Dispatch: Everest: The Other Side

Episode 234 of The Adventure Podcast features award-winning wildlife photographer, filmmaker, and presenter, Gordon Buchanan MBE. Gordon grew up between a grey Dumbarton and the colour of Tobermory on the Isle of Mull. He lived in a caravan, ran largely unsupervised, and spent his time outdoors. A "chronic daydreamer". In this episode, Gordon tells Matt about getting his break at 17 and his fairly direct journey to becoming a wildlife cameraman. They discuss what the job taught him about discomfort, homesickness and self-reliance, and what it cost him in carefree years. They talk about how the route into wildlife filmmaking has changed, why Gordon tells young people to shoot and share their own work rather than wait to be commissioned, and why the right people matter more than the right location on a shoot. Gordon also reflects on regularly being the oldest in the crew, and how he’s finally starting to become carefree.For extra insights from the worlds of adventure, exploration and the natural world, you can find The Adventure Podcast+ community on Substack. You can also follow along and join in on Instagram @‌theadventurepodcast.Gordon Buchanan will be visiting venues across the country in February and March with his tour Lions and Tigers and Bears. Visit gordon-buchanan.co.uk to book.Chapter Breakdown00:00-07:00: Moving from Dumbarton to Tobermory, a largely unsupervised childhood, struggling at school, and a difficult home life that pushed him outdoors.07:00-15:43: Preferring his own company, and how a restaurant job led to an assistant role on a wildlife shoot in Sierra Leone.15:43-23:09: What a year and a half of discomfort and isolation taught him, the carefree youth he missed, and why kids need time around other adults.23:09-35:25: The disappearing assistant route, why young filmmakers should create and share their own work, and the importance of good people on shoots.35:25-41:27: Ambition driven by inadequacy, being the oldest on a young team, and choosing to enjoy the summit.41:27-48:49: Not hiding what you don’t know, finding contentment in who you are, and why most people are willing to help.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-adventure-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dispatches are our shorter form episodes, usually around a single question, subject or story. In this episode, Matt interviews Jim Morrison and Jimmy Chin on the press tour of their film Everest: The Other Side. A teaser for hopefully some full-length individual interviews to come.For extra insights from the worlds of adventure, exploration and the natural world, you can find The Adventure Podcast+ community on Substack. You can also follow along and join in on Instagram @‌theadventurepodcast.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-adventure-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 233 of The Adventure Podcast features expedition medic and NHS GP, Will Duffin. Will has spent 16 years as an expedition and reality TV doctor, including four seasons as lead on-screen medic for Survivor. He talks to Matt about his winding journey to becoming a medic, and how his work became expedition-focused. He also tells the story of his first on-camera emergency, and how to handle life-threatening situations with cameras in your face and a safety team in your ears. They cover six months running a neonatal unit in Myanmar with his paediatrician wife, nature as medicine and who gets access to it, balancing family with a freelance career, and why his side hustle keeps him energised in a job where colleagues are burning out.For extra insights from the worlds of adventure, exploration and the natural world, you can find The Adventure Podcast+ community on Substack. You can also follow along and join in on Instagram @‌theadventurepodcast.Chapter Breakdown00:00-11:58: Will’s first on-camera emergency, then his path from a Devon farm and a secret rainforest to breakdancing in Bristol during med school.11:58-30:26: A last-minute Kilimanjaro break, the economics of expedition medicine, balancing trips with family, and the ethics and reality of charity trekking.30:26-46:27: Six months in Myanmar, losing a crew member, meditation, and why access to nature matters for health.46:27-57:25: “Hard play” on Dartmoor, wild swimming, and letting children take manageable risks.57:25-1:04:20: Why adventure is about solving the right problems, and how a side career alongside the day job has kept him energised.1:04:20-1:10:47: Staying open to opportunity, the polar trips he never made, a luxury Trans-Siberian train, and the final questions.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-adventure-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 232 of The Adventure Podcast features legendary alpinist, Mick Fowler. Mick is 70 and still climbing in the Himalaya. He can't remember how many first ascents he has there, but spoiler alert, it's a lot. In this episode, Mick talks to Matt about balancing his seemingly ordinary tax career with an extraordinary alpine one. He explains his approach to alpine-style climbing, what makes a good multi-decade climbing partner, near misses, and the mindset needed to know when to push on vs when to turn back. Mick also talks candidly about being diagnosed with cancer and the colostomy bag he's lived with since. Together they also reflect on ageing and moderating objectives without losing satisfaction. Mick is one of the greats but is exceptionally humble, and this is an honest, no fluff conversation about the 'simple' life that got him the accolades. For extra insights from the worlds of adventure, exploration and the natural world, you can find The Adventure Podcast+ community on Substack. You can also follow along and join in on Instagram @‌theadventurepodcast.Photo credit - Paul RamsdenChapter Breakdown00:00-09:58: Mick on life after retirement, balancing 39 years at the tax office with family and climbing, and why he never planned to stop.09:58-20:33: The difference between fixed-rope commercial expeditions and his own minimalist, uncertainty-driven approach - and how his climbing evolved over the decades.21:02-31:14: What makes a good Himalayan climbing partner, and the criteria behind choosing an unclimbed, remote, culturally interesting mountain.32:27-39:55: A dangerous descent in China, followed by his cancer diagnosis, surgery, and life afterwards with a colostomy bag.39:55-53:28: Staying fit through fell racing, moderating ambitions with age, and preparing for an upcoming expedition to Nepal.54:57-1:02:51: Views on style and bolts in modern mountaineering, and writing his latest book during recovery from injury.1:02:51-1:05:08: What scares Mick, what gives him hope, and a close.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-adventure-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 231 of The Adventure Podcast features explorer and polar activist, Matthieu Tordeur. Starting with a solo trip to Antarctica at 26, Matthieu talks through his shift from solo self-funded expeditions to purpose-driven exploration. He explains what drew him to polar landscapes specifically, and they talk in detail about a kite-skiing research-driven traverse he recently did with glaciologist Heidi Sevestre. They discuss what that expedition actually involved logistically - data collection, kites, navigation, no hierarchy. And they get into some of the harder questions facing modern expedition life. The conversation also touches on glaciers, hope, hypocrisy, and whether there's still time to act.For extra insights from the worlds of adventure, exploration and the natural world, you can find The Adventure Podcast+ community on Substack. You can also follow along and join in on Instagram @‌theadventurepodcast.Chapter Breakdown00:00-06:07: Matthieu's relationship with solitude and what led to a self-funded solo expedition at 26.06:07-8:32: The specific pull of polar landscapes over other extreme environments.08:32-13:54: Returning to Antarctica years later, this time for a different purpose.13:54-23:23: The shift from expeditions as personal journeys to expeditions with scientific intent, and the tension of travelling extensively while advocating on climate.23:23-26:22: Reconciling personal freedom, fatherhood, and environmental responsibility without easy answers.26:22-37:37: How the kite expedition with glaciologist Heidi Sevestre was built around research from the outset.37:37-46:35: The physical and logistical demands of the trip, and whether it was enjoyable or simply hard.46:35-49:33: Decision-making and conflict within a two-person team with no fixed hierarchy.49:33-54:59: Weighing privilege and personal travel against a backdrop of wildfires and climate change.54:59-58:04: Rediscovering everyday adventure through his young son.58:04-1:02:39: Whether it's too late for the world's glaciers, and choosing to act regardless.1:02:39-1:06:42: What scares Matthieu, what gives him hope, and a close.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-adventure-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 230 of The Adventure Podcast features survival instructor, bushcraft expert, and TV adventurer, Naomi Allsworth. Naomi started as a sportswear fashion designer in London, before pivoting to bushcraft and working alongside Bear Grylls as a survival expert. She talks to Matt about finding her place in the bushcraft world, but also the criticism she has and still receives from some. She also reveals what it was like being cast on survival show, 'Alone', with just three weeks' notice, and how authentic survival TV shows really are. Naomi also opens up about her crippling postpartum depression, and that pushing herself back into wild, uncomfortable places was the only thing that pulled her out. Together they dig into the double standards facing adventurous parents, and they both get candid about the guilt, privilege, and precarious balancing act of a career built on being away. They also touch on Naomi's upcoming unsupported expedition, and representation vs community skepticism. It's an honest, no frills conversation around what it costs to build a career that lives online and away from home, but also what that can give you.For extra insights from the worlds of adventure, exploration and the natural world, you can find The Adventure Podcast+ community on Substack. You can also follow along and join in on Instagram @‌theadventurepodcast.Chapter Breakdown00:00-02:31: Naomi on identity, growing up in rural Wales, and finding herself through fashion design in London.02:31-05:53: Swerving her degree toward mountaineering clothing, and testing kit in the Sahara and on Everest.05:53-13:42: Naomi's postpartum depression, the fear of leaving her son, and how bushcraft became her lifeline.13:42-24:01: Matt and Naomi compare notes on parental guilt, presence, and the different judgement mums and dads face for going away.24:01- 26:34: Why having the right partner makes an adventurous career possible.26:34-34:00: Naomi's whirlwind three-week casting, hostility from a fellow contestant, and finishing third.34:00-39:48: How authentic survival TV actually is, and the tension between bushcraft purism and entertainment.39:48-48:00: Wanting to represent women in the outdoors while keeping the respect of a skeptical community.48:00-58:36: Why paid TV work funds real expeditions.58:36-1:03:36: The impossible task of pleasing everyone online, and how criticism still stings even after years in the spotlight.1:03:36-1:05:34: What scares Naomi and what gives her hope.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-adventure-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 229 of The Adventure Podcast features founder and CEO of Trash Free Trails, mountain biker, and spaniel-owner, Dom Ferris. In this episode, Dom traces his path from a feral, nature-soaked childhood in Mid Wales, through teenage mountain bike racing and a wilder stretch of partying that cost him his sense of self. He goes on to found Trash Free Trails after a breakdown at Surfers Against Sewage taught him the hard way what happens when purpose tips into relentlessness. He and Matt open up about their own mental health struggles and the danger of tying your worth to constant output. The conversation also digs into the real philosophy behind Trash Free Trails; why litter isn't really about litter, the "activism arms race," the risk of accidental greenwashing, and the hard science linking single-use pollution to disconnection from nature. It's a raw, funny, occasionally tearful look at burnout, boundaries, and what it actually means to do good work without losing yourself in it.For extra insights from the worlds of adventure, exploration and the natural world, you can find The Adventure Podcast+ community on Substack. You can also follow along and join in on Instagram @‌theadventurepodcast.Chapter Breakdown00:00-02:27: Dom on post-big-week exhaustion and the guilt of not resting after doing good work.02:27-06:52: A feral, nature-connected childhood and the early seeds of caring about litter.06:52-11:57: Teenage mountain bike success derailed by partying, family breakdown, and drinking.11:57-21:10: Matt and Dom open up about mental health, feeling pointless, and past breakdowns.21:10-32:38: Why tying self-worth to contribution can be dangerous - and Dom's current struggles.32:38-47:07: Dom's career path, burnout leading a team, and the leap into founding Trash Free Trails.47:07-58:12: The pressure for bigger, better campaigns, and Dom's discomfort with it.58:12-1:10:23: The science behind single-use pollution, disconnection from nature, and greenwashing risks.1:10:23-1:20:15: Dom's philosophy and using your own sphere of influence for good.1:20:15-1:23:00: What scares Dom, what gives him hope, and a fittingly emotional close.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-adventure-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dispatches are our shorter form episodes, usually around a single question, subject or story. In this episode, Niall McCann recites an incident from a couple of years ago when he, alongside a group of rangers, tracked buffalo poachers for over an hour through incredibly complex terrain.For extra insights from the worlds of adventure, exploration and the natural world, you can find The Adventure Podcast+ community on Substack. You can also follow along and join in on Instagram @‌theadventurepodcast.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-adventure-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 228 of The Adventure Podcast features sailor, adventurer, and philanthropist, Tim Good. Tim comes from a 200-year-old family business which is deeply connected to multiple philanthropic projects. He has also quietly accumulated a life that most people only plan. In this episode, Tim talks to Matt about losing his brother Matthew and how that resulted in Tim selling his business, buying a boat, and planning to sail around the world. Delayed by Covid, Brexit tax complications and a baby, last August he and his wife set off anyway, with their three-year-old daughter on board, heading for West Africa. Tim covers crossing the Bay of Biscay in rough weather, navigating the Saloum Delta, and spending weeks motoring 170 miles up the Gambia River to find hippos, chimpanzees and river dolphins. At the time of recording, they'd crossed the Atlantic just two weeks before. Matt and Tim also talk about solo motorcycle adventures, a paragliding expedition from the Jungfrau where a teammate went missing for four days, and how adventurous parents stay themselves without drowning in guilt. Despite his adventurous life, by design, Tim has almost no internet presence. Quietly one of the most lived-in guests we've had on - this is what it looks like when someone actually does the thing they said they were going to do.For extra insights from the worlds of adventure, exploration and the natural world, you can find The Adventure Podcast+ community on Substack. You can also follow along and join in on Instagram @‌theadventurepodcast.Chapter Breakdown00:00-04:10: A 200-year family business, a great-great-great-grandfather who went to sea at 11, and why Tim has almost no internet presence.04:10-12:17: Losing his brother at 32, launching the Matthew Good Foundation, and how grief became the catalyst for selling his business and buying a boat.12:17-19:00: The Seven Life System, sailing Norway with skis on board, and how Covid, Brexit and a baby reshaped the circumnavigation plan.19:00-27:00: A three-year-old on a boat, crossing Biscay in rough weather, and exploring the Saloum Delta.27:00-35:54: Two weeks up the Gambia River, hippos, chimpanzees and river dolphins, and what West Africa felt like compared to everywhere else.35:54-44:00: Why solo hits differently.44:00-54:25: The Caribbean vs Patagonia dilemma, balancing fatherhood with ambition, and why learning to be selfish made both of them better parents.54:25-1:00:00: The Matthew Good Foundation, rewilding in Scotland, and why Tim is deliberately waiting before committing to his next big philanthropic move.1:00:00-1:05:22: What scares him and a contentious answer to what brings him hope.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-adventure-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 227 of The Adventure Podcast features wildlife camera operator and television presenter, Declan Burley. Declan grew up in Luton, dyslexic and working on building sites. Nobody around him went into the arts and no one really knew what a wildlife camera operator was. In this episode, Declan talks to Matt about the long road to where he is now: three months in the Amazon at 23 that changed everything, years of being flat broke, and a cancer diagnosis in his late twenties. He explains what camera trapping actually involves, and what it was like to work across six critically endangered species for The Wild Ones, from snare-riddled jungle in Malaysia to mine-field leopards on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. They also cover the class divide in British wildlife television, what slowing down teaches you about the natural world, and whether conservation storytelling can actually change anything - or whether it's just preaching to the converted.For extra insights from the worlds of adventure, exploration and the natural world, you can find The Adventure Podcast+ community on Substack. You can also follow along and join in on Instagram @‌theadventurepodcast.Chapter Breakdown0:00-06:15: Growing up in Luton, building sites, dyslexia, and why becoming a wildlife camera operator wasn't something anyone around him had ever done or suggested.06:15-14:13: Class, access and the 8% statistic.14:13-26:36: Three months in the Amazon at 23, learning to move slowly, borderline trench foot, and why that trip settled everything.26:36-34:48: Declan talks about receiving a cancer diagnosis in his late twenties, and how camera trapping became his specialist skill and calling card.34:48-42:00: What camera trapping actually is.42:00-50:18: The Wild Ones - six critically endangered species, six countries, and what Declan saw on the ground.50:18-58:00: Whether conservation storytelling can actually change anything, the three choices when faced with environmental despair, and why commissioners need the audience to keep watching.58:00-1:00:00: What scares him, what brings him hope, and why he puts animals and humans on exactly the same level.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-adventure-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.