I just accidentally stumbled upon this interview, and watched it because I had heard Kirstin broke the world record. Having no knowledge about mountaineering, this was a wonderful interview. Informative, personable, and thorough. Kirstin seems like a warm, caring, honest,down to earth climber whose main objective is "responsible climbing". This has been one of the best interviews I have ever seen. Great job to both of you guys!!!

@AlanArnetteClimbs

29 күн бұрын

Thanks!

The age of "personal responsibility" seems over. These days we only want the bad news...then we want to lay blame. No-one understands the myriad of complexities people are dealing with at altitude. You can do the most extreme things these days, but cry foul as soon as anything goes wrong. It reminds me of the tourists visiting active volcanoes and suing governments for an eruption. I climbed many, and I am always aware of the risk I took. If it's your passion you do it, if it's your job you accept the risk, or don't allow it period. Thanks Alan and Kristin👋

@AlanArnetteClimbs

9 ай бұрын

Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I agree on too much negativity and the need for more personal responsibility. I fully concur with your closing points that we all know what we are getting into, but sadly, every now and then, someone doesn’t or turns a blind eye and a tragedy ensues. Thanks again.

@TheAverageGuy12

9 ай бұрын

Climb on !

What a fabulous interview. Thank you so much for uploading this. Kristan always comes across as a lovely, genuine, compassionate person and should not have had to shoulder the burden and receive the abuse that she got. Social media is such a toxic place, filled with people who weren't there and don't have the full facts and are so quick to find someone to blame. The mountains and mother nature are a dangerous combination, and accidents happen. It's fabulous that Kristan wants to change things. It goes to show what a caring and compassionate person she is. Thank you again for posting this incredible interview.

@AlanArnetteClimbs

2 ай бұрын

Thank you for your comments. I'm pleased you found the interview with her useful and informative.

The interview that I've been waiting for. ❤

@barbaracohen2856

9 ай бұрын

YES!!!💚

thankyou kristin and alan for a very informative and honest podcast,

Succinct, precise and comprehensive! Thank you for it, Alan! Great coverage!

@AlanArnetteClimbs

9 ай бұрын

Thank you

I have been waiting for this!!!! 🎉🎉

Sooooo glad been waiting for this one 🙌

Than you for this informative session! 🙏

@AlanArnetteClimbs

9 ай бұрын

You're so welcome!

love the podcast

Media coverage on this was really terrible and inflammatory. Only to be expected really. Kristin's explanation is totally fair. It really does sound insane that the guy was there under those circumstances. That said, chastising a dead man for recklessness without even having full knowledge of the story is just as disrespectful as blaming the other climbers. Use it as a cautionary tale and make sure it doesn't happen again, that's all.

@AlanArnetteClimbs

29 күн бұрын

It was a difficult moment for all and in my view avoidable. Tragic for his family.

@cagezero1

29 күн бұрын

@@AlanArnetteClimbs Agreed.

This is/was a good Interview, K2 is no joke: -One has to be very careful, prepared & well equipped before climbing K2. -The government has to also set strict policies in regards to climbing K2 or any other 8000ers. -As an individual we also have personal responsibility towards ourselves and own safety. -Lastly, it is not right to jump into conclusions about a situation before getting your facts right, whether you were/are at the mountain or at home, do your own due diligence first. Congratulations Kristin, Lama and the Team Good Job!🤩

@AlanArnetteClimbs

9 ай бұрын

Thank you. While government regs are good, I believe the primary responsibility for safety is on the shoulders of the operators. I appreciate your comments.

God bless her as she’s an amazing champion. The history of women mountaineers had been so tragic from the beginning so when there are such terrific successes, it’s a heartbreaker that a precious family man lost his life within such circumstances. The negative viral knee jerk reaction from the internet hive mind was to blame and condemn her. Sadly there is a party to blame and that’s the company he worked for…. And himself.

@AlanArnetteClimbs

9 ай бұрын

Thanks for your comment

Let’s not put on a pedestal these types of speed achievements. No doubt, an enormous physical feat to do all 14 peaks in 3 months. But more than anything it is an incredibly hard fundraising and logistical challenge. Instead let’s highlight mountaineers establishing new routes, alphinists, and self supported groups etc. It’s much more interesting in my opinion to hear about a group climbing summiting some unnamed 7000m peak in the Himalayas, instead of these adventure tourists achieving their goals on the backs of the porters, guides, helicopters, and rope fixers.

Thousands of armchair mountaineers know what should have been done. A very good interview that clearly explains the tragic story. Putting profits in front of safety happens everywhere.

One thing I don’t understand is that if the same people in the comments section were the same people in that bottle neck, they would have done exactly the same thing Kristin did. She is not responsible for anyone up there than herself and her team. Humanity is a thing but in that height if they even tried to rescue Hassan they would basically be risking their lives and the lives of the 69 other climber behind them. Kuddos to @KristinHarila for not letting people drag her success down. To be honest if I were in her shoes I would’ve done exactly the same and I bet everyone in the comments section who are calling her inhuman would do the same.

@AlanArnetteClimbs

5 ай бұрын

Thanks for your comment and perspective.

Very good interview Alan! Also so true! If you don't know the situation or what it's like in that case then you shouldn't assume the situation. Is there any difference if a person arrived at a burning car and were the only ones at the scene, should you help knowing you are taking a huge risk on your life? Isn't calling 911 for help the best thing to do in that situation? Those who criticize in this case are probably most likely the ones who would walk on by anyways. Looks like the truth prevails as always as your interview shows!

🙏🏻❤️

There is something ‘off’ about spending $1.5m and using hordes of sherpas to carry equipment and lay routes. What is this? Is it really what climbing mountains is about? Much like the queues on Everest, it is a sport that has lost itself in ego rather than the solitude and humility with which a summit should be approached. Here in Tanzania pensioners can climb Kili because they are supported by a horde of paid human mules. Does it mean they have successfully climbed the peak? I don’t think so. It feels like a performance enhancing drug that undermines everything.

@AlanArnetteClimbs

6 ай бұрын

I understand your point Jason but consider that she summited ~26 8000 meter mountains in ~24 months. I think that’s amazing regardless of support or motive.

It's so strange how The internet really, really, seems to hate mountaineers! I think it's mix of lack of understanding and the need to be in control. People really don't understand how one is willing to lay down their life to summit some stupid mountain (I understand) and when something bad happens people really need there to be a reason for it, someone, something to blame when in reality is never that simple. I am reminded of the David Sharpe story where even Sir. Edmund Hillary was outraged that mountaineers were passing him by as he was dying, and failed to understand that #1 David Sharpe went up that mountain to either live-or-die on his own accord and #2 there is no carrying a human down from >8000m. I think our knee-jerk reaction to disasters, big or small, is the need to be in control, no matter if that control is based on truth or lies.

@AlanArnetteClimbs

9 ай бұрын

Well said. Thank you.

@miskwaad

3 ай бұрын

Oh, why might they hate them? Privileged people doing something for no reason, expending enormous resources for absolutely nothing other than leaving giant garbage piles while needing personal wealth or welfare to even do it then needing to be honored for it. A school cook does more in one morning useful to humanity than any climber could possibly do. It's the realm of trust funders. Then claiming "tragedies"...it's the equivalent of hopping in a cage full of sharks then complaining how multiple limbs being torn off is a tragedy.

@wes4619

20 күн бұрын

So dont complain when one fails and the other walks over them to accomplish their mission or save their own life ​@miskwaad

The tragic irony in all this is that Muhammad Hussain took insane and reckless risks out of the desire to raise money for his family, and God has delivered his prayers with his passing generating thousands of times more revenue for his family than any wages for climbing could ever do. I think the abuse that Kristin has taken online is disgraceful, why should she be to blame? It's called the death zone for a reason - if somebody is in it without proper equipment or training then it's absolutely nobody else's responsibility to save them at the risk of their own lives. Muhammad should never have been there, it's absolutely crazy, reckless decision making by the man himself (what use is a man to his family dead), and reckless from the climbing company that employed him.

@AlanArnetteClimbs

9 ай бұрын

Thank you this measured response. I agree.

@HalfB

9 ай бұрын

Your comment is so thoughtful, succinct and poignant. Perfectly well said , thank you. Be well ✌️

@DudeeDee-jv9mv

2 ай бұрын

Because. We ll never know if he was past help, and fyi doctors never pronounce someone dead before they re warm as the cold makes wonders…(doesn’t it?) what we know for sure is that help went past him . Say they were terrified and helpless, they had to know this happens when you « commercialize » a mountain, and they should have known that the least they could do was to set an example of solidarity and bravery. They set an example of shameless greed and disrespect. We ll never know if he was past help, what we know for sure is that help, again and again, went past him. And we also know that the « example » being set this we ll go on and people we ll keep trampling over one another terrified and full of themselves, and we know for sure that people will die because help wants to reach past them.

🤮 other choose to help... she push, push forward f.t. record ... in our team from austria and most west team there is one rule if help is needed a stop of mission is clear ... what she did is the perfect example of society...

@AlanArnetteClimbs

8 ай бұрын

Did you listen to the podcast?

@aisforashhh3462

8 ай бұрын

​@@AlanArnetteClimbsDefinitely did not. Thats whats wrong with the society..Judge, judge, judge and make conclusions before 'understanding'(while sitting at a couch).

It’s really strange why people »who never touched a mountain in their life » wish they could have a chance to do it before it is buried under empty oxigen bottles left up there at the summit to ensure performances that might have cost someone *else their life. Strange how these persons pretend to do it for women, for handicaped people for who knows who while not having the descency to follow many obvious examples of solidarity that allows them to live their life. Strange how people think that stepping over a dying man depriving him of the ressources you’re carrying does not make you an inspiration but rather a dangerous person and borderline criminal… how silly and disqualified they are, these people, thinking that the same laws they’re taught to respect at 3yo- duty of assistance- apply up there among heroes…

@DudeeDee-jv9mv

3 ай бұрын

And of course it MUST be argued at a fair length that he had to be stepped over ,because, working with tourists do present Locals and their families , especially when their young, with oppprtunities and challenges far more interesting for their safety training than climbing with brave experienced mountaineers who understood what they’re doing and can rescue others ).

@AlanArnetteClimbs

3 ай бұрын

If you are solely referring to Harlia and team, no one for their group "stepped over" him, they did provide oxygen from their own supply and worked hard to pull him upright and did what would be reasonably expected of anyone to save his life. I'm afraid you've fallen for the mainstream and social media uniformed narratives and stereotypes. Yes there are issues with inexperienced clients, guides and porters and this needs to be addressed but it will take personal responsibility, not laws and faux government rules.

Alan, I am no mountaineering expert but couldn't his body have been brought down from the bottleneck to a lower camp. Was personal glory so important that the man's life wasn't important? Even if he died on the way down, didn't he deserve a proper burial?

@AlanArnetteClimbs

9 ай бұрын

Yes. And it may still be next season. But to even do a body retrieval at that altitude and terrain usually takes a dedicated team of 4-6 people several days. And costs tens of thousands.

@pranavshukla8313

9 ай бұрын

@@AlanArnetteClimbs So humanity goes thrown out the window and personal glory is all that is important? I am not singling Kristin out as there were other climbers too. This neo colonial mindset is what is wrong with mountaineering. Consider this, if the roles were reversed and the porter was some white dude from Europe or the US, I can bet all the efforts would have been made to rescue him, right? Then it won't be about the $.

@AlanArnetteClimbs

9 ай бұрын

That’s one viewpoint but I don’t think race, ethnicity or citizenship played any role in this. It’s not as simple as many in the press and social media has painted it.

It really bothers me that people refer to Sherpas as objects or commodities, as if they were some sort of disposable resource. They are human beings and they literally carry these "mountaineers" to the summit.

@AlanArnetteClimbs

5 ай бұрын

I don't believe she or I did or ever have.

@Charles-qn1bt

5 ай бұрын

I see idiots all over KZread bleating this bullshit over and over like sheep. Sherpas are doing their JOB. They get paid to do what they do (paid well by local standards) and they are well respected for what they do. Nobody is forcing them to do anything. They're not slaves and nobody treats like them slaves. If they don't wish to assist the mountaineers and adventurers up to these 8000m summits, they can always find another line of work.

@Phoenixhunter157

4 ай бұрын

Nobody here is doing that .

Yes, thanks a lot Kristin and Alan for this Podcast which gives us the true information of this tradical accident on the montain! I want also congratulation Kristin and her great Team for the soo fantastic record! 😊👍🏔️🏆🍾

I just dont understand what this record is supposed to mean? Of course u can do it faster with helicopters and oxygen. To me this is like driving the tour de france with a motorcycle and then be like "yeah i was totally faster than the cyclists...new record right there💪" And obv. its still a big achievment and deserves respect, but the record is kinda meaningless in my opinion.

@AlanArnetteClimbs

8 ай бұрын

I focus more on the physical prowess of their achievement. Helicopters were used to go between mountains and 99% of non- professional climbers use Os. To climb all five Pakistani 8000ers in around a week is mind numbing.

@ElDorodo538

8 ай бұрын

​@@AlanArnetteClimbs im not saying its wrong to use oxygen or helis or 6 sherpas to carry you up or whatever...she paid for that and its ok. Im just saying its no wonder u can do it faster than others that way. So i dont understand how this is supposed to be some kind of record. Just a hughe individual achievment, but no record for me. And if its a record all credits should go to lama, as she says herself he was the mvp here.

@AlanArnetteClimbs

8 ай бұрын

Agree. I’ve said from the start that none of these modern “records” are comparable to previous ones.

@ElDorodo538

8 ай бұрын

@@AlanArnetteClimbs ah ok, i must have missed that, when u said that. But still...this is the definition of a record, that it can be compared to previous ones. How is something a record, if it cant be compared?? Then this must be a separate category or something. But yeah whatever, good interview anyway👍

@limerot

3 ай бұрын

You think cyclists that drives a car between stages in Tour de France should be disqualified? Real sportsmen should use a bike between stages, too?

I am amazed that she calls what they are doing mountineering. Helicopters go to camps with nursemaids so they can fix ropes to make climbers trip convenient. Its discusting. My dad went climbing for many years. No nursemaids ever came along to wipe their asses. Him and his group climbed some of the biggest mountains dragging ALWAYS their own equipment and skis, setting up their own camps, cook their own meals. That is authentic mountain climbing. Today's modern climbing with how many sherpas in a group ? Is a big f... Joke. Their records are just dirty garbage climbs

@AlanArnetteClimbs

8 ай бұрын

Wow. Pretty negative. Congratulations to your Dad. He must be a nice person.

@christac1526

8 ай бұрын

@@AlanArnetteClimbs he was an authentic mountain climber and lived to a ripe age of ninty. And yes he was a super nice and special man and he never needed to brag about how many mountains he climbed with no help of special nurse maids or to set records. He climbed for his love of mountains. He even brought his own photograph equipment and carried it all by himself. Again no nursemaids. Upon return he developed the pictures to show us ( not the entire world ) what he has experienced. Now that is someone to be proud of.

@AlanArnetteClimbs

8 ай бұрын

I’m sure he would be happy the sport he loved has people who continue to climb in His style. They are out there.

@christac1526

8 ай бұрын

@@AlanArnetteClimbs thank you

Rip Mr. Hassan. Thank you Kristin. Terrific interview Alan.

@AlanArnetteClimbs

9 ай бұрын

Thanks

You know she’s no different than a guiding company or consortium of guides. She is building the infrastructure to go up less climbed peaks. The difference is she is the company and the client. You cannot say she is worse than clueless (rich but less rich) clients that are spoon fed the summit. At least she participates in expedition planning. Nims was a no style climber btw. Gifted but no style often v supported climber.

@AlanArnetteClimbs

9 ай бұрын

Perhaps but climbing all the Pakistani 8000ers in about 10 days is ….

Her ego is far bigger than any mountain she climbed.

@AlanArnetteClimbs

5 ай бұрын

I think you mean her ambition

@Nick-AngelpeodSeaxisc

5 ай бұрын

@@AlanArnetteClimbs I mean exactly what I wrote

@Charles-qn1bt

5 ай бұрын

@@Nick-AngelpeodSeaxisc Your ignorance and stupidity is far bigger than her ego.

Alan = legend

@sebbosebbo9794

9 ай бұрын

yeah forever .....Push or help....