Speed climber and mountaineer Karl Egloff returns to Everest this year, and Kenton catches up with him for a quick chat. Listeners may remember Karl joined the pod last year ahead of his FKT attempt, which was ultimately thwarted by poor weather.

After a year of very disciplined training, Karl is back and fully focused on becoming the fastest person to go from basecamp to the summit of Everest and back again in a single push with no supplementary oxygen. He talks to Kenton about what he learnt last year, what his preparation has looked like and the enormity of the challenge. They compare conditions this year versus last year and agree that safety is always the number one priority, particularly with family waiting at home.

Karl's challenge is a big one and we wish him the very best of luck!

This week, Kenton sits down with expedition doctor Jakob Muehlbacher and asks for his insights into working on Everest.

Jakob is back on Everest for the fourth time. He first took the role of expedition doctor in 2023, then combined the role with a summit in 2024, and has continued as doctor in 2025 and 2026. He is fascinated by high-altitude medicine and deals with a whole spectrum of issues from 'easy' gastro distress and coughs and colds, to pulmonary issues often providing remote advice to guides higher up the mountain.

Interestingly, Jakob supported the Xenon team last year and he and Kenton have an interesting discussion about the use of hypoxic tents before travelling to altitude.

Listen now to hear a medical professional's view of working on Everest.

This week's insight into Everest comes from Benny Lieber, who is a lead guide for Furtenbach Adventures and finds himself at Everest Base Camp with Kenton.

Benny is no stranger to the podcast (check out episode 126), but this week he shares his view on all things Everest - the icefall, the route up the mountain, the challenge, the history, the logistics that make it possible and why he keeps coming back.

Listen in to hear his perspective on the world's highest mountain.