Ryan Mitchell, a Summit Coach client, is preparing to climb two 8000-meter peaks, without supplemental oxygen, with his friend and professional mountain guide, Justin Sackett. In this podcast, we discuss the expedition, its risks, decision-making and emotions. As usual, Ryan will film the climbs and post on his very popular YouTube channel. We also discussed the upcoming Everest season and some potential policy changes, especially on the Nepal side.
No O’s is serious business. Of the 13,737 Everest summits by 7,563 people, only 232 have been done without oxygen. And it’s deadly. Of the 339 deaths, 180, or 53%, were climbers who were not on O’s.
Ryan has become very popular since he summited Everest at age 20 in 2024 with Madison Mountaineering. He made a serious attempt on K2 in 2025 but was stopped by deadly rockfall that took lives last year. He now lives in the Pacific Northwest and is building an impressive climbing resume, including ascents of Everest, K2, Ama Dablam, Denali, Aconcagua (2), Mt. Washington, Shuckson, and more.
Justin cut his climbing teeth on Mt Rainier with over 50 summits before founding his own company, Skyline Mountain Guides. He guides in the Pacific Northwest and internationally on Aconcagua, Kilimanjaro, and more.
They will be a small, independent team climbing with perhaps just a Sherpa on Os and carrying an emergency bottle.
You can follow Ryan at:
You can follow Justin at:
Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything
The Podcast on alanarnette.com
Interview with Ryan Mitchell and Justin Sackett
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Hello from Alan Arnette
Welcome! Summit Coach is a consulting service that aids climbers worldwide in achieving their goals through personalized consulting services rooted in Alan Arnette’s 30 years of high-altitude mountaineering experience and decades as a business executive. He became the oldest American to summit K2 on his 58th birthday. We have supported many climbers in reaching their goals, from a Colorado 14er to Aconcagua, Denali, Cotopaxi, Everest, and even K2. Please visit the Summit Coach website for information on our affordable prices, comprehensive offerings, and to schedule your free call.
