Adrian Ballinger and the Alpenglow Expedition team had success on Everest! First, Sam and Adrian had a chance to catch up briefly following Adrian's 10th summit of the tallest mountain in the world. In this episode of The Duffel Shuffle, the two touch base with Esteban "Topo" Mena, Alpenglow's co-expedition leader, from base camp on the North Side of Mount Everest before Alpenglow's summit push.

Topo Mena is an IFMGA guide, Black Diamond Athlete and an inspiration to many. Topo’s accomplishments include many summits of 8,000m peaks, including multiple on Everest as well as K2, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, Cho Oyu, Makalu, and Manaslu, as well as more than 250 summits of Cotopaxi in his home country of Ecuador. Topo has participated in grade VI first ascents in the Himalayas and in the Tien Shan, unsupported ascents without supplementary oxygen of 8000m peaks (including Mount Everest in 2013 at age 23 during his first expedition to the mountain), and numerous ascents pursuing difficulty or speed in his beloved Andes, or in the Himalayas, Karakorum, Alps, Tien Shan, Pamirs and Antarctica.

Following up on Episode 2 of the Duffel Shuffle, Sam and Adrian check back with Topo to hear about his recovery, and how he perceives his return to "100%".

- Topo talks about his role as Co-Expedition Leader alongside Adrian with Alpenglow Expeditions' Everest Team.

- Topo shares a bit about the importance of a strong team on Everest, and how being co-expedition leader alongside such a strong team of guides makes the role easy.

- Topo talks about his personal climbing goals, and his continued focus on opening a new route on Mt Everest.

You can learn more about Topo on Instagram, @estebantopomena, and through his sponsor https://blackdiamondequipment.com/blogs/athletes/esteban-topo-mena.

Follow our podcast on Instagram @duffelshufflepodcast where you can learn more about us and our guests. Visit our website at www.duffelshufflepodcast.com and join our mailing list. The Duffel Shuffle Podcast is supported by Alpenglow Expeditions, an internationally renowned mountain guide service based in Lake Tahoe, California. Visit www.alpenglowexpeditions.com or follow @alpenglowexpeditions on Instagram to learn more.

Adrian Ballinger is joining us live from base camp on the North Side of Mount Everest. We've collected more than 30 questions from you, the audience, over the past months, and now it is time to rapid fire answer as many as we can.

With questions all across the board, we cover the following topics:
- Everest costs, financial requirements and alternatives
- Training and physical preparation for Everest and other climbing goals
- How to progress as a climber, and comparing different training grounds
- Mentorship and how to develop your personal climbing mindset
- Routes, risk and other strategies
- Acclimatization and other health factors
- Equipment, food and staying comfortable
- Sustainability and ethics

A huge thank you to those who submitted questions. We're stoked to interact with our audience, and ensure the content we're putting out is of interest to you! If you have further questions, DM us on Instagram, comment on our posts, or leave us a message on our YouTube episodes; we love hearing from you!

Follow our podcast on Instagram @duffelshufflepodcast where you can learn more about us and our guests. Visit our website at www.duffelshufflepodcast.com and join our mailing list. The Duffel Shuffle Podcast is supported by Alpenglow Expeditions, an internationally renowned mountain guide service based in Lake Tahoe, California. Visit www.alpenglowexpeditions.com or follow @alpenglowexpeditions on Instagram to learn more.

Melissa Arnot Reid is not only a mountain guide, speaker and author, but she's also an athlete. Melissa is the first American woman to successfully summit and descend Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, a peak she has climbed a total of 6 times throughout her career.

Melissa's new book, Enough: Climbing Toward a True Self on Mount Everest, released on April 1, and we had a chance to connect with her following the launch to learn more.

- The three kick off their conversation with a bit of talk about running and Melissa's current running endeavors.

- Melissa shares a bit about her book, the process of writing, the importance in her own healing journey, and the origins of the title Enough.

- Melissa dives into her mountain experiences as a child, how she found her way into guiding through RMI, and some of the challenges of being a women in a predominantly male industry.

- Melissa catches us up on life today, and raising two kids by two working mountain guide parents.

You can learn more about Melissa on Instagram, @melissaarnot, and through her website www.melissaarnot.com/. Melissa's new book, Enough: Climbing Toward a True Self on Mount Everest, can be found wherever you buy your books, including on Amazon.

Follow our podcast on Instagram @duffelshufflepodcast where you can learn more about us and our guests. Visit our website at www.duffelshufflepodcast.com and join our mailing list. The Duffel Shuffle Podcast is supported by Alpenglow Expeditions, an internationally renowned mountain guide service based in Lake Tahoe, California. Visit www.alpenglowexpeditions.com or follow @alpenglowexpeditions on Instagram to learn more.

Beth Rodden is an American Rock Climber who has been at the top of the sport for decades. After getting her start in competition climbing, Beth moved her focus the outdoors, and is known for both hard single pitch climbs and technical big wall climbing. Beth has also been an advocate for women in climbing and has been outspoken about her struggles with an eating disorder early in her career.

Beth released her memoir, A Light Through the Cracks: A Climber's Story, in May of 2024, and we finally had a chance to catch up with her after a recent bouldering trip in France.

- Beth shares a bit about her recent trip to Fontainebleau, and how climbing trips are truly a family affair, with both her husband and son pursuing climbing at a high level.

- Beth talks about her book, the process of writing it, and the importance in her healing journey that the book had.

- Beth gives a brief overview of her wild experience in Kyrgyzstan, where she and her climbing partners were held captive while on a climbing trip in her early 20's. 

- In the end, Beth talks about her true joy for climbing, and while pushing grades and climbing hard are fun, she still finds joy in the easiest climbs and most simple days out.

You can learn more about Beth on Instagram, @bethrodden, and through her website www.bethrodden.com. Signed copies of Beth's book can be purchased through her website. Her book, A Light through the Cracks: A Climber's Story, can also be purchased on Amazon or at your local bookstore.

Follow our podcast on Instagram @duffelshufflepodcast where you can learn more about us and our guests. Visit our website at www.duffelshufflepodcast.com and join our mailing list. The Duffel Shuffle Podcast is supported by Alpenglow Expeditions, an internationally renowned mountain guide service based in Lake Tahoe, California. Visit www.alpenglowexpeditions.com or follow @alpenglowexpeditions on Instagram to learn more.

Adrian Ballinger has been a professional mountain athlete for somewhere between 1 decade and 3 decades. While he certainly knows a thing or two about climbing mountains, he's also built a brand around himself, and has represented brands through working not only as a guide but also an athlete. 

Sam and Adrian discuss Adrian's trajectory as a sponsored athlete, from when he got his first support from La Sportiva in a free pair of shoes, to now where he's supported by multiple large brands such as Black Diamond, La Sportiva, and others. Adrian shares a bit about what his job duties entail, and how he's structured his support, with a clothing brand typically anchoring his support. 

You can check out more about Adrian and his career on his Instagram @adrianballinger, and his sponsors @blackdiamond, @tincupwhiskey, @lasportivana, @revelshine, @corosglobal and @vuarnetofficial.

Follow our podcast on Instagram @duffelshufflepodcast where you can learn more about us and our guests. The Duffel Shuffle Podcast is supported by Alpenglow Expeditions, an internationally renowned mountain guide service based in Lake Tahoe, California. Visit www.alpenglowexpeditions.com or follow @alpenglowexpeditions on Instagram to learn more.

Yosemite Valley legend Tommy Caldwell joins Sam and Adrian on Episode 18 of the Duffel Shuffle Podcast. Tommy talks about this season in Yosemite Valley, and why moving his family to South Lake Tahoe has changed how he's able to climb in the valley. He also talks about his recent film, The Devil's Climb, which covers his recent trip to climb the Devils Thumb in Alaska with Alex Honnold. Tommy admits that his true passion in climbing is the sufferfest expeditions, but really he just loves climbing regardless of what it entails. 

Follow Tommy on Instagram @tommycaldwell, and check out The Devil's Climb. 

Alex Honnold makes a special appearance on The Duffel Shuffle Podcast. Sam and Adrian chat with Alex about his motivations in climbing, why he's decided high altitude climbing isn't for him, and what his future goals are now that he's a father to two.

Emily Harrington joins Sam and Adrian to talk all things Olympics. Emily, who herself participated in an exhibition event in 2006 at the Winter Olympics, has followed the growth and expansion of competition climbing for more than 2 decades. From the early days of the World Cup circuit in which Emily competed to the addition of climbing in the Olympics in which Emily has followed as a fan, competition climbing is exploding in popularity. Emily's perspective as an athlete provides invaluable insight into the sport.