'm looking around, hitting my arms with a mosquito. Getting out a can of a cartoon-sized red spray or something.
Starting point is 01:03:48 Okay. So they've made it to base. I'm here playing the role of Matt. Matt would have done this. I love it. Yeah, okay, great. They make the plan to go for the summit on May 10th. Forecast predicts a window of ideal climbing weather.
Starting point is 01:04:07 They're like, that's the day we're going to do it. Great. So shortly after midnight on 10th of May, 1996, the Adventure Consultants. You got to get your eight hours. They go early. I think just to allow as much time as possible and probably the better climbing conditions. What's the sunlight situation?
Starting point is 01:04:24 I know some parts of the world that, you know, it's light in the night time. Are they doing this by torchlight? Or they got little... I'd say it's dark, yeah. I think so. Pretty close to the equator, aren't they? Yeah.
Starting point is 01:04:37 They could touch it. Yeah. So it's less extreme. Okay. So it's dark. It's dark. It's the wee hours of the morning, and they take off from Camp 4,
Starting point is 01:04:49 and they quickly encounter delays. the climbing Sherpers and guides had not set the fixed ropes by this time by the time the team reached the balcony which is at 8,350 metres or 27,000 feet and this cost the climbers about an hour. By late morning they'd reached the Hillary Step. This is from Wikipedia.org, a Mount Everest website. Oh, yeah.
Starting point is 01:05:11 I've been on there. Wiki is Latin for mountain. Yes. And so the Hillary Step is a 40-foot vertical rock face that sat 8,790 metres, or 28,800 feet above sea level on the southeast ridge of Mount Everest. Located halfway between the South Summit and the true summit,
Starting point is 01:05:28 the Hillary Step was the most technically difficult part of the typical Nepal-side Everest climb and the last real challenge before reaching the top of the mountain. Now, I was wondering why it was written about in past tense and then I read, the rock face was destroyed by a 2015 earthquake. Oh, shit. Did you know the Hillary Step's not there anymore? No, damn.
Starting point is 01:05:47 Isn't that crazy? I feel like we should have been told about this. That's it. I'm not going. The only ones we got the classic way But isn't that wild That means it's easier now So anyone climbing it now
Starting point is 01:05:54 You're like Oh you didn't have to do the Hillary step Yeah When did you do the worm on the way up Yeah Yeah So are you wearing bloody floaties on the way up mate Got your training wheels on
Starting point is 01:06:04 Do it in your crocs with your no toes Oh yeah But isn't that wild too That like right It's like you're so close to the summit And here's the hardest part of the climb Yeah that would be really hard Is that the hardest part
Starting point is 01:06:16 That Coldplay is thinking about In that song? Yes In that song yellow, yeah. Yeah. Fun little misdirect there. Thank you. That's what they call you.
Starting point is 01:06:28 Misses direct. What are your notes on that joke? I think it's good fun. Like there's a nice pullback reveal. There's a nice sort of, oh yeah, we all know what the game is here. But then just having that little bit of a laugh of what if I was to just change us at the last moment. And then to have another sort of tag of now I'm having fun with my friend Dave to show how much I relish in it.
Starting point is 01:06:47 It makes for a good fun experience. Yeah, great. Because I think that sort of joke was a, it's a nice moment of connection between us as performers. But then, you know, I wanted to bring Dave in as well. And it was a group thing as well. Like, we all contributed to it. Yeah. And you were having fun with what I set up, which is pure improv really, is to make sure it's not a one-person show.
Starting point is 01:07:07 It's a group's experience. Yeah, that's nice. And you can sign up to the comedy writers group, Patreon, $5 in month, Unlocks bonus episodes every week. So there you go. You could hear this again. Mm-hmm. You edited the little bits together. What are we at three minutes?
Starting point is 01:07:21 Well, actually, A.J. O'Connor, if you wouldn't mind cutting out the comedy writers group parts, that would be... No, keep them in this episode, but, like, give me a copy and paste. Nah, they don't get paid for that. So they're now entering the death zone, which is basically altitudes above 8,000 metres. I'm hoping that one of the Sherpas turned back and said that to him, like, to go, we're now entering. And then dramatic pause turn around the death zone. Take off the sunglasses? Yeah.
Starting point is 01:07:47 And now the Sherpers behind him was. an electric guitar, it goes to be their favorite part to cross into the death zone and let the people that you're with know that they're in the death zone now. But for the Sherpas, it's like going to the shops. Like, it's just, it's so easy, whatever. Yeah, we call it the chemist. Yeah, but for you, I guess it's the death zone. Also, love the idea that you go from 7,999.
Starting point is 01:08:07 Oh, no, the dead zone. Oh, I'm out of the road. Oh, I'm dead. I'm alive. I'm dead. I'm alive. Please don't not hot between the dead zone and the nut dead zone. Whoa, whoa, whoa. I cannot stress how precarious this is. That's why you see that long line up Everest in those photos. People just doing that too.
Starting point is 01:08:22 Oh, I'm in. I'm out. I'm out. So it's in the death zone, the Hillary step. It was class four on the climbing difficulty scale. I don't really know what that means. Out of. Five.
Starting point is 01:08:35 One expedition noted that climbing the Hillary step was strenuous and offered little to no escape from unpredictable, rapidly changing weather. So it's a tough part of the climb. Because it's vertically, you literally like just on a rope sort of rock climb. climbing up. I think so. Whilst terrible weather, no oxygen, you feel like shit. It's really tough. I was picturing a thrust.
Starting point is 01:08:54 Like, you have to go, like, upside down and back around, but it's just, it's just upwards. You thought they had to go upside down and back around? Like the, you said a balcony at one stage, they're sort of climbing the ceiling and then go, like Tom Cruise style. Wow. Like the start of Mission Impossible. I haven't watched that 12-hour video that Dave loves on YouTube. Let me bring it up now.
Starting point is 01:09:13 So I'm not 100% sure. Yeah, okay. Yeah, but challenging. It's challenging. So anyway, they've made it to the Hillary step and yet again discover that the fixed lines hadn't been placed and again were delayed for at least an hour while lines were fixed.
Starting point is 01:09:25 And can we get a little time update, not on the episode, but on the... How many months were they into the climate at this stage? This is like, well, they started March, we're into mid-May, so they're like six weeks in. And what's the vibe, but they run out of conversation? There's nothing new. They know everything.
Starting point is 01:09:42 How many kids do you have? Oh, I mentioned my kids when we first met. Oh, okay. Yeah, but I forgot. Just tell me again. How many kids do you have now? You've been away a long time. Yeah. Your wife's given birth because you just decided to fuck off.
Starting point is 01:09:55 There were over 30 climbers attempting the summit that day. Wow. And there was a bottleneck at the single fixed line. So there was a rule that climbers had to reach the summit before 2pm, which is basically the latest safe time to turn around to get back to camp for. Yes, that's right. 2pm, okay. So 2pm, if you're, occasionally, so like with Doug Hansen the year before,
Starting point is 01:10:18 they were not going to make it to the summer. They were on their way, but they weren't going to make it by two, so they turned around early. That must be a pretty tricky call to make. Absolutely. But I suppose if you have that 2pm fixed time you go, that's the rule. Yeah. If you're going to be a minute after that, it's not safe.
Starting point is 01:10:34 I think you'd be saying that to everyone. And it wasn't that I couldn't do it. It was the 2pm rule. I wanted to go. Yeah, I was feeling good. But at the nanny state up there, you know, they told me I had to come back down. So given the delays due to the bottleneck,
Starting point is 01:10:47 as well as concerns of running out of supplemental oxygen. Several climbers turned around at this point to return to camp for. And if I may permit myself just one of these for the episode. Supplemental oxygen. And that's from... Is that come from away? What is that? So climbing without supplemental oxygen,
Starting point is 01:11:08 the guide Anatoly Buchrev from Mountain Madness, he was the first to reach the summit at about one o'clock. Bit after one. Yes, I am the first to reach this. summit. What do you mean you need bottle of oxygen? I got bottle of vodka. It is actually very easy. I walk up here. I was talking into cell phone at the same time. Yeah, the only bottleneck I was worried about was holding onto the bottleneck of my vodka. You Americans, you think too much about the climbing. I see the summit. Good view. Back again. I go home now. So he spent about
Starting point is 01:11:42 an hour and a half at the summit. He was helping other climbers get to the top. That's so many selfies. Too many. He's taking photos of everybody. Oh, would you mind taking a photo and me? Right, the last one, last one, last one. But if he got there at one and he's there for an hour and a half, what time are we up to? Uh-oh, that's 2.30pm. That's when he turns around and starts to go back down.
Starting point is 01:11:59 But once you're up there, you're allowed to turn around or so he should be going down earlier. I remember 2.30 as well, that's when you should be making your dentist appointments. Absolutely. I agree. For comedic purposes. But outside of comedic purposes? It's just pretty convenient time
Starting point is 01:12:17 Are you mad at him for that? Do you think the receptionist Would mention it though Like you've got to giggle at that If you're the receptions that are dental officers And oh, it's 2.30, okay? And they're like, yeah, that's fine. They're like, 2.30?
Starting point is 01:12:29 Huh? Huh? Come on. I'm a dentist receptionist. I need this. I need you to giggle. I'm 230. Give me the laugh.
Starting point is 01:12:38 And I need the person. And they're like, I'm in a lot of pain. It's actually an emergency. I need it bumped up way earlier. Could it be now? I'm outside. So Anatoly starts to come back down around 2.30. So it's so long time up there.
Starting point is 01:12:54 I assume that you go up there for like three or four minutes. Everyone gets their turn and because it's so high, you go back down. And Aaron is a long time. Because he's one of the guides. He's sort of helping the others. Okay, of course. That makes sense. I hate to be allowed to be up here longer.
Starting point is 01:13:06 Oh, I think you're supposed to go down. No, I'm actually allowed. He's not allowed. He's not able to be here for a few minutes. I can be here for a long, long time. Okay, I don't need your little... I lost the accent. I can't get back into it.
Starting point is 01:13:22 Vodka. Vodka. I don't need your little bottle oxygen. I like me Russian. Yeah, I like your Russian too. Commit to it for the rest of the block. I'm attracted to myself. Commit to it.
Starting point is 01:13:35 So by that time, a bunch of the adventure consultants like Hall and Krakauer, Andy Harris, Biedelman, the Japanese woman, Namba. made it, and a couple of the Mountain Madness clients, they'd all reached the summit. Crackauer talks about his... This is embarrassing, Jess, you've forgotten about this disaster part. This is just a happy trip. What a day out. They all made it.
Starting point is 01:13:58 Well, it was a great episode. I'm not happy to hear about. That's fun. Crackauer talks about his regret that he only brought two bottles of oxygen with him. He left his third at, I think, Camp 3, thinking he wouldn't need it, so why carry the extra seven pounds? It's about three kilos. Oh, no.
Starting point is 01:14:11 But once he reached the summit, he had less than an hour of oxygen left in his tank. It's like when you're packing and your partner is like, oh, do you think you should get extra underpants? And you go, no, I'll just put them inside out. And they go, that's gross. It doesn't work if you've shit yourself. And you always shit yourself. I say he had less than an hour. I think from his book, it was like 15 minutes.
Starting point is 01:14:32 Like he didn't not have long on the other than an hour. And he's made it more exciting for the book. Yeah. So he spent seven seconds of oxygen. So like Dave was saying, he literally spent a couple of minutes at the summit, took a couple of photos of his friends. and then turned around. And you'd be holding your breath the whole time to save oxygen as well. I've got to get the fuck out of here.
Starting point is 01:14:50 Even if it's a blurry photo as well, you'd be hating that. Yeah, it's good. Someone's like, do you want a photo of you? No, no, no, my breath. I'm so fucking tired. I didn't even want to do this, really. You'd really have to think about who you're climbing Everest with as well because Aiden, my husband takes a terrible photo.
Starting point is 01:15:08 Oh, and back then, you don't know. He wouldn't know for three months. And I'd get it back and I'm like, why my eyes closed? I have an entire album on my phone that I've called Photos Aden has taken of me, and they're all horrific. Yeah, people that just do a one and done, they're like, yeah, got it. I don't trust that. I don't trust that.
Starting point is 01:15:27 You give me your phone for a photo. I'm getting angles. But here is, well, the thing about this, too, they've been climbing for so long to make sure you're like, did you save enough film for those summit photos? Oh, no, I took all those, we were doing those silly photos that one night, we got drunk on the mountain, we did silly ones. or like they'd run it they didn't realize
Starting point is 01:15:46 they'd use the last of the film yesterday and they haven't put a new role in I left it down with my oxygen tank all we do what my wife did my wife Eleanor who went to India last month and you know you don't go on a holiday so you want to see some photos from it
Starting point is 01:16:02 all the photos that she took could have been anywhere there's no landmarks in any other photos she's like he's like work trip to India and there's like Mumbai McDonald's you would not know
Starting point is 01:16:13 I've heard this from both of you now because I had coffee with her not long after She got so defensive about it She's like it was hard to take photos You know you're being shuffled along Yeah yeah yeah And it's like fair enough Taking a photo on a train
Starting point is 01:16:26 And you're like that could be a train anywhere Yeah take a photo of just one thing With a landmark in it It's a selfie in a bathroom And you're like that can be a bathroom anywhere I don't know what that is That's so funny She know they've got beds here
Starting point is 01:16:37 Yeah Take a photo on the bed Pretty good Take a photo at least with as welcome to Dubai Or something Yeah yeah Just something. I mean, Mumbai.
Starting point is 01:16:44 That's really funny. I, um, and I'd be there on top of it, Man Everest being really annoying. Like, I've smuggled a pie for a pastogram for that. It's like, it's like, it's moldy. I'm like, just take the photo, just take the fucking photo. And people are like, what? Just because you can't post on. People back home will get it.
Starting point is 01:17:00 They'll get it back on. You can't post on Instagram unless it's pie related. How else will anyone know I went to Mount Everest? It's a funny thing that I do. I've been thinking about my caption the whole time up here. I remember here for that, okay? I'm going to call it Mount Piver. Yeah, what would your caption be?
Starting point is 01:17:15 Not that that Marcells wasn't perfect, which it was, but just in case you wanted to workshop any others. How about, I've made it to the upper crust. Oh, that's really good. That's good. I was going to talk about like the tallest pie. Pie in the sky is good. Tallest pie.
Starting point is 01:17:30 It actually isn't because I've done them on planes before. Set of the record for tallest pie is funny, yeah. I've done them on planes. I've done. I've done it. I've done a pie applied. I've asked the flight to do that take a photo. me in my pie?
Starting point is 01:17:45 So, okay, so crack hours made it to the top, but he's, he's on his way back down because he's like, fuck this. Hall's lead Sherper, Dorje, and other climbing Sherpers waited at the summit for their other clients. Near three o'clock, they began their descent. And they're all pointing at their watches in that sort of pass-ag sort of fashion of like, who would do that? Who would point at their watch passive aggressively?
Starting point is 01:18:09 Yep, every time I beat just to the studio, I'm always like, What time do you call us? We're so in sync that recently we've been parking our cars at the exact same time and then it's a race to get out and like tap your watch. And there's nothing sweeter than pulling into the street here and seeing Jess's car isn't here. Second thing sweeter, pulling out. And seeing Jess's car isn't there.
Starting point is 01:18:39 Okay. That was brought to you by Matt Stewart. I know he'd say something. filthy yeah he's disgusting so it's 3 p.m. 3 o'clock the sherpers are heading back down which seems very late yeah but remember in the simpsons when the sherper's just cartwheel down the power source episode yeah with brenn fraser it's basically that i guess it's they've got a different cut off time because it's much easier they're thinking about oh 315 school gets out to go get to pick up the kids and then i'll come back i got ages
Starting point is 01:19:04 back down on the way down a d'orje encountered client doug hansin the postal worker just above the Hillary step and ordered him to turn around and descend. But Hansen, he didn't respond verbally, but he shook his head and he pointed upwards. So he's still trying to go up at 3 o'clock. I believe he said something like, mm, rock, climb and rock,
Starting point is 01:19:25 mm, rock. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then one of the chauffeurs goes, that's a good sound. I've got to tell my friends back home about this. Yeah, I'm going to tell Zach Isaac and Taylor about this. And it's like, Zach Issaac and Taylor, those are the names of my three younger brothers.
Starting point is 01:19:39 The last name's spelled differently So like I mentioned before Hansen had attempted the summit the year prior And he'd missed out on reaching the top Due to Hall Turning them around before the 2pm cutoff He's like this year's going to be different Yeah so Hall had invited him back
Starting point is 01:19:55 He's like come come do it again Oh is it the kind of thing where like you do a tour And it's like you're going to go see seals or something Or dolphins and like if you don't see dolphins You can come again the next day for free But he's come back the next year for two months It's crazy And you would not see any dolphins
Starting point is 01:20:08 up there. No. That's the crazy part. Yeah, so like, why are you climbing ever as to see dolphins? Yeah, it's weird.
Starting point is 01:20:13 Go to the ocean. Don't make that a guarantee of the trip. Yeah. I mean, you've got to set yourself aside from your competitors. None of them.
Starting point is 01:20:20 That's true. Madness too is what a... Yeah, they're not... Madness. They don't have dolphins. They're not guaranteeing if you don't see dolphins. So is this whole,
Starting point is 01:20:27 is it the same guy that said turn around again? Yeah. And he's like, not again, hall. Oh, no. It's the Sherpers who are like, dude,
Starting point is 01:20:35 it's three o'clock, you've got to go. But he's just going, he's going to the top. The Sherper's unaware of your main character syndrome. Yeah. And he was very determined, obviously, to make it. Hall gets there.
Starting point is 01:20:45 And the Sherpers are like, we can, we'll take, we can take Doug to the summit. Oh, okay. We'll take him. Don't they know they're in the middle of a disaster episode? Yeah. Goodness gracious. But Hall says to the Sherpers, he's like, you go down, assist the other clients, stash some oxygen canisters along the way.
Starting point is 01:21:00 I'm going to help Doug Hansen get to the top. Because I think Doug had run out of supplementary oxygen. So Hall's like, I'll stay with him with oxygen. We're going to go to the top. You go back down and look after everybody else. When are the bad Sherpers coming into it? Here's the thing. I don't think the Sherpers are the bad guys.
Starting point is 01:21:20 No, like there's like a bad team. Yeah. All the Sherpers that have died on the mountain, they like come back as like Ghosts Sherpers. Ooh. Yeah. That's actually cool. That's actually very cool.
Starting point is 01:21:28 I'd watch the shit out of that. Who's in it? Doesn't matter. I'm watching. So Mountain Madness leader, Scott Fisher. reached the summit at 3.45, exhausted and increasingly ill, possibly suffering from high-altitude pulmonary edema or high-altitude cerebral enema. AKA mountain madness. Mountain madness.
Starting point is 01:21:49 Oh, no. And 3-45, and he's the leader feeling bad. Yeah. Oh, that's not a good sign. And so pulmonary or cerebral, it's either lungs or brain swelling. It's due to that high altitude. By this time, the weather was changing, light was diminishing. and snow was starting to fall.
Starting point is 01:22:09 The worsening weather began causing difficulties for the descending team members. In fact, worsening weather is a bit of an understatement because what was developing was in fact a full-on blizzard. Uh-oh. The blizzard on the southwest face of Everest was reducing visibility, burying the fixed ropes and obliterating the trail between Camp 4 that the teams had broken on the ascent. So it's now, it's a bit disorienting.
Starting point is 01:22:30 Just go down, though, I reckon. Yeah, start to head down. If you're feeling like your quads are really burning, you're probably going up. So it's not like when you're in the ocean or in space, you're like, oh, which way's up? You know, I don't know where I'm going. It's like, yeah, just go downward. Go down.
Starting point is 01:22:45 You're like, I kept climbing. I climbed higher than the top. I woke up and I was like on the top top. Maybe they hear that thing, you know, of, I believe, maybe it wasn't the touching the void one of climbing through the crevaths. Maybe they think, oh, the only way out of the situation is up again. Keep climbing up. Makes you think
Starting point is 01:23:07 A bit more mountaineering advice Yes We need more of that Yeah just keep climbing up Unless you want to go down They keep climbing down So those who hadn't turned around Before that 2pm cut off
Starting point is 01:23:17 We're now in a bit of strife A bit of strife And one final thing from the Touching the Void episode I think it was something like 80% of accidents Happen on the way On the descent
Starting point is 01:23:25 It's the same thing Like when you're driving home They say like most car accidents happen in the last five minutes Of your journey Like it's way more dangerous You become complacent I think a bit of complacent
Starting point is 01:23:33 I think you're a bit of complacency, desperation to get home. Need to shit. The keys in the door, you're thinking about, yeah, going to the bathroom. Oh,
Starting point is 01:23:41 oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. So I start slowly releasing now. Timing at five minutes, okay. Edging the mountain. It's about time to slowly release it now. Slowly releasing. Oh, red light.
Starting point is 01:23:54 Back in. Oh, got a green turn signal. Didn't expect that. I also have to factor in that every time I need the toilet, Aiden's already on the toilet Oh my God Every time He's already on there
Starting point is 01:24:07 He's already on there Jesus It is embarrassed This happened to me the other day It is embarrassing When the partner says You know I need to use the toilet now
Starting point is 01:24:14 Because like You've been taking some time Like I've just been on my phone I don't like I don't like being called out In that moment It's a vulnerable moment There have been like
Starting point is 01:24:24 brushing my teeth And I see Aden go into the toilet And I go no No I'm going first And then you take your time And I'm going first What do you
Starting point is 01:24:32 What are your plans in there? What are your plans? Just wheeze. And I'm like, that's still going to take 45 minutes. Sorry to call you out like that, Aden. But he's not listening. This sounds like disaster is brewing, can I just say. In Jess and Aden's marriage?
Starting point is 01:24:50 Yeah. Honestly. You've got to get a second toilet or you will be... We've all thought that for many years. Yeah, my dream is a place with two toilets. Really side by side? Ideally. I dream of world peace.
Starting point is 01:25:02 Oh, no. No, I dream of a house with two toilets. Okay. And can I just say that two toilets is a step towards a world? That's true. If every house had two toilets. You got me there. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:25:10 Well done. Because my world would be more peaceful. Yeah. You pass that on. Pay it forward. Yeah, I'd be nicer. So, yeah, the people who hadn't turned around, they're in a bit of strife. In fact, John Crackow said that of the 24 people that summited that day, only six got to the summit before 2pm.
Starting point is 01:25:27 And they'd be in more strife because Crackow's typing this. And he's like, oh, I just got to finish this bit. as he's on the mountain blocking the line of people it's like we need to get out it's like yeah but this is important
Starting point is 01:25:38 I gotta get it fresh I gotta finish this there are other ways to record this if I don't write it down right now take record shit while you're walking and he's like no
Starting point is 01:25:45 this is how I work I like the typewriter this is my art I released a best seller last year okay this year same year
Starting point is 01:25:52 he's crazy someone's gonna record this disaster that's happening right now and I'm the one to do it he's like things actually just got interesting
Starting point is 01:25:58 I've been waiting for something to happen so Scott Fisher the leader of Mountain Madness, he was unable to descend below the balcony, sort of a platform at the southeast ridge at 27,000 feet. Because? Visibility.
Starting point is 01:26:14 He was unwell, a whole bunch of things. He wasn't able to get there. They left, a bunch of Sherpers left Taiwanese climber Macaloo Gao with Scott Fisher, and the, oh, and a Sherper stayed with them as well, because Gao also couldn't proceed. Eventually, the Fisher convinced the Sherper to go and leave him and gow. He's like, you've got to get out of here. Oh, wow.
Starting point is 01:26:42 Go on without me? Yeah. Because there is a rule. Are you going to bring this up that if you die on the mountain, your body's just left there? For the most part, that is correct. Wow. Yeah. It's too hard to, yeah, it's too dangerous for everybody else who's trying to bring your body down.
Starting point is 01:26:58 Because isn't there even, I think this changed maybe recently, maybe with the earth. earthquake as well, that there has been corpses that are landmarks up the mountain. That's right. And Green Boots. Green Boots is going to come up later. Oh. Do you think you're trying to get yourself. Is this the origin of Green Boots?
Starting point is 01:27:13 Yeah. Oh, my goodness. No. This has been a Green Boots origin story the whole time. We believe so. Oh, this is like that M Night Shyamalan movie that you realize was actually like when you watch Split. Have you seen Split?
Starting point is 01:27:24 No. It's split is actually like a secret prequel to Unbreakable. It's on the Unbreakable universe. So this was a surprise. Well, not anymore. I'm surprised. Sorry, I was showing off my mountaineering knowledge. Which I think I've been peppering slowly.
Starting point is 01:27:42 Yeah, that's really good. Yeah, you haven't been showy about it, which I appreciate it. I think here's everything I know about mountains. Yeah. It's got to be appropriate. Do you think the spare carabina that I talked about is going to come in handy for any of these? Oh, I reckon it could have saved a lot of lives. They should have had it.
Starting point is 01:27:57 Do you think if you're going on the mountain, you're trying to get yourself in a cool position? how do you mean like if you're like I'm gonna die here my body will be left here people walk past it like you try and like flip the bird
Starting point is 01:28:08 or something I'm throwing sharkers yeah yeah that'd be fun but also like making sure my posture is good I'd do like a funny one where I'd point
Starting point is 01:28:15 I'd point towards something so they think that that's like the way to go but it's actually into a hole or something it's off the clue because like they'd be laughing while they're following
Starting point is 01:28:23 they're like oh it got me that's funny you're taking people down with you I respect that meanwhile so so Hall is also up, he had gone up with Hansen. He radioed for help saying that Hansen had fallen unconscious but was still alive. Who are you radioing? Down to like the camps, the rest of the team.
Starting point is 01:28:43 Gosh, they can't help you. Not at this point because the weather's so bad they can't safely get up to you. That said, at about 5.30, adventure consultants guide Andy Harris, carrying supplemental oxygen and water, began climbing alone from the South Summit towards Hansen and Hall at the top of Hillary's step. Really, he's just going to try and get him. He's going up to help them. By this time, according to Krakow, the weather had deteriorated into a full-scale blizzard, writing snow pellets born on 70 mile per hour wind stung my face.
Starting point is 01:29:11 That's 110Ks an hour. Can you give us some of those wind sound effects you were doing before? Ow! Oh, that's good. Was that good? Yeah, that's great. We're going to need to clean this mic. Somebody remind me to clean this mic after.
Starting point is 01:29:26 Several climbers got lost on the South Cole during the storm. Mountain Madness Guide, Beatleman and clients Cleve Shonning, Fox, Madsden, Pittman, and Gamalgard, along with Adventure Consultant Guide, Mike Groom, and clients Beckweathers and Yusuko Namba, wandered into the blizzard until they could no longer walk. Oh my God, that's so many people. They ended up huddling together some 20 metres or 66 feet from a drop-off off the east face. Oh, they're riding next to a cliff. Yeah, because you can't see.
Starting point is 01:29:58 So there's a group of them at least huddled together. Near midnight, the blizzard cleared sufficiently for the team to see Camp Four. Because that's the thing, they couldn't navigate because they don't know where they are. Just add a little bit of dramatization like those doco dramas. Like, there'd be people go, we got to trim back. We got to keep moving. This was all your idea. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:30:18 Madness. Yeah, there'd be a lot of that. This isn't exactly the Ritz. You know, that sort of stuff. It's like, this killed at Camp Parade. I swear. I'm trying to get a laugh at it. And everyone's like, fucking hate this guy.
Starting point is 01:30:32 But midnight, that's hours later. They've been huddling for so long. Yeah. So they could finally now see Camp 4, which was 200 metres away. Oh, my gosh. Wow. So Beatleman Groom, Shoning, and Gamble Guard set off to find help. Madsen and Fox remained on the mountain with the group
Starting point is 01:30:50 in order to shout out for rescuers who were hopefully going to come out for them. and Anatoly Booker of our Russian friend he had made it back ages earlier which becomes a bit there's a bit of controversy around him with this story which I'll get to but he's praised for his bravery because on one side it's good that he had turned back
Starting point is 01:31:14 early enough that he was relatively rested and was able to get up because he then climbed up to them and brought back down Pitman Fox and Madsen to safety So they were all not... Charlotte Fox comes back. Charlotte Fox is okay.
Starting point is 01:31:27 She's back. So they were not doing great, but they were okay. They were able to climb down. Yusuko Namba and Beck Wethers were left behind. They were basically on the brink of death. Oh, no. And so they're sort of kind of like, I'm going to take this healthy group first and come back for these guys. Yeah, because like if one of them can't make it, it really drops the chances.
Starting point is 01:31:51 They're kind of... They're fortunate to that the Japanese carried. Like, there's a Hollywood theme that, like, a lot of the time, like, the person of color would be, like, the one that doesn't make it. Yeah. It's unfortunate. Yeah. But, like, also, like, a predator movie I just watched recently as the Japanese character, he died in a blaze of glory, like, samurai fighting, like, the predator. So I'm assuming that there was a moment, if we're going by Hollywood stereotypes that our Japanese character brought out the samurai sword to, like, cut some of the blizzard down.
Starting point is 01:32:20 And that's what, and that's how the veil lifted. Oh, that's where the camp is. But that was Yusuko's last bit of energy that she could use. Yeah. I think Anatoly initially sort of said they're gone. Oh, wow. Yusuko and Beck Weathers. And people know what they're signing up for.
Starting point is 01:32:39 Like, they'd be an understanding that maybe some of us won't make it back. So when you do that dramatic, just sort of nod of, you know, in those movies where people go, oh, what happened to Jeff? And you just do like a nod. And people like, ah. Yeah. But Hansen's just still pointing. I'm going up.
Starting point is 01:32:54 I'm going back up. I'm going up. So two Sherpers had headed out and they managed to reach Scott Fisher and Macaloo Gao, who was the leader of the Taiwanese expedition. That's two lead people then, isn't it? Fisher was unresponsive and the Sherper's placed an oxygen mask over his face before carrying Gao to camp four. And then they sent Anatoly Bookeriv back up for Fisher.
Starting point is 01:33:17 After rescuing other people, Bookeriv finally reached Fisher, who had unfortunately already passed away. Oh, no. He described Fisher as having exhibited paradoxical undressing, which is commonly associated with hypothermia. Oh, this is when they take their clothes off. Yeah, it's an irrational act of removing clothes during the final stages of fatal hypothermia where a person feels an intense, false sense of heat.
Starting point is 01:33:39 So Anatoly wrote, his oxygen mask was around his face, but the bottle is empty. He's not wearing mittens, hands completely bare, down suit is unzipped, pulled off his shoulder, one arm is outside clothing. So it's like he's died trying to take his clothes off because he was feeling hot. That's how I want to die. Okay, there it is. Oh, no, I want to die when you crush me.
Starting point is 01:33:59 Oh, yeah, you want us to land on you because Dave, Dave has wormed on the mountain. I have laughed off the mountain and we've landed on you. But the listener's choice one, maybe the listener can choose one of those four. Could you like just be naked when we land on you or something? Yeah, that'd be fun. Yeah, that's true. And then people would find it and go, what the hell's happened here? because Jess has got this big grin on her face.
Starting point is 01:34:21 Is it too dark for the Patreon read today to be dream death? Maybe. Is it a random death generator? Bound to be. So, yeah, unfortunately, Scott Fisher... That is tragic. Did not survive, and his body remains on the mountain. And was he one of the 30s, goes in their 30s?
Starting point is 01:34:38 Yeah, he might have been 40, but not... But he's experienced. Yes. So in the wee hours of the morning of May 11, it's around 4.45 in the morning now, Hall, the leader of adventure consultants, he radios again to base camp and said that he's on the South Summit. Oh, the Loser Summit. It confirmed that he had survived the night.
Starting point is 01:34:59 He reported that Andy Harris had reached them. So Andy Harris, I think 31 New Zealander, he was the one who took off in a blizzard to go and reach them. Wow. He had made it. But Hansen, who had been with him since the previous afternoon, was now gone. so Harris, sorry, Hansen has passed, and Harris was missing.
Starting point is 01:35:20 Oh, Hansen has, sorry, he's passed away or he's disappeared. Well, gone, I think it's in quotation, so I think he's died. Oh. And Andy Harris is now missing. And what about the Taiwanese guy that was with Hansen? He was with Fisher and he's been carried down. And this was the value of the cast list. Yes.
Starting point is 01:35:41 Yeah, now we know what they're all up to. I know, it's hard. Hall was unable to use the borrow. oxygen he had with him because the regulator was too choked with ice. Oh, you've got to get a spit valve. Like a trumpet. Ah. Huh.
Starting point is 01:35:56 That mountaineering knowledge. God, he's good. Oh. From Wikipedia, by 9 a.m. Hall had fixed his oxygen mask, but indicated that his frostbitten hands and feet were making it difficult to traverse the fixed ropes. Later in the afternoon, he radioed base camp, asking them to call his pregnant wife. No!
Starting point is 01:36:13 Uh-oh. Jan Arnold on the satellite phone. During this last communication, they chose a name for their unborn child. Oh, my gosh. This isn't going to be good. And he reassured her that he was reasonably comfortable and told her, Sleep well, my sweetheart. Please don't worry too much.
Starting point is 01:36:27 Oh, comedy podcast. I know. So let's check in again with the comedy writers group portion of this. Yeah. Yeah. It's, you know, put this one to Dave of putting out a podcast, it's a comedy podcast, but then having a lot of bad things happen in it. How do you approach that sort of thing?
Starting point is 01:36:45 It can be tricky. We often try and find some humor around the subjects, but then often a little bit about two because that's what we're here to do what people are tuning in for. I mean, minutes ago, we had a main character die and then immediately were laughing about us falling on you naked. But we didn't make fun of his death.
Starting point is 01:37:04 We did or we didn't? We didn't. That's right. We're not punching down. That's the distinction. People go, oh, I can't believe you'd make fun of, because people, I think, get this wrong sometimes. I go, oh, I can't believe you made fun of this
Starting point is 01:37:13 guy who died on this mountain. Now we made a joke adjacent. Yeah. We made a joke about ourselves. Yeah, indeed. Being fools. And the other thing is that Marcel and I don't know the story, specifically who each person is. So we're making jokes about people early on. If you're like an expert at home being like, well, but she dies in a horrible way. We don't know that. Sorry. Yeah, exactly. And we don't think of these as people. And it was 96. Yeah, exactly. Like, why won't you at home watching Space Jam? Oh, so tell me, did he die up there? Yeah.
Starting point is 01:37:46 That's so awful. And what a dramatic, you got to, like, Hollywood's calling for that dramatic ending. I'm glad that he got to. And Hollywood has done that. Dramatic ending. Glad he got to say goodbye, but, oh, my goodness. I know, awful, isn't it? But also, pregnant, don't leave your pregnant wife to go climb a mountain.
Starting point is 01:38:01 Oh, no. Because they'd be doing that thing that's so gross. Maybe you've talked about this on the podcast before, but that especially manned thing of going, oh, when I bring my new child into the world, I want them to know that. their dad has climbed Everest and that their dad is the sort of dad that goes beyond. You're like, no, no, no kid cares about that. They care about you just being there. I don't give a shit about anything my dad's ever done.
Starting point is 01:38:30 Don't care. Don't give a shit. Just be around. Yeah, just be around. Just be around. Yeah, that'd be nice. Well, there's a lot of pressure on the wife to be choosing the name in that moment. And he's like, no.
Starting point is 01:38:41 He's making dog shit suggestions, but he's sort of. Like, he's dying. He's got mountain madness. He's like, alpha, but it needs to be alphabet. And unfortunately, other people can hear this because it's on the radio. So if she chooses to just go, yeah, darling, no worries. And then call the kid a normal name. They're all going to be like, we know he wanted it to be alpha.
Starting point is 01:38:58 He'd be doing that classic thing of looking around for inspiration. Oh, snows. It's no good. Blizzard. Yeah. Dad death. Rock. Frostbite.
Starting point is 01:39:07 Frostbite hall. Yeah. Tred your death of your father. That's, oh, man. Hero. Now we are making fun of a dead man. We're making fun of a dead man now. We've slipped into exactly what we said we wouldn't do.
Starting point is 01:39:17 Yeah, I'm going to argue that I'm making fun of the trope of the masculine need to prove oneself by doing ridiculous things. Yeah, I agree. Because this is a death that didn't need to happen. I think, hey, I think all deaths are tragic, but some deaths are more tragic than others. When you put yourself in that sort of position, you go, oh, my dream was to feed a tiger and the tiger killed me. I go, okay, yeah, well, you should. you'd have known better. And what was that Tiger doing on the mountain anyway?
Starting point is 01:39:49 Like, you couldn't have said like, I mean, oh, my dad died on Everest. Oh, wow, frostbite. No, a tiger got him. Yeah. You didn't think about that. Like a lot of, I mean, a lot of Everest deaths that sometimes the body is not found, his was later in the month, 23rd of May, a different expedition went up and they found him. But he was left there as requested by his wife, who said she thought that's where he'd
Starting point is 01:40:12 like to have stayed, which is very sweet. But the bodies of Doug Hansen and Andy Harris have never been found still. Well, that means that they might still be alive. Yep, they're just like, oh, I keep walking up. They might affect their own deaths. And they're just off doing their own thing, climbing those other mountains. Yeah, I mean, those other guys have been there for 10 years. The perfect crime.
Starting point is 01:40:37 On the radio go, and they go, oh, they're dead. Yeah, what was that in flatlining? That was such an interesting blue. Later on that they are just sipping pinocalladas on an island somewhere. Yeah. Living their best lives. From Wikipedia, meanwhile, Stuart Hutchinson,
Starting point is 01:41:00 a client on Hall's team who had turned around before the summit on the 10th of May, Stewie. He launched a second search for Weathers and Nambah. So remember, Anatoly went up there and was like, they're gone. Oh, right. Yeah, he brought down the healthier members of the party huddling. But Stuart's like, I'm going to, I'm going to go find him. Like, at least maybe, yeah, I don't know.
Starting point is 01:41:19 He held on my keys. He's got my keys. He's got my keys. I have to go. I have to go raid his pockets. Yeah, I've got a higher car. The Catman and do Airport on the man. He's going to cost heaps.
Starting point is 01:41:32 He actually found both of them alive. Oh, wow. And they were kissing. They were hooked up. There was a whole day way-day thing going in that he didn't include for warmth
Starting point is 01:41:41 to walk and they go I'll leave you to do it sorry Let me just say though It's not the writs But he looks close and like they kissed once
Starting point is 01:41:55 But then their lips are just frozen to go Oh We thought this was a good idea I misread the signals Now that's how I want to go Frozen to a strange Oh, yeah.
Starting point is 01:42:08 You may it as well. Like, you're going to die in the mountain. I'd smooch whoever's closest. Okay. Not mountaineering with Marcel. Because what if we live and then you've made our friendship weird? Yeah. Oh, my God.
Starting point is 01:42:21 And we've had to go to the hospital and have our lips surgically separated. Yeah, that's true. We have, like, you know, dinners with our spouses. I'd be waiting for, like, to go, oh, it's definitely the last moment. I'm kissing Dave. I'm definitely dying. My frostbitten lips are going to be frost-kissed. Oh, and you're naked.
Starting point is 01:42:36 kid too okay great I've just wormed on top of you worm on top of me for warmth Jess that lands on top of us and goes
Starting point is 01:42:48 oh this is awkward third wheeling as I die I died as I live the rescuer comes in and goes I'd hate to break this out I'll leave them no he has found them
Starting point is 01:43:00 he's found them they're a lot which is like they've been there for nearly what a day they're like they're unresponsive they're quite
Starting point is 01:43:06 frostbitten, but they are breathing. Wow. Okay. But they, in no condition to move, he can't move them. After consulting with the Sherpers, he made the decision that they couldn't be saved because all of the survivors that are at Camp 4 are hypoxic. They're not well themselves. No one's healthy.
Starting point is 01:43:27 No one's healthy. No one's got the strength or the mindset. You've got to remember as well, they're not sleeping very well in the lead up to the summit. They're like, grumpy. They're grumpy. I don't know what they're eating, yeah. But like the, your cognitive ability when you're at that sort of altitude and that altitude sickness is not, you're not firing on all cylinders. Guys, I'm at capacity.
Starting point is 01:43:52 I need a little bit of me time. I need to decompress for a bit. I just need to go in my room, lie on my bed. Do a little scroll. I need to think, I need to listen to some music. I need to like listen to my audio book or something. I just need to chill. Like, this is really important that we save you.
Starting point is 01:44:06 but also what's important is I advocate for myself. That's right. I can't pull from an empty cup. That's right. But they're also like, Wethers and Nambor, they're so unwell that it's like they are very unlikely to survive anyway. And how do you get them down?
Starting point is 01:44:21 Exactly. It's awful. The needs of the many. That's right. So they end up sort of deciding that all the survivors soon agreed that leaving Weathers and Nambor behind was the only choice. This is the most wild part of the story, though. Okay, I'll be the judge of that.
Starting point is 01:44:37 Later in the day, Beck Weathers regained consciousness. No. And somehow mustered enough strength to walk back to camp. What? Despite severe hypothermia and frostbite. Wow. Is this a mid-credit scene? This is insane.
Starting point is 01:44:54 Oh my God, that's like that Tyson Fury fight where he looked like he was knocked out and then he just opened his eyes and went, bing. Terrifying. The others gave him oxygen and tried to warm him up, but another storm hit the next morning and his tent was badly damaged leading to the other survivors to once again assume he had died
Starting point is 01:45:09 but he didn't go and check on him he was still alive crack hour discovered he was still consciousness when the survivors in camp four prepared to evacuate so they're all trying to get out and he's like
Starting point is 01:45:20 I might just check on him yeah he's conscious it just goes to show you can't predict the weather that's his name get out okay I'll be glad for the rest of the episode
Starting point is 01:45:32 yeah this guy's nickname Melbourne. That is so crazy. I'm just going to check on him. Oh, he's rolling up his sleeping bag. And once again, it's why you should check on your mates. You know, you don't just prejudice and go, oh, yeah, Wethers is probably out.
Starting point is 01:45:48 They can't. He survived like certain death once before. Yeah. Tell me, what happened? Despite his worsening condition, Weathers found he could still move, mostly under his own power. He needed a bit of help, but he was okay. A rescue team mobilized, hopeful of getting Weathers down the mountain alive.
Starting point is 01:46:02 And probably a bit of a drag now Like Will Ferrell in Austin Powers When he keeps getting tried to be killed by Dr. Evil I'm still alive I'm just let me see if I can walk on my ankle Ah, they've broken too That's sort of vibe That's the vibe
Starting point is 01:46:17 And they're leaving him behind Because he's a bad hang Just a oh gosh Geez I mean If your friends left you for dead multiple times You probably wouldn't be a great hang would you Trying to not take it personally Remember when you guys left me for dead
Starting point is 01:46:30 But I was still alive Remember that? Oh yeah we remember No, I'm sorry. Keep reminding us, okay. Sorry. Yeah, we made a mistake. Over the next two days,
Starting point is 01:46:37 weathers was ushered down to camp two with the assistance of eight healthy climbers from various expeditions and was evacuated by a daring, high-altitude helicopter rescue, one of the highest ever attempted. Wow. He survived, eventually recovered,
Starting point is 01:46:50 but he lost his nose, right hand, half his right forearm, and all of the fingers on his left hand to frostbite. I mean, it's still a miracle. Crazy. He was left for dead and he got up. Twice. Incredible.
Starting point is 01:47:06 It was that expression where like a partner was out, get home in one piece and he did. It just wasn't all of the pieces that he left with. But there was one big piece. Yeah, he's still a unit. That's amazing. There's less info available about the other groups who were climbing that day,
Starting point is 01:47:20 but members of the Indo-Tibetan border police climbing crew were also stuck in the blizzard are just short of the summit. While three of the six members turned back around, three of them decided to go for the summit. Their names were Smalna, Moorup and Paljur. So they've gone for the summit. At around 3.45 Nepal time,
Starting point is 01:47:39 the three climbers radioed to the expedition leader that they'd arrived at the top. So they made it to the summit. 345 is so late. There was no radio contact after that. Is this how you become a police officer? This is part of the training? You've got to make it to the top of the moon.
Starting point is 01:47:51 I don't understand how or why they... How this group came about, but... I also... See, this is the thing, once again, welcome back to another episode of coming writers group, same episode, of like cultural sensitivity and like what you can make a joke about. And some people go, can I make a joke about somebody's name of a different culture? Is it insensitive? But I want people to know that there might be a joke in this guy named Moore Up
Starting point is 01:48:16 who wanted to continue to the summer. Like, he wanted to go more up. But, like, you know, it's challenging because we're in a time where people go, oh, is that okay to make a joke about? But I want to say. I think it is in that context. More up is funny. But I was on my tongue, cultural sensitivity also because these characters keep dying.
Starting point is 01:48:34 So I felt bad about that as well. So those are the three that made it to the summit, but then there was no radio contact after that. And back at the camps below, team members saw two headlamps moving slightly above the second step, but none of the three returned to camp. Oh, they just disappeared. So they didn't make it either. So what were the headlamps? Them trying to come back down. Oh, no.
Starting point is 01:48:54 No, it probably fell off. So to recap the loss of life, we have Adventure Consultant Leader Rob Hall, who was 35, stayed to help Doug Hansen, was stranded overnight near the summit and died on May 11. Doug Hansen, who was 46, it's been assumed that he fell to his death in the blizzard. Yusuko Namba, 47-year-old Japanese client of Adventure Consultants, she died near Camp 4. Mountain Madness Leader Scott Fisher, who was 40, became ill with altitude sickness and died during the descent on May 11. 31-year-old Andy Harris, the New Zealand guide, went missing after going to help others. Plus, the three members of the Indo-Tibetan border police climbing crew passed away. So, Sewang, Smalna, Dogeymoorup and Sewang Paljore.
Starting point is 01:49:39 Oh, Moorup. Now, you may have heard of the famous landmark on Everest Green Boots, as we mentioned before. It's basically a body of an unidentified climber. It's become a landmark. All expeditions from the north side encounter the body curled in the limestone alcove in a cave at 8,500 metres. It's mostly believed that that is Sewang Paljo. He's believed to be green boots.
Starting point is 01:50:04 So one of these climbers from the 96 expedition. It's a show that no one remembers what boots he was wearing, so they can't go, that's him for sure. It's definitely him, yeah. They had all that time to, like, make conversation. You probably, I'd mention that. Oh, nice green boots you got there? Yeah.
Starting point is 01:50:18 You'd think it'd stand out. So eight people died in a 24-hour period, and four others also died in the 1996 season, which at the time made it the deadliest season on Everest. And it's still the third deadliest, but it has been overtaken after 23 fatalities resulting from avalanches caused by the April 2015 Nepal earthquake. People were climbing at the time.
Starting point is 01:50:39 Wow. And 16 fatalities of the 2014 Mount Everest Avalanche. So, yeah, 2014 overtook by a long shot. How do you go for business as well? Coming back from that advertising the next season, going, oh, let's do it again. Yes, you might have heard that last year a tremendous amount of people died, but this year's going to be different.
Starting point is 01:51:00 I mean, who's going into climbing Everest thinking, like, this will be fun and safe and easy? Because it's the type of clientele that it probably go, yeah. They're not really deterred. I'm risking. Yeah, a lot of people die. Yeah, that'd be part of the conversation. Oh, yeah, a lot of people died last year. I'm going to be different.
Starting point is 01:51:14 And, as we're saying, climbing Everest isn't a safe endeavor, but several factors have been analysed and criticized in the aftermath of the 96 disaster. So the late summit attempts, so after 2 p.m., and the failure to enforce them, they weren't stricter on them, meant that climbers were exposed to the storm in much worse positions. You've got to hold firm. Got a hold firm. The lack of fixed ropes being set ahead of time caused bottlenecks and delays.
Starting point is 01:51:37 Poor communication between teams meant there was a lack of coordinated decisions and a lack of shared resources. They had unexpected severe oxygen deprivation sickness, which compromised both climbers and guide's ability to make decisions or help others. and there was insufficient stores of oxygen forcing guides and rescue teams to carry bottles up to stranded climbers as the storm approached.
Starting point is 01:52:00 So just a few logistic things kind of didn't... It's so hard, like when you're the guy... It's your run, like you're around and you're bringing back all the bottles and like, oh, trying to manage holding them for the table. Spill in oxygen. The entire disaster led to many conversations and criticisms of the commercialisation of Mount Everest.
Starting point is 01:52:21 John Crackauer had suggested that the use of bottled oxygen and commercial guides who personally accompanied and took care of all the path-making, equipment and important decisions allowed otherwise unqualified climbers to attempt the summit thereby leading to dangerous situations and more deaths. Sort of like, because you're going up with a guide who's doing everything for you,
Starting point is 01:52:40 you don't actually have the skills that you should have. Yeah. And you're potentially endangering others. And it's meaning way more people are attempting it. Because it seems easier. Exactly right. Crackow also acknowledged that his own presence as a journalist for an important mountaineering magazine
Starting point is 01:52:55 may have added pressure to guide clients to the summit despite the growing dangers. All right, because he's going to report. Yeah, none of us got there, actually. Yeah, a bunch of losers, actually. Yeah, we got turned back. We mentioned that little bit beforehand, but it's not real. Not really getting there.
Starting point is 01:53:10 He proposed banning bottled oxygen except for emergency cases, arguing this would both decrease the growing litter on Everest because there's so many discarded bottles, and it would keep marginally qualified climbers off the mountain. That would have kept him off the mountain. It means you can only go of your hardcore. If you're like Anatoly and you can just fucking raw dog it. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:53:32 So the events inspired several personal accounts that provided differing perspectives on what happened. Obviously, John Crackow published his book Into Thin Air, so he's gone Into the Wild and Into Thin Air. Oh, okay, that's good branding. Is there a trilogy? Probably. He's written multiple books.
Starting point is 01:53:48 He's done a lot. Yeah, I watched one of the resources and there's a link in the show notes is a talk he did in Colorado after the fact. I think it was only January of the following year and they had a lot of photos and he talked about it. It was very interesting. And he would have a bit of decorum before you go on your talking tour, I reckon. I reckon a year. How long do you leave it? Yeah.
Starting point is 01:54:08 But he wasn't injured with Frostbite and losing leaves. No, he was okay. He could hold the microphone. He was very close with Andy Harris though, the young New Zealander. and so obviously quite devastated. The whole thing would have been so traumatizing. So traumatic. Like, even if you don't love all these people,
Starting point is 01:54:24 you have spent two months with a lot of them. I've read into thin air, and it's a great read. It's a very interesting one if you want to check it out. Well done on reading a book. Thank you so much. Reading a book is my ever. How many this year, Jess? 20-something.
Starting point is 01:54:38 Whoa. That's huge. 24. Kiefer Sutherland. Yeah, I'm going to stop now. 24 read, yeah. In tribute to Kikki. Wow.
Starting point is 01:54:47 to thin air, and then Anatoly Bookeriv, he co-authored The Climb, which was kind of defending his actions and providing an alternate viewpoint. So why is he controversial? Well, because he was a guide. He shouldn't have turned around and left people. Oh, but he did go back and save multiple people. Yeah. And maybe one of the reasons he could do that was because he was rested and not.
Starting point is 01:55:08 It would be fun as well. I co-authored this book. So like some chapters are in a Russian accent. Yeah. Some. Here's what's really happy. Okay. Okay.
Starting point is 01:55:17 Beck Wethers also wrote a book Called Left for Dead Which fair he was After Beck Wethers made it Oh great Yeah he was the one who I thought you were going to tease us That was like
Starting point is 01:55:27 Oh almost almost did Nah he survived He just he lost his nose Oh yeah He was the nose and hands Yeah But he did survive Into Thin Air was also made
Starting point is 01:55:37 Into a TV movie There was an IMAX film called Everest That was like a documentary And the events inspired The Feature Film Everest in 2015 Jake Gyllenhall Kira Knightley
Starting point is 01:55:47 playing a Kiwi. She's the pregnant wife. Oh, and did she pull off the accent? Well, from the trailer, I was like, okay. Okay. Interesting. Pretty good. And just to wrap up, from Ultimate Kilimanjaro.com. In the wake of the disaster, the mountaineering community undertook a critical examination of practices on Everest.
Starting point is 01:56:05 Emphasis was placed on adhering strictly to safety protocols, such as turnaround times. Expedition companies re-evaluated their approach to client's screening, guide responsibilities and resource allocations. there was a heightened focus on the ethical consideration of guiding inexperienced climbers in such a dangerous environment. While the tragedy prompted calls for stricter regulations and greater emphasis on safety, the commercialisation of Everest continued. The number of climbers attempting to summit has increased in subsequent years,
Starting point is 01:56:34 leading to ongoing concerns about overcrowding and environmental degradation. So it really like... Get a hobby. Yeah, yeah. And bouldering's taken up in a big way. I was going to say, go bouldering. People love boltering. Maybe there's environmental issues there as well.
Starting point is 01:56:51 But this, typically, I think a lot of people see the 96 disaster as really, like, pushing that conversation about the commercialisation of Everest. But it hasn't stopped. Like, people are always going to find it. But hopefully this podcast will put a dent in it. And hopefully we can get kicks out of going for the teleportation machine. Yeah. Yeah. That'll be so much easier.
Starting point is 01:57:11 And how much would you pay for it? Like, to do it? Yeah. to teleport. I reckon 500 bucks. You'd pay 500 bucks to teleport. Because you'd think about it like you don't want to, it can't be so available that like you're up there with 400 other people.
Starting point is 01:57:26 Yeah. So it's got to be like a one thing at a time. You get two minutes up there. 500 bucks. Selfie. You could go up in like groups of four max. That way you could get photos and stuff. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:57:37 I don't think it's as an achievement though. Like you may as well just be green screening it if you're eye. Oh, I did the teleport to Everest thing. Here's a photo. They're like, okay, cool. Anyone can teleport up there. I'll also be happy with any of those big sort of Himalayan mountains. You want to enjoy the view, though.
Starting point is 01:57:52 I just want to go out and see a nice view, really. Vista. You could just go to a lookout along the Great Ocean Road or something. There's heaps of nice views along there. How much are they? Not even, mate. Really? Google Map Street View Everest.
Starting point is 01:58:04 Yeah. That's what I should do. Oh, fuck yeah, I'm going to do that. Get the three. I'd be happy to just do like some sort of VR experience. Yeah, that'd be all right. I'd pay 25 bucks for that. Honestly, I did a VR, um,
Starting point is 01:58:15 Like, it was a Top Gun Maverick VR ride game thing. That sounds fun. And I got motion sickness from it. And you can't spell Everest without VR. Jeez. If you think about it. That makes you think. That'd be great for the logo.
Starting point is 01:58:29 Yeah, that's true. Branding would be huge. I'm just going to go Everest Summit and Maps. Right? Yeah, that's the other thing slowing things down is the Google Maps cam having to go up the mound and every so often to remap it. This doesn't look like the Summit.
Starting point is 01:58:45 there's got to be someone's a whole village there oh that's um that that's from dr strange uh yes someone must have done a 3d of like a 360 you'd want to bring your 3d cam up there you'd go proing it up that must be you saw your mate with the 12 hour videos doing the go pro yeah Everest being an absolute jerk to everyone oh excuse me get out of the way i'm actually GoProing i've actually got my selfie stick because you get out of the way i'm goproing could you fuck off i'm GoPro that's why i'd and so he's going to the bathroom I'm GoProing I say proud of you
Starting point is 01:59:16 But there you go That is the story of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster Well done Jess That was good fun And just like those mountaineers Staggering across the line There at the end
Starting point is 01:59:29 Feeling exhausted We talked about We talked about this on my recent episode We did Aliens where you joked about That your episodes Are you just slowly dragging yourself On the line And there was a mood shift
Starting point is 01:59:41 In the room of like All right Let's bring it to an end. Can I need full disclosure about the mood shift? I'm like, cafe closes at two. It's 1.30. It's 1.000. I thought you were about to say, full disclosure.
Starting point is 01:59:54 I knew that we were about to get a bit to the bit where I'm dying. That's fine. I was just like, I'd like a coffee and some lunch. Got to get a latte. So I got to, if we could wrap this up. Maybe do the Patreon section at a later time. You should start working on like a little signal. Like a little signal to like to just let us know without.
Starting point is 02:00:12 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Jets are that gesturing to like a sipping motion, but it also looks like maybe a, maybe a well in, it looks like a big dick, okay? It looks like a bit of an Everest. That's my Everest. Well, honestly, that's, that's a harrowing tale, a fascinating tale. A great start to block.
Starting point is 02:00:39 A great start to block. And remember the new catchphrase, for Block is you asked for it. Yeah, you wanted this. I wanted to hear about that. Yeah, it was great. I love those mountaineering movies. They're always good fun.
Starting point is 02:00:52 I've watched a lot of those ones. I don't think I've watched this Gillen Hall Everest movie. It's a pretty big cast I seem to remember. I haven't seen another. Quite a lot of... Have we got time for you to list the entire cast? I'm on it. I don't want you do that.
Starting point is 02:01:04 The entire cast and who played them in the movie. I have found someone who's done a 360 view from the top of Mount Everest. And it is pretty cool. Yeah. Yeah, nice. Jake Dillon is Scott Fisher. Josh Brolin is Beck Weathers. Oh, yeah.
Starting point is 02:01:17 Jason Clark plays Rob Hall. Oh, Australia's own. Is he Australian or is he Kiwi? He's Australian. Who else? We've got Sam Worthington's in there. Oh, so he playing Ozzy as well? He's Guy Cotter.
Starting point is 02:01:29 I don't know who that is. He's playing his character from Avatar. Robin Wright's in there. Robin Wright's in there. Robin Wright, Penn. A.K.A. Akira Knightley is there. Vanessa Kirby is there.
Starting point is 02:01:40 Wow. Oh, she's a one Fox. She's a early one for her. Sandy Hill Pitman. Oh, okay. Interesting. Yeah. I didn't think Sandy was a woman.
Starting point is 02:01:47 Interesting. Neither did I. But there you go. Maybe they're, you know, cast a woman in the role. Yeah. We need more women in this. Oh, that's cool. And is there a scene where the Japanese woman cuts the weather in?
Starting point is 02:02:01 We've got to watch this movie. It's not in the trailer, but I think that's just because I didn't want to, like, ruin it. Yeah. There's only one way through this blizzard. I got this. Xing. Jason Clark, is he, he's Australian, okay. Yeah, I like Jason Clark, he's good.
Starting point is 02:02:16 He often plays a bit of a brutish person in a lot of movies. He's one of those who are like, oh, he's going to be the villain. So I think at one point he's probably like, we've got to get down this mountain. I'm actually, I didn't know he was Australian. He was doing like a New Zealand accent in the trailer, and I was like, that's not a bad accent, actually. And then looked him up and went, oh, oh, I see.
Starting point is 02:02:34 He's from the land down under. But Kiran Knightley doing a New Zealand accent, that's impressive. It's not an easy one to do. And I say that as somebody who, well, particularly our American listeners, probably can't tell the difference between me and New Zealand right now. I agree, because I was thinking about doing it. I'm about to travel to New Zealand at time of recording, and I didn't want to upset people.
Starting point is 02:02:51 They often fall into South African. Yeah, too quickly it goes. Because the way I get into South African is Stephen Frye is my favorite host on QI. Sure. And so you can try that. That's how you get into South African. QR. Stephen Fras.
Starting point is 02:03:09 Stephen Fras is my favourite host of QR. Yeah. Wow. Get A-in to do South Africa for you next time. It's borderline offensive. Not the boardline about it. No, he loves it. Anyway, again, the cafe does close in half an hour.
Starting point is 02:03:24 So let's get out of here. Well, let's say thank you so much to our dear friend Marcel for joining us on the first episode of Blockbuster October 2025. Marcel, how do you feel? A thrill to be here. A thrill to, you know, I feel like I've been doing this podcast for a little while as a guest. Now to be moved up to block And replacing Matt For the next eight weeks, that's right
Starting point is 02:03:43 Matt will be back But we just said take a couple months away Yeah, you need time It's the jet lag I want to start a room with that They're auditioning To go on for a new Matt You get to Matt's age
Starting point is 02:03:53 And jet lag really takes two months out of you Yeah And he's at an age now Where he is now Like I assume wandering the earth Looking to just sort of Maybe freeze in some Like he's looking for his Everest moment
Starting point is 02:04:04 He's trying to like Yeah Get into a cool position just in case He's constantly shuckering. Just in case. Just in case. You never know when death will come for you. Marcel, if people want to hear more of you, obviously there's the comedy writers group.
Starting point is 02:04:16 Yes, indeed. We are coming to the end of this comedy writers group episode within this episode as well. The Comedy Writers Group podcast is a podcast where we get into the weeds of how people make comedy and how they make a life doing it. And it's also part of a whole community of comedians, 270 strong, Australian, New Zealand, and a little bit around the world to meet up on a regular basis. We have weekly online sessions
Starting point is 02:04:40 where people can swap jokes, get advice, just become better comedians because comedy can be a bit of a lonely enterprise sometimes and the comedy writers group aims to make it a lot more welcoming and a lot less mysterious. So come check it out. Check it up. And also, I mean, this will come out in block.
Starting point is 02:05:01 Look me up. I've got shows all the time. Yeah. Check out. Check out Marcel's fantastic online presence. That was aggressive. Sorry. Check out Marcel's pretty good online presents. Nice.
Starting point is 02:05:16 Sure. Preferred the aggression? Yeah. Anyway, Marcel, we love you. Thank you so much. I love you guys too. Just said that before we started recording and by accident and it was awkward. It's true.
Starting point is 02:05:27 I did. Yeah, you were out of the room. I just said, I love you. Well, as we say, goodbye. to Marcel. Goodbye, Marcel. We say hello to Matt Stewart. Matt Stewart.
Starting point is 02:05:38 Tell you what, what an upgrade? And I am... In what way? Well, list them. Certainly not height. Certainly not height. Certainly not fashion. Compactness.
Starting point is 02:05:50 Compactness. Okay. That's true. You are compact. Yes. You are more compact. Facial hair. Yep.
Starting point is 02:05:58 Redness of hair. Sure. Okay. And would we say, these are high value differences. Are these things that others are seeking out? Working my way up to them. Okay.
Starting point is 02:06:10 I've traded him in for an older model. Much older model? Yes, smaller. A lot of people do tend to upgrade, like let's say cars, for example, you do tend to go, I'm sick of this comfortable modern car. I want a classic. I want an old, tiny one. I want my children to squish into the back side.
Starting point is 02:06:26 I want no crumple zones. When you're performing comedy around me, I won't tell you that you're doing it. it wrong? Yes, you do. You do that all the time. You interject all the time. Bit shit, man. Yeah, often, like, I'll say something and you say,
Starting point is 02:06:43 here's the thing, Jess, I would have said that differently. Yeah, I said that's not bad, but that I've got, you know, I've got ten commandments of comedy, and that breaks three of them, including lusting over the neighbour's donkey. Nothing funny about that. I would say I'd include that in every joke. Where's the donkey?
Starting point is 02:07:04 Where's the hot donkey? Where's the hot donkey? Great reveal, but where was the fucking donkey? Everyone was here going, I can't wait for the donkey reveal. And we're all even disappointed. Anyway, it's good to have Matt Stewart back. Great to have you back.
Starting point is 02:07:18 Well, I haven't listened yet to what you just talked about. You prick. Yeah, thanks a lot. Although you recorded that part of the show weeks ago, right? That's one thing we'll say. Marcel listens every week. You don't. No.
Starting point is 02:07:30 And I'm inside of the show. I'm often drifting off. But what was the story? It was the story of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster. Okay. A gripping tale. Was it, this might seem a silly question? Did it have a positive outcome?
Starting point is 02:07:47 Because not all disasters are disastrous. That's true. That's probably not quite right, is it? But they're not all equally disastrous. That's true. No, yeah. And they're not all equally grim. There was some grim results here.
Starting point is 02:08:03 We did lose some people up on the mound. A negative body count. Yeah. As opposed to people. We didn't gain people. Fucking up there. Yeah. Nobody had a baby.
Starting point is 02:08:12 But they were up there for many months. Yes. So I'm sure people were. Yeah, odds are. Okay, basically it was another one of those stories where we hear about people just pushing the human body to its absolute limits. Oh my God. Where you would have just rolled yourself off. 100%.
Starting point is 02:08:25 I wouldn't never have been there in the first place. Yeah. There is no amount of money you could pay me to even just go to base camp. I just can't be fine. Right. Not even for 10 million. No. I can't be fucked.
Starting point is 02:08:39 Base. You can't even make the base. No. Well, I mean, I couldn't either, but you couldn't even make the base. Nah, not for 10 mil. I reckon Dave would. He's the kind of guy. I just feel like he'd be like, well, right, I'm doing it.
Starting point is 02:08:53 Yeah, I talked about how... He'd have to be carried most of the way. Because I've done... That's why I'd have to go. Every time I've done an Everest story in this show, I start out by being like, I'd love to see it up there. I'd love to get up there by the end, and I go, well, I couldn't do that. Because these are the fit, healthy people that dedicated their lives to go there.
Starting point is 02:09:08 One of the people had been, like, three times or something, never quite got to the summit. And unfortunately, pushed really hard this time. Right. And didn't come back. Did you, do you think you're, you know, higher altitudes, people's bodies behave differently. Maybe that's where you'd be at your best. Oh, I excel up. Yeah.
Starting point is 02:09:28 Maybe. Because you battle down here. Yeah, I stuggled down the underground. Up there, you'll be like, oh, I'm in my element. I love the death zone. Yeah. You're like bouncing around. You realize to you it's like anti-gravity.
Starting point is 02:09:41 This is perfect. Yeah. I'm going to live up here. It's as if you're on the moon. You suddenly look really hot. I mean, is that? Well. I was so glad Dave took that in the spirit.
Starting point is 02:09:52 It was intended. I mean, because everyone else is struggling to breathe up there. They're delirious. Yeah, you take their breath away. On face value, that was a really mean thing that just said. But Dave took it in the... Yeah, in the intended spirit. In the intended spirit.
Starting point is 02:10:11 Hey, I'm getting better every day down here, so I'm just going to look better up there. Yeah. Yeah. That's true, bud. You're really cool. I've heard that. Thanks, brother. And you ruined it.
Starting point is 02:10:25 I thought you landed that beautifully. But Matt, it's nice to have you back for the most important part of the show. So that's right, obviously, like a lot of our listeners, I skip the boring part of the show, and I'm here for the best bit, everyone's favourite section of the show, where we thank some of our great supporters. Without them, this show would not exist. And if you want to be one of these people, you can go to petron.com slash 2G1Pod. There's a bunch of different levels you can sign up to.
Starting point is 02:10:49 The most popular one, I would say, is the Dreamboat Cooper level. I'd say that based on, you know, just... Shear numbers. Just the figures. But that's the level that gets you, I mean, apart from anything else, ad-free episodes, the video, full videos now, also of the episodes. Yeah, like this bit's full videos. We hand you with VHS tape.
Starting point is 02:11:16 There you go, that's yours. Check that out. You can have that. It's Groundhog Day, take that off Channel 9. Yeah, I still got the ads in it. I'm trying to get rid of a couple, but then I'll start of missing bits. Yeah, absolutely. I'll just lay, but you can fast forward through it.
Starting point is 02:11:28 But it's also, it kind of works as like a time capsule, too, because you see ads you haven't seen for 20 years. Yeah, and the time, annoying, but now it's like, oh, my God, look at that. Arnott's family assorted packs. That packaging was a little bit different back then. Oh, my gosh. That was a bargain. Oh, if I went back in time to 90 to 90s.
Starting point is 02:11:44 Obviously cheap and half the price and also a tosserprose. I'd be a rich man back then. But the, yeah, videos that I'm talking about of these episodes, does this be recorded right now? Yeah, you can see this now. Well, there you go. Someone probably is. Hello, we're all waving.
Starting point is 02:11:58 And, yeah, what else do you get on the Dreamboat level? You get all the things like... Bonus episodes. Bonus episodes. That's a big one. And we're pushing towards 300 bonus episodes. Yeah. And it's four a month.
Starting point is 02:12:10 Four a month. It's a lot of bonus episodes. Dungeons and Dragons saga. Yes. There's also bonus report each month. We play a game type thing and we have a movie club. We're at your movie. That's right this month was Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Starting point is 02:12:24 When you say it like that, we sound so wholesome. Yeah. We have a movie club. and we play D and D together? Yeah. What, are we friends? I think so. Are we?
Starting point is 02:12:33 I'm ready to make that community. Yeah, we're friends as long as people are willing to pay to hear us be friends. Yeah, we're friends with benefits. And the level above that, the Sydney-Sharnberg level, gets you all those things, but also gets you involved in the fact-quoted question section of the show, which actually, I think, has a jingle go somewhere. Fact-quote or questions. Ding!
Starting point is 02:13:01 He always remembers the ding! She always remembers the sing. And this part of the show, probably you would have guessed it. People on the Sydney-Sholberg level get to give us a fact or quota or a question or a brag or a suggestion or really whatever they like. And then I read out a few each week. I'm reading out three today by the looks of it.
Starting point is 02:13:18 And this is episode 519. Is that true? Yep. Oh, happy block, by the way. Happy block. Great to have you here for the launch of Block. It's so good. I'm so glad I got to be at the tail end of,
Starting point is 02:13:28 Block, is this the first Block episode? First Block episode. You made it. Plenty of people were like, wow, Matt didn't even show up for Block. And you know what? Go back and delete those tweets because he's here, baby. He's here. And I, honestly, I didn't, I didn't know.
Starting point is 02:13:42 I never would have left the country if I knew a Block episode was going to be recorded. I swear to God. I didn't know. We did that behind your back. Sorry. Yeah. I was stabbed in the back. But these friends with benefits.
Starting point is 02:13:56 Terms for it. Friends with benefits. And the first one this week comes from Cheryl Engelsman with a request. Not a fact, not a quote, not a question, not a brag, not a suggestion. A request. Okay, we'll see. I should also say that our fact quote or questioners get to give themselves a title. And Cheryl, we all know, from her big giant Todd.
Starting point is 02:14:23 Oh, of course. Which turned out to be a dog. Yeah. I thought it was a toddler. I can't remember exactly what happened, but I got muddled. I think you were Giant Todd for a while in the group chat. Really? Yeah.
Starting point is 02:14:34 Now, Cheryl has the title, Keeper of the Giant Todd, Silly Billy. And the request goes like this. I request this only if Matt can do it. Okay. That seems quite fortuitous that you are here then. Glad you're back. Oh, you reckon do it as in read it? That was how I've read it in this instance, but let's see.
Starting point is 02:14:56 Let's see what it says. I request for you to say a band's name and then try to say it in American English. Jess and Dave should have a go-to. The band is an Aussie band. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Just a bit of fun. It's a lot of hard hours for an American accent.
Starting point is 02:15:13 Keep on being awesome and the giant Todd will keep getting excited when the theme song comes on. Moji with three love hearts sort of scattered around and doing like a face. Oh, I love that face. I send that one all the time. It's cute. Do you want to, what kind of American?
Starting point is 02:15:30 I'm going Valley Girl. Okay. Okay, totally. Is that that? King Gizd and the Wizard, Lizard. Oh, yeah, Vocal Fri Valley. You're in the Vocal Fri Valley. Where are you going, Dave?
Starting point is 02:15:43 I'm going general. General American. I think you should go Southern. You want to go to South? Start with a Yeha. Yeah, sorry, I was looking at that. Yeho, all right. Ken Gizzard and the Lizard and the Lizard,
Starting point is 02:15:57 Is that Southern? Somewhat? Is it American? The wizard was. Wizard. King Gizzard and the wizard lizard lizard. Wizard. Oh my God, I can't say it right in American.
Starting point is 02:16:08 King Gizzard and the lizard wizard wizard. Oh, yeah. That's nice. That's nice. I like that. Dave, have a go. King Gizzard and the lizard wizard. That's general American.
Starting point is 02:16:20 That's general, yeah. Like on when I'm applying for an acting role, it says American accent? Yes. Yes. Yes, absolutely. King Gezzard and the lizard wizard wizard. I can get stride into it. Yeah.
Starting point is 02:16:32 I can say no matter, any Australian band name, I'm like, silver chair. Silver chair. Silver chair. Silver chair. King Guzzard. King gazard and the lizard wizard wizard. What's that?
Starting point is 02:16:47 Is that American? That's Dave Calvin doing American. Yeah, yeah. Hello there. King Guzard. and the lozard was on. It really was quite, Dave Callan, yeah. I love it.
Starting point is 02:17:00 He's got a beautiful voice. I miss Dave Callan. Cheryl, yeah, since he went back west. Yeah. Next up, Tess Chilcott. That was very fun, though. That was great. I enjoyed that very much.
Starting point is 02:17:14 That's fun. I love, I really like the American accent. I like America. I just like... God bless it, you know what I mean? I love the variety of accents in other places. Like, Australian doesn't really have a variety. No, Australian doesn't, does it?
Starting point is 02:17:25 Australian doesn't. Uh, we've got, I mean, there's, of course, the, uh, the posh Adelaide's, who dance and they Prans. W.A does that a bit, too. And like, like, we might, we might be able to sort of guess if someone's a Queenslander or, or, yeah, from Adelaide or W.A. Based on a few things. They say, they, they say, A.
Starting point is 02:17:44 They've, yeah, I'm from Queensland, A. Pretty fun, eh. Oh, a bit, bit scary, eh. Are they also, they also say Pule. Pule. So, sort of pooling Poole. Right, so it's like, it's very subtle. Who's like, we're playing Pule, who's, Poole.
Starting point is 02:17:56 I'm listening to an audio book. Or do they go out of the tort? Yeah, I like a, like a you-butt look like a fucking taunt. They got the toilet. Excuse me, can I always use your toilet, they'd say. Is it, is any of this things we're saying true? Is any of this things? Yeah, Australian, it isn't, is it?
Starting point is 02:18:12 No. No. Kick isn't a lizard, was it? Is it? Other. Anyway, let's move on. I can't remember what we're talking about. Accents.
Starting point is 02:18:21 Yes. I started to read the next one from Test Chillcott. Yeah, but it is. You're right. I do like that. It's a different. Or the Melbourne thing is A's and E's get mixed. Yeah.
Starting point is 02:18:33 And some of us say M. Allen. Am I. M.I. Yeah. I love that talk show, Alan. I love Alan Degeneres. Alan DeGeneres.
Starting point is 02:18:43 I pretty much say Alan and Alan. Apparently, Victorians say grouse more. Really? I don't know if people say that much anymore. No, grouse isn't really. Grouse is out. Yeah. I think grouse is fun.
Starting point is 02:18:56 That's a, that feels Gen X and Boomer's probably, yeah. Yeah, I think so. That feels like my aunties. Yeah. Oh, great. I love the word. I love it, but I can't pull it off. But I once said that about mate and now I call everyone mate, so.
Starting point is 02:19:08 Yeah, I reckon it sounds grass when you say, mate. Thanks, mate. Fair income. I reckon I reckon. I reckon it sounds shouse. Too, too right. Ridgey did. Ere-ro, all right, off I popped.
Starting point is 02:19:17 I'm going to chuck a you into the bonelow. Test Chilcott, okay, exhausted leader of the munchkins, has a fact. writing, so I'm saving for a house. I thought it was going to be like the house that fell on. Oh, um. It's a witch. Well, keep reading. Oh, it could be.
Starting point is 02:19:37 So I'm saving for a house. I have to cut down on expenses and I have to pause patron for a bit. I'm Devo. I reckon they might be from Australia. Uh, but I'll still be listening, especially in the next few months as I'm expecting a little brother for my daughter Margo. Oh. I love that you. I love how long around you went to say, I'm going to have a boy.
Starting point is 02:20:02 I'm having a kid. I took my brain a little bit. I was like, oh, are they going to be a grandmother? Oh, no, hang on. A little brother. A little brother, yeah. Yeah, I thought they were going to have a little brother. For my daughter, Margot or Margot.
Starting point is 02:20:16 Yep, another baby. Congratulations. Awesome. Yikes. Apparently I hate sleep. Lies, I miss it. What's it like? describing in detail, I'll wait.
Starting point is 02:20:28 Well, I'll tell you what. Man, I love sleep. Yeah, it's really, I mean, it's sort of... I wish I could be there for sleep. Yeah. As in, I wish I didn't keep missing it. As in, I go to sleep, and then I wake up and I've slept. I wish I could be in it.
Starting point is 02:20:42 We'd happily wake you up on the hour every hour. If you don't mind. Hey, Jess, you're asleep, what's it like? I was so good. And we'll half wake you, though. Yes. Yeah, just lean over my bed and... Yeah.
Starting point is 02:20:54 What's it like? You enjoying that jazz, having a good sleep? It's just like being on tour again. What are you thinking about? You're thinking about me? Stun of nightmares. Anywho, my fact is, there is a song designed to stop your baby from crying.
Starting point is 02:21:16 Imogen Heap, who was written with Taylor Swift and composed the music for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, worked with developmental for, yep, developmental psychologist to make the song testing it on babies even. It's called the Happy Song. Oh. Found in the title.
Starting point is 02:21:34 A lot of work on the song, but that title fucking blows. I will say it's a lifesaver in the car, but sometimes drives you a little mad. I'll see you in Canberra in October. Woot, Woot, Woot. Woot, Woot, Woot, see you there. Man, I did not know about this song.
Starting point is 02:21:52 Yeah, it's not too late, it's not too late. Yeah, what, it stops your baby from crying? That feels like that should be a better known song. Yeah, I've seen this on TikTok. Cool. The happy song. Didn't think to pass it on to you. Yeah, thanks a lot.
Starting point is 02:22:08 Oh, thanks a lot. I saw that when, well, I don't know anybody who's got kids. Keeps scrolling. Not that I care about. Certainly not young ones, yuck. It seems like it's done quite well. Oh, no, I'm just looking on Spotify. It's had 288 million players.
Starting point is 02:22:22 so far. Whoa. Whoa. Wow. Sounds like a game changer. And surely it's got to work to some degree for it to keep getting played, or it's a banger. One of the two.
Starting point is 02:22:33 One of the two. And finally this week, we got one from Tamara Potts, aka Book Queen. Oh, that's right. I think Tamara wrote us before telling about a book deal that had been signed. Anyway, Tamara writes this time a suggestion. I didn't really know anything about English. history, how it started, in inverted commas, where their royalty came from, who most of the medieval kings and queens were. But the book, Unruly by David Mitchell, explained it all in a
Starting point is 02:23:04 funny and easy way, highly recommended at least to understand a bit more about that part of history. 100% with you. I'm halfway through listening to it for a second time. I was about to say, I feel like I've heard somebody else talk about that book before. It was you. Yeah, it's really, yeah, I really enjoyed it a lot, especially the first half, for some reason, because I guess it's where I really didn't know about it all. Yeah, but, yeah, I find it fascinating. I like listening to him talk. I like how he says et instead of eat.
Starting point is 02:23:38 Yes, Stephen Fry does that... It must be, is that posh English, maybe? It must be, yeah. Et it? Yeah, he ate it quickly and ran to his room. And I'm like, Stephen Fry. What the fuck are you talking about? He scoffed his food, all right?
Starting point is 02:23:56 That's a great tip tomorrow. Great title for a book as well. I think something that maybe the happy song writers could look into. A little something more there. Unruly, you see. There's a couple of things going on there. Yeah, it's interesting. It's engaging.
Starting point is 02:24:11 And then the book cover has, it's like a crown, which is also a bomb. It's like a crown with a wick. Or whatever. Not a wick. What do you call a bomb wick? Yeah. A fuse. Fuse.
Starting point is 02:24:24 What do you call a bomb wick? That's good. Thank you so much, Tamara, Tess, and Cheryl. Next thing we do, thank a few of our other great Patreon supporters who are on the shout-out level or above. The arse-prod level or above. This is another thing that if you sign up to the Dreamboat Cooper level, you get involved in as well. Now, Jess, you normally come up with a games? Because we read out nine names each week.
Starting point is 02:24:48 Do you have an idea for a game? It's tricky because it was a pretty grim topic. What do we think? Other things they've climbed? Yes. Well, they haven't climbed a mountain. They've climbed, Dave. Oh, corporate ladder.
Starting point is 02:25:05 Okay, save it. Okay, I'll save it. Great, very great. Have you got eight others? Is that something? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, okay, great. All right.
Starting point is 02:25:15 Well, they were the first to climb. All right, Dave, I think me and Jess have got it. you don't seem to have it. So you want to read the names? Corporate letter. Oh, no. He never really gets it, does he? Dave, that was actually really funny.
Starting point is 02:25:28 Thank you. I've been working on it. Thought of that in the car. Would you like to read the names and places? I'd love to read some names and places. First up, from a location they have not provided to us so we can only presume they're deep within the fortress of the malls listing right now. Thank you to Lauren Alexander K.
Starting point is 02:25:46 Corporate ladder. Oh. I'm the corporate ladder. I'm on the corporate ladder. L-A-K. Lauren, not worrying about any glass ceiling. No, straight through. The ladder just poked right through.
Starting point is 02:25:57 Hey, I hope you're wearing shoes because there's a lot of shards on the ground now. Which won't affect you, Lauren, because you're up that ladder. But all those losers who've left behind, they're going to get cut up. And you don't even get shit about that, Lauren. Yeah. Because you're on the up and up. Because you're a shee-o. Who knew it recently Tony and Ryan were telling us about
Starting point is 02:26:24 I hadn't heard of any of the CEO I hope that someone got the irony of my comment because they got clipped out and someone said something, I can't remember what they said but I replied, it's nice that they're getting some love compared to like normal CEOs i.e. He, you know, the normal ones, the men. I'm like, that's probably clear what I'm doing.
Starting point is 02:26:53 Yeah, hopefully you know that's a joke. Yeah, but there was a few. She boss. Yeah, girl boss. Girl boss. Sheeo is very funny. I've never heard of it. There was one other one that's great as well. I can't quite remember what it was, I mean, look up the clip.
Starting point is 02:27:06 I think it was that Tony's a job title on LinkedIn was muscles because she carries the team. Anyway, Lauren, you are a girl boss, she. Yeah, right on Lauren. Another personnel that's deeper than the fortress, probably right next to L.A.K. on the ladder there. What are they climbing? It's Eden Iris. Oh, my God. Eden Iris are climbing the tree of knowledge. Wow, first to climb the tree of knowledge. Which I guess is where probably where she got her name.
Starting point is 02:27:37 Or they got their name. Yeah. Wow. Has he even learnt anything up there yet, reported back to us? No, unfortunately, all the apples that they found so far were red delicious. So luckily, yeah, hasn't done, hasn't sinned yet. Just been chucking them on the ground like the rocks they are. No, thanks.
Starting point is 02:27:58 Another red delicious. Lie. Next up from Hearn Hill, Western Australia. Thank you to Curtis Brennick. Who's climbed to the top of an oil rig. That just happened in the book I'm reading Oh I thought you might have been still thinking about
Starting point is 02:28:15 Our movie club About that oil rig About deep water horizon No you're talking about Armageddon Armageddon yeah I just thought of another movie That has an oil rig in it
Starting point is 02:28:26 And I had one That's amazing That's impressive that I had another oil rig based movie Yeah You always be rigging I'm always rigging Always rigging That's what Gatos Brannick's doing right now
Starting point is 02:28:39 Yeah. Well, they were the first to do it. Yeah, one of the great rigs. Do you want to have a go at saying some, Dave, or do you want to keep reading names? I'm loving these names. Oh, go for it. No, I'm good. I'm good with the names.
Starting point is 02:28:49 Okay, then hurry up. From Springfield, what is this, Missouri? M.O. I don't know. I'll tell you what. Dave will be in the cold, cold ground before he... Before I recognize, Springfield, Missouri, it is. Joe Eisenbys.
Starting point is 02:29:05 Guy, that's a great name. Eisenbys. Joe, of course. Climbing the Ford Everest. Getting on the roof, getting a better view. That's a four-wheel drive. Oh, right. I did not get it.
Starting point is 02:29:21 The Ford Everest. Is that the mountain in front of Everest? Got on you, Joe. Next up, I would like to thank from location unknown to us. It's Ethan Jeffries. Ethan Jeffries has climbed the social ladder. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
Starting point is 02:29:39 Gone from nerd to jock. Yeah, took the glasses off. Yeah. Took out the ponytail. Flipped the hair around. W wore a little red dress. Oh, my God. Hunchy, muchy.
Starting point is 02:29:50 Oh, my God. Ethan, you were hot this whole time? Yeah. Why didn't you tell us on day one when I was flushing your head down the toilet? That trope doesn't work anymore, does it? Because hot people have glasses. Yeah, damn right, they do. But in the 80s and 90s when that was a trope,
Starting point is 02:30:03 glasses were like equal yuck. Do you think it's just a way of, like, hiding a bit of a face? Yeah. They're like, this woman is too beautiful. But that's, I think that's why they're favoured now, because it hides a bit of your face. Yeah. And you can choose how it hides a bit of your face. Oh, it's like, everyone looks hot in sunglasses.
Starting point is 02:30:18 Yeah. You can change the, like, compared to your nose, you make big or small glasses. All of a sudden, your nose doesn't look weird. See, it's funny because you stopped wearing glasses a few years ago. Oh, yeah, I know. In lockdown, I stopped wearing them because I only had ever had to look across the room. I didn't really need them anymore. But I definitely should be wearing them more now.
Starting point is 02:30:38 I just find them annoying. Yeah. And people who wear them are annoying. No. I think Dave looks fantastic. Thank you so much. Thank you. It's just when he's desperate for it.
Starting point is 02:30:48 I just can't give it to him. I like, because those glasses are like normal size, right? They only look oversized because they're on your head. Is that right? Something like that. They're actually little John Lennon style. Most people can't see through these.
Starting point is 02:31:03 You're like a mouse wearing a real human's glasses? For some reason. So next I'd like to thank another, there's quite a few mole dwellers this week from location unknown to us. It's Christine Kilbourne. Double K. Double K. Christine Kilbourne. Climbing. Well, I guess. Yeah, climbing up the, yeah, trying to get to the head dragon roll. The old KKK. Is that what we were all thinking?
Starting point is 02:31:34 Oh, no. I actually zoned out and came back in. As you said KKK, and I was like, oh, no. Oh, no, you were thinking of Chris Kringle. No, to the point, I didn't get it. I thought you were doing some sort of Game of Thrones reference, climbing up to the head drag, and I was like, oh, yeah? I think the boss of the KKK is called the Head Drag.
Starting point is 02:31:49 I did not get where you were going, though. I think it's good that we didn't immediately know that. Yeah. Bodes really well for us. Well, I think probably, because we are now living in like a utopia where everyone's equal and there's sort of no. Like, you probably, at your age, have never even heard of all. like white power, white pride.
Starting point is 02:32:10 What? Yeah, there was this weird thing in the past where white people thought that was superior. It's funny to think about now. It is funny to think about now. Yeah. But no, that's... Because now we know we're the worst. No, now we know we're all equal.
Starting point is 02:32:27 What about... You've overcorrected, Jess. I feel weird about giving Christine this one. What about... She's climbing the world's tallest building on the outside, a la Tom Cruise Mission Impossible style. Oh, Wiz Khalifa. Yeah, can we do it?
Starting point is 02:32:41 So at least there's a little joke there. She's climbing Wiz Khalifa. There has to be a joke day. But using those little suction things that Tom Cruise had. Yeah. Red means dead. Red and red or whatever, yeah. Yeah.
Starting point is 02:32:53 Yeah. Blue is glue, red is dead. Was that it? Oh, that sounds right. Yeah. If not, I reckon that's not too late, Tommy. And did he really do that? Probably.
Starting point is 02:33:04 Probably. Which I know you hate. He's taken the jobs of underpaid stunt performers. He's like, yeah, I'll do it, but I'll also get paid $25 million. Piss off. Do they do those big stunts at the end in case he dies, but they've at least filmed everything else so they can still put the movie at? They should.
Starting point is 02:33:26 That would be such a grim thing to do. Well, because the insurance on it's insane that he pays, but like if he dies, they can't make the rest of the movie. But I think that is the whole movie is him running for like 80 minutes, and then 20 minutes. You've really got to check out this film. You would genuinely love these films if you could get over your blind spot. And then five minutes of him being shocked when people pull off masks and they go, oh, you were someone else the whole time. Yeah.
Starting point is 02:33:51 Yeah, yeah. You, it's probably as a Bond fan, you probably find it hard to get over some silly things like that. I like, I like gritty stuff. Yeah, invisible cars. Yes, like octopus. I love it when you're a bitch. It's so fun. I don't just like Mr. Impossible.
Starting point is 02:34:10 I've seen quite a few, including the red dead one. Okay, who's next? That is, that might be the best one. That was a good one. And the, maybe three ago with Henry Cavill, that was a good one. Oh, yeah, where he reloads his arms famously. Oh, yeah. Love that scene.
Starting point is 02:34:30 I would like to thank from the location unknown to us, it's Olivia Campbell. Olivia Campbell, the first to climb a staircase. Oh, bloody hell. Somebody had to be first, isn't they? Because the first person, they were like, what the fuck is this? What is this? What is this? That's crazy. They were just gripping onto the handrail every step.
Starting point is 02:34:46 I don't think there was a handrail the first time. And the wild... Well, they had to go and went, it'd be nice if I had something to hold on to me. And then the handrail was invented. And then somebody else got to be the first to climb stairs with a handrail. But that's not, Olivia. It's just first to climb stairs. The wild thing is she actually invented the slinky, and that's why she invented stairs.
Starting point is 02:35:05 Yeah. He's like, this needs something. It needs structure. Yeah. So the first stairs was actually really just a slinky course. And then when she was on her way up and down, she thought, hang on a second. This is actually an efficient way to get up a slope. Wait, what the, what are they?
Starting point is 02:35:22 What are I? It's like, I was a freaking out right now. I think everyone would have just thought something. What if I don't have? What have I done? Finally able to get to that second story of her house. There's all this stuff up there. Oh my God.
Starting point is 02:35:43 I've been sleeping in the dogs bed. What have I done? Inventing stairs. What have I done? Good on, you, Olivia. Next up, another mold dweller. It's Laura Clayson. What's with the moles this week?
Starting point is 02:36:01 We are coming up to Christmas card sign up. territory, which we usually lock off in November to give us enough time to print out the Christmas and you only get sent a Christmas card if you've provided your address on Patreon. So if you are a Patreon or you want to get a Christmas card this year, sign up by the start of November and, of course, double check that you've given us your address and that it's correct. Yes. Because I think there's a box you could tick that I probably would tick when I'm signing up for something like this, which is I don't want to give you my address.
Starting point is 02:36:32 Totally. Which is fair enough. Absolutely. No problems if you don't. But we can't send you. Obviously, we can't send a postcard. We, I mean, we end up just dumping a big pile of cards into a mole pit. The sea.
Starting point is 02:36:48 Oh, a mole pit. I threw mine in the sea this time. Some people live in the sea. Well, yeah, that's where the wet moles live. Wales. Wales. Water moles. Water moles.
Starting point is 02:37:02 I call Wales water moles. That's a really big water. How have we lost it? This is the first thing we've done today And we're losing our minds We're excited to be back with Matt And finally I just love Matt
Starting point is 02:37:13 From me too From Hastings in Victoria Thank you to Taylor Spell T-A-L-A-H Do we skip over The last mole? I don't think I gave them Something to climb
Starting point is 02:37:27 Oh we didn't say the client We just got so excited about the address Sorry Laura Clayson let's rewind All right Laura Clayson I'm thinking, do you know what I'm talking about if I say the something steps? It's the thing in the dandy nongs, and it's like a thousand steps. Yeah, she climbed a thousand steps. First to do it.
Starting point is 02:37:45 First to do it. Wow. Beautiful spot. Gorgeous. Is it technically a thousand steps? I don't think so, but it's a lot. It's sort of like the 12 apostles. Yeah, there's like three of them or something.
Starting point is 02:37:54 Still pretty. You round up. Yeah, we're running up to 12. Because it would be weird to say the dandy long, the four steps. Yes. No, I mean, there's only four there. Yeah. But they're big ones.
Starting point is 02:38:03 That's basically a thousand. Yeah. It feels like it. It's a great spot. Gorgeous. Gorgeous. I haven't been there for ages. Yeah, did it once, nearly hyperventilated, turned around.
Starting point is 02:38:12 Never do it again. Let's all, we'll all meet out there. See you there. I'm busy, but have fun. Yeah, we will. I'm available. I think I have some scons after. They're great scones up there.
Starting point is 02:38:26 That's real scone country, isn't it? Oh, big scone country in the denounce. And is that near pie in the sky too? Yeah, would be. Oh my God. I've had on my list. for years. I've never been there.
Starting point is 02:38:34 And the Hillsville Sanctuary is probably out there somewhere. Somewhere in that general vicinity. Wow. Out in the east. That way. That way-ish. It's near where you grew up, isn't it, Dave? It's in the foresty areas of the east?
Starting point is 02:38:47 No, no, that's much further out. Oh. Well, don't worry about it then. From the inner forest. Right. But when a bushfire comes through, you're all part of the same danger zone. Yeah, pretty much, yeah. I was in the suburban Eltham, but when I went to school in Warronday, there's a lot of, yeah, bushfire apprehension every year.
Starting point is 02:39:10 Yeah. But, but beautiful spot. Gorgeous. I mean, why would heaps of people live in a spot that could burn down every year? Because it'd want to be pretty beautiful. It would be nice. It's very nice. And finally, I would like to thank, like I said, from Hastings in Victoria, it's Taylor.
Starting point is 02:39:28 It's spelled T-A-Y-L-A-H just so you're nice. No, because you've only given a seat first man. Taylor. Taylor was the first to hear Miley Cyrus's The Climb. Whoa. Really? Yeah. What was she up to when she heard it?
Starting point is 02:39:40 Well, hanging out in the studio with Miley. And Miley was like, can I remember about something by you? Whoa. And Taylor was like, I guess. I've got a head out, but okay. I've got for two minutes. And then Miley played the first cut of the climb. And what did Taylor say?
Starting point is 02:39:54 Taylor was like, it's pretty good. Yeah, pretty good. I don't know if it'll change lives. Maybe a B-side. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'd put out.
Starting point is 02:40:00 Hardy in the USA first. Oh, this goes back to then, does it? I don't think so. I think there's a whole movie. Unless you may tell her was like, I reckon this song, there's a movie in this song. Yeah, there's a movie in this. There's a Hannah Montana movie in this. Oh, it goes back.
Starting point is 02:40:14 Yeah. Back when she was Hannah Stewart. Is that right? Sure. Her alter ego was a Stewart, I believe. Is that true? Wiley Stewart? I can't remember her.
Starting point is 02:40:27 I'm doubting it now, to be honest. Don't worry about it. You're looking on up? What was it? Billy Ray Stewart? No. All right. Okay, don't worry about it then.
Starting point is 02:40:37 Miley Stewart, played by Miley Cyrus. Okay. Because that would have made me insane. Yeah. I'm just going, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Hannah Montana had my surname.
Starting point is 02:40:46 Yeah. What are you talking about? I mean, it probably makes me sound a little insane either way. That's my surname. Myles Cyrus, she technically does know my surname. We could be cousins Canonically Klonically
Starting point is 02:41:03 That was a full-on-on inhale That was a full-on inhale It was scary It was like It was demonic Yeah I loved it That was real me
Starting point is 02:41:16 I finally I've been open to show Showing to Oh my God Well thank you so much To Taylor, Laura Oliver Christine Ethan Joe Curtis Eden
Starting point is 02:41:25 And Lauren And that just leaves the Drip Ditch Club, which Dave explained so well. Sorry, Jess explained so well. Oh, did I miss my shot? Sorry, Dave explained so well. I was Mideawned. No one wants it.
Starting point is 02:41:39 No one wants this moment. You know when the moment arrives? You've got to be ready. I step back. No, this is our Theatre of the Mind slash Clubhouse where people who have been supporting the show on the shout-out level or above for three consecutive years. For me to give them a shout-out a couple of years back,
Starting point is 02:41:54 but they've stayed true. They've always supported the show, like I said, for three straight years. And for that, we enshrine them into our Hall of Fame, put their name up on the ledger. They run on in. And inside we have a giant, giant hangout zone slash restaurant slash arcade zone slash beautiful pods to sleep in. There's food, there's drink, there's entertainment, there's games, stories to tell. Absolutely.
Starting point is 02:42:18 Anything you can dream of, we got it. Slash the guitarist is playing. Oh, slash is always, he's just soloing in the corner all the time. Slash a place where you can pierce. Yeah, we've got the slashes. And Jess is behind the bar. I normally has a cocktail based on the topic. What's the Everest Disaster cocktail?
Starting point is 02:42:39 It's... Ice cream's got to be involved, right? Yes. Yeah. It's ice cream. It's essentially like an affigato. Oh, my... I love an affigato.
Starting point is 02:42:46 Of course you do. It's ice cream and coffee, you little bitch. You basic little bitch. You fucking love it, and it's good! Should we get affigatoes for lunch? Yes. I'll just have the ice cream, please. Are you enjoying me calling you a bitch?
Starting point is 02:43:03 Yes. I'm loving it. Yeah. I think it's our thing. It feels really good, actually. See, it's an affigato. An a fagato. But it's served in like a cup that makes it look like it's an Everest Mountain.
Starting point is 02:43:14 Oh, my God. Yeah, it's pretty fun. How hot is the coffee? Wow, that's the thing. That's the thing. The ice cream, very, very cold. Oh, great. A frozen solid.
Starting point is 02:43:24 Okay. The coffee is. It's far too hot. Okay. Yeah. But, Matt, is this like the perfect combination then? It might just be. This, we finally might have solved your heat problem.
Starting point is 02:43:36 Yeah. This is good news. Yeah. But I think, you know when glass changes from hot to cold too quickly and it shatters? Oh, yeah. I think we might be at risk of that. Oh, no. But we'll see.
Starting point is 02:43:50 You know, somebody has to be the first to order it. Don't step there. Yeah. You know, I look forward to being the one who. Talk to everyone like they've never, never, you know, been around glass. Yeah. Yeah. Kevin, where you're walking?
Starting point is 02:44:04 Step away, please. I'll get the room. I will collect the large shards, he says. Yes. And then he gets distracted and forgets. Yeah. Just walks away. I'm like bleeding out.
Starting point is 02:44:17 All digits. People are like, can you do the moonwalk? Yeah, I'll do it right here. Shoo. Sorry, I'm better without my shoes on. Hang on. Jip, ship, shimau. Actually, there's something in this sound.
Starting point is 02:44:37 Hoy! That was my favorite Michael Jackson noise. Hoi! Oh, ho! Oh, no. That was my favorite Michael Jackson sound. Hoi. Hoi.
Starting point is 02:44:53 Hoi. Shumon. Hoi. So we've got... Oh, Dave, you've got to book to ban? Because we've got five names to get to here. Oh, my gosh. We're never going to believe who signed on for the first episode of Block.
Starting point is 02:45:08 I'm so excited to have them here for this very mountain-specific episode. You're never going to believe. The Mountain Goats. Oh, my God, huge. Huge. Very cool bair, so they're going to be here. You like them too, Dave. Is that fair to say?
Starting point is 02:45:20 I've been trying to chase them for a long time. I know like two of their songs, but I know more than two of their fans. I think Goxie's a big fan. Okay. Jack Drews, a huge fan. Okay. Dave Warnocky. I feel like Andy Matthews have been to him.
Starting point is 02:45:35 Andy Matthews. Has a guess. That's a, yeah. What's message Andy'd find out? Yeah, that's find out. What was their sort of breakthrough song? Two years or something? Or no, at the end of this year?
Starting point is 02:45:46 This year. Yeah, good song. That sort of stuff. I mean, do we need the band? We don't need the real band. I can't remember it, actually. Now that I think. Something, something, something, something.
Starting point is 02:46:05 Hey. Sorry, that's some Michael Jackson cover. All right, so we got five names. I'm on the door. I got the door list. If you hear your name, jog on in. Dave's on the stage. He's hopping up.
Starting point is 02:46:17 It's hopping up the crowd. Everyone is already in the club. We're pushing up 1,000-odd people, I think, in there. If you are in the club, chant along with Dave and his weak wordplay, Jess is hyping up Dave. Come on, because Dave in this theatre of the mind is low on self-confidence, which of course is his hardest acting job to date. Now, I just block him out.
Starting point is 02:46:41 I agree, I wasn't listening. I'm looking up the filmography of Thomas Brody Sagster. Okay, what does that mean? I'm just busy. She's getting stuff done. She's busy. She made up an actor? That's how much she didn't want to be in this conversation.
Starting point is 02:46:53 Yeah. Thomas Brody Sactor. Okay, Jess. Some of that sounds like a real thing. All right, Dave, you ready? Absolutely. First up, welcome into the club from Davenport in Iowa, maybe. It's Tyne Rieck.
Starting point is 02:47:11 It's not time to make a RIC. Just relax. Take it easy. You're still. Time. your react there's so much you have to not do
Starting point is 02:47:29 in Davenport Iowa If I don't have to change my daughter's nappy I always sing to myself It's not time for a nappit changed You got to keep yourself You got to keep yourself
Starting point is 02:47:42 You got to keep yourself busy It's good to get you out of the house And into the house Oh my God Dave's loser Oh Should we be checking in a little more I think we may have you.
Starting point is 02:47:53 It's not time. She's going to hear that song when she's an adult and be like, oh, I feel really triggered. I think I need to piss. I don't know why. The song is about it. Isn't it about like a parent and their kid, their relationship falling apart? Yeah. That probably makes sense.
Starting point is 02:48:10 I have to go away. I have to go away. Oh my God. Oh my God. I just punched it up. I have to go to the toilet. To the toilet. To the toilet.
Starting point is 02:48:21 That's going to come. Very handy. Next up, welcome in from Bull Verde, Texas, Sarah Boucher. Sarah Boucher, you are my number one rooster. Yeah, cock and doodle-doo. Just keep it going, Matt. We need to keep the flow. Yes, that was horrific.
Starting point is 02:48:39 Let's just keep going. I mean, the only thing I can think that runs the Boucher is Dusha, and I was like, I'm not going to say that. Jesus. But then you did. Yeah. Well, only because Matt didn't move on quickly, you know. Yeah, no, come on, Matt. From Secular East here in Melbourne, Victoria.
Starting point is 02:48:51 Welcome in to the club. Meg Haycroft. Meg Hay, Hey, Hey, Haycroft. From Washington in D.C. Welcome in Stephen Major. I don't want Stephen Minor. I want Stephen Major. Finally, from Henderson, Nevada or New Vermont.
Starting point is 02:49:10 Nevada. There's no new V-1. From Nevada, welcome in Cynthia Sanford. Some people go to Stanford, but I go to Cynthia Sanford. Yeah, for all my advice. Yes. Okay. Cynthia gives the best advice.
Starting point is 02:49:26 Yeah, some people go to a university for advice. Oh no. No, no. I got to Cynthia. Welcome in Cynthia, Stephen, Meg, Sarah and Tyne. It's not time. Make your react. Jesus Christ.
Starting point is 02:49:38 Jesus Christ. Make yourselves at home. And, yeah. Order an Everest affigato. Yeah. And if we make it through this year, you know, is the song you'll hear later on. That brings it to the end of the episode. Jess, anything we need to tell you.
Starting point is 02:49:55 Ah, just the weird love a bit. If you want to suggest the topic, you can do that. There's a link in our show notes. You can also find our website, which is dogoonpod.com. You can find us on social media at do go on pod or do go on podcast on TikTok. Like, subscribe, etc. Baby, we need that engagement to keep us living. And that's about it.
Starting point is 02:50:15 Dave, boot this baby home. Oh, we should say that we are doing the live streamed shows this weekend at the cheerful, earful podcast festival. Yes. If you can come see us in person at Humding Studios, where we're recording this right now, in Brunswick, or you can watch it anytime online live or on catch up for a few days afterwards. Saturday afternoon in Melbourne time, we're doing, for the one ticket price, you get to see
Starting point is 02:50:35 a do-go-on, then a book cheat, and then on Sunday afternoon, for the one-ticket price, you get to see a who-knit with Matt Stewart and a do-go-on, of course. And Matt has just made a very exciting announcement because a podcast pulled out. He's doing a live primates. Yes, I'm excited and nervous. What could it be? Fun is the answer. That's the only possible answer.
Starting point is 02:50:56 Fun guaranteed. Whatever it is, it's going to be fun. Also on the 17th of October, just coming up real soon. I'm filming my show Bad Boy here at Humdinger. It's a Friday evening. It should be a lot of fun. That's the only thing it's going to be. Yes.
Starting point is 02:51:14 Dave will be there. I'll be there. Jess is invited. I'm coming. Jess will be there. Oh, will I? I want them to know. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 02:51:22 I think because then they'll be excited. And they'll be like, like, holy shit. And they'll try to lick me. No licking. No, new rule. New rule. We didn't think we had to have that rule, but we do.
Starting point is 02:51:33 No, just don't look at me. Look at Matt. People keep going to the old, the air bud defense. Oh, there's nothing in the rule book. Well, okay, now there is something in the rule book. Thanks to Hobart. No licking. Jeez.
Starting point is 02:51:45 They're real tactile learners, aren't they? Yeah, yeah. Real tonguey people. Yeah, very tonguey. Very licky. Yeah, tongue out of cheek and not good. Yeah, I'm going to try it on the bit of my tongue where soundness is... Well, that's been debunked, guys.
Starting point is 02:52:01 That's not how a tongue works. They're begging to try different... No, no, no, I didn't do the under bit of my tongue. Where's my... I want to taste if you got much umami in there, in the pits. They're looking your pits. Fillsy people, no, but horrible people. But thank you to everyone who came out.
Starting point is 02:52:17 Thank you so much, everyone. Thank you so much. We'll never return, but thank you so much. So let's just say Block 2025 is in full effect Thank you very much We'll be back over the next eight weeks With the most requested topics of the year
Starting point is 02:52:30 But until then, thank you and goodbye Later Bye It's not time To make my change My name's Ryan This is my best friend Tony And together we do the Tony and Ryan podcast
Starting point is 02:52:47 Montreal, bonjue People right across Canada I'll listen to our daily podcast, though, but don't just take our word for it. Jamie from Vancouver. I think people should listen to the Tony and Ryan podcast because they are hilarious. There's no better comedy than Australian comedy they are unhinged. Thank you, Jamie. But just be warned if you're going up for a walk, you might laugh your ass off in public.
Starting point is 02:53:05 But it's worth it, trust me. Oh, yeah, be safe out there. Yeah, take it easy. Yeah, listen to Tony and Ryan every day. Don't forget to sign up to our tour mailing list so we know where in the world you are and we can come and tell you when we're coming there. we go we always hear six months later oh you should come to manchester we were just in manchester but this way you'll never will never miss out and don't forget to sign up go to our instagram click our
Starting point is 02:53:30 link tree very very easy it means we know to come to you and you'll also know that we're coming to you yeah you will come to you you come to us very good and we give you a spam free guarantee

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.