Against The Odds

On an icy October night in 1984, a young, overworked pilot took off from Edmonton, Alberta, in a small commuter plane with nine passengers aboard, including a politician, a cop and his prisoner. Battling thick cloud cover and the accumulation of ice on the aircraft, the pilot misjudged his descent. Moments later, the plane collided with a hillside in the remote Canadian wilderness. Be the first to...

In his Netflix sports docuseries Losers, director Mickey Duzyj explores how people respond to failure in a culture where “winning is everything” – and how failure can sometimes lead to greater success. It’s not surprising then that Duzyj tackles Mauro Prosperi’s survival story, and the ripple effects his journey had on Mauro and his loved ones. Today, Duzyj joins host Mike Corey to discuss the ser...

Mauro Prosperi has lost count of how many days he’s been lost. In despair, he attempts to take his own life. But when he wakes up still alive, he decides he has to keep going – even if that means climbing over a mountain range — and praying that on the other side, he’ll finally find help.  In this episode, we discuss suicide and depression. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental...

Mauro Prosperi wakes up alone and lost in the middle of the Sahara Desert. He’s forced to drink his own urine, and tries and fails to attract the attention of a rescue plane by burning his belongings. Finally, he takes shelter in an abandoned Islamic burial shrine, where he eats bats and drinks their blood.  Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and mo...

It’s April 14, 1994, and an Italian policeman and ultramarathoner named Mauro Prosperi is running the world’s most challenging footrace: the Marathon des Sables, across the Sahara Desert in Morocco. But when a sandstorm kicks up, Mauro finds himself hopelessly lost. Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynew...

On December 9, 2019, Pastor Geoff Hopkins and his 22-year-old daughter, Lillani, visited Whakaari/White Island to celebrate Geoff’s 50th birthday—a long-held dream. But as their boat began its return to the mainland, the volcano suddenly erupted, leaving 47 people on the island to endure its blast. Geoff and Lillani quickly found themselves swept up in a rescue operation. Now, they join host Cassi...

Aboard the Phoenix, the boat carrying many of the survivors back to the mainland, passengers tend to the wounded, who are suffering now from shock in the wake of their terrible burns. Back on White Island, Mark Law and his colleagues come face to face with the awful impact of the eruption. With limited space on their helicopters, they're confronted with a dilemma -- who to evacuate, and who to lea...

As a wave of burning steam, ash and debris rolls down toward the shore, 47 tourists and guides sprint for cover, but there is no avoiding the blast. Meanwhile, a boat full of tourists that just left White Island returns to help. And back on the mainland, a local helicopter pilot named Mark Law sees the eruption and makes a fateful decision to fly out to look for survivors. Listen to Against T...

On December 9, 2019, 47 tourists and guides set off to visit New Zealand’s most active volcano — Whakaari / White Island — located 30 miles off the country’s north coast. Visitors are amazed as they hike up to the edge of the blue lake at its center, and peer down into the steaming mouth of the crater. But on their way back down, awe turns to horror when the volcano suddenly erupts and blasts a wa...

Unforeseen conditions have put the world's strongest climbers to the test as they battle their way down the mountain. Before it’s over, the savage mountain will bring on more avalanches and below-zero temperatures. It’s a race against the clock for the remaining climbers to get off the mountain before it’s too late. Listen to Against The Odds on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. E...

An international group of climbers are close to summiting one of the world’s tallest, and most dangerous, mountains. Their goal was to reach the peak by mid-afternoon and get down before dark when temperatures drop to 40 below and the thin air and darkness can leave climbers confused and lost. But problems with the rope line have put them behind and they are using all of their strength to pus...

In the summer of 2008, mountaineers from eight different countries gather at the foot of the world’s second tallest mountain, K2. All of them have a single goal: reach the summit. But to do that they will need to undertake one most difficult, and dangerous, climbs on earth. Sunny mornings can suddenly transform into white out conditions. Avalanches drop from overhead without warning...

By sheer chance, an American bomber pilot on a routine test flight has spotted the survivors of U.S.S. Indianapolis, who have been floating in the middle of the Philippine Sea for over three days. But rescuing them will be easier said than done. The survivors are hundreds of miles from the nearest land, and the ocean waters are getting rough. To get the men out of the water as quickly as possible,...

It’s been two days since U.S.S. Indianapolis sank, and the number of survivors is dwindling. They’re being picked off by sharks, and driven insane by sleep deprivation, dehydration, and saltwater poisoning. As they hope and pray for a rescue, they will encounter a new enemy that none of them could have imagined, even in their worst nightmares.   Listen to Against The Odds on the Wondery...

The nine hundred men who survived the torpedo attack on the U.S.S. Indianapolis are either drifting in the sea, fighting strong currents and swells, or clinging to rafts. They’re at the mercy of the ocean, hundreds of miles from land, with dwindling supplies and no drinking water. And soon, they’ll have to confront a terrifying new challenge – shark attacks. Listen to Against The Odds on the Wonde...

In the final weeks of World War II, the Navy cruiser U.S.S. Indianapolis was attacked and sunk by a Japanese submarine in the middle of the Philippine Sea. The nine hundred survivors found themselves stranded in the middle of the open ocean, many without rafts or life vests, wondering when – or if – help was coming. This is the story of the greatest sea disaster in U.S. naval history, and the cour...

Diver Ed Punchard loved his job and the people on Piper Alpha, even if it meant working on a noisy rig for weeks at a time, far out in the North Sea. Being part of a dive team meant everyone trained hard and relied on each other to stay alive. But nothing could have prepared Ed and his colleagues for what happened on July 6th, 1988. Today, Ed joins host Mike Corey to share his experience of the Pi...

At 10:52pm, Piper Alpha is hit by the biggest explosion yet. Soon, the rig begins to break apart and tumble into the ocean, dooming the men still trapped inside. Meanwhile, rescuers like Z-boat commander James McNeill risk their lives to pull men from the debris-strewn water beneath the burning rig. Listen to Against The Odds on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Experience all epi...

As the fire continues to rage on Piper Alpha, rescuers in small motorboats race to get workers off the burning oil rig. Diver Ed Punchard has his men climb down a rope to safety, while electrician Bob Ballantyne tries to lead his friends down a series of smoke-filled stairways. Then, when another huge explosion rocks the rig, some men are forced to leap into the ocean, or risk being burned to deat...

After an explosion rocks the Piper Alpha oil rig, a huge, smoky fire begins to spread, taking down the rig’s power supply and communications equipment. Workers hurry to their evacuation stations, and a state-of-the-art rescue ship, the Tharos, moves into position to battle the blaze and get men off the platform. But soon, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary fire.  See Privacy Policy at...

On July 6th, 1988, workers clock in to a typical night shift aboard Piper Alpha, the world’s largest offshore oil rig, in the North Sea off the coast of Scotland. Then, around 10 p.m., a series of mistakes leads to a gas leak and explosion. Soon, 226 men find themselves trapped on the burning platform, in what will become one of the deadliest man-made disasters in history.  Listen to Against...

On a warm day in April 2017, Outside Magazine writer Kyle Dickman was hiking near Yosemite National Park with his family and infant son. But in an instant, the idyllic day turned south. Kyle felt a quick whap above his ankle, looked down and saw a diamond pattern in the grass. He'd been bitten by a rattlesnake. On this special episode of Against the Odds , Kyle shares the story of the race against...

When Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay summited Mount Everest in 1953, high-altitude climbing was only done by the most elite mountaineers. But that changed in the early 1990s, when veteran climbers began leading amateur clients up the world’s tallest mountain for a hefty fee. Today, journalist Will Cockrell joins Host Cassie De Pecol to talk about the history of the Everest guiding industry – fro...

After a severe blizzard engulfs Mount Everest on May 10th, fifteen people are left stranded on the mountain, unable to find their way back to camp, or too weak to even try. In the early hours of May 11th, rescue efforts are launched to save people before they succumb to altitude sickness or hypothermia. Climbers, and friends down below, must face the sad reality that the odds of them surviving are...

As the climbers descend from the summit, it becomes a race against time to get back to camp before dark. But a severe blizzard slows their progress to a crawl, and altitude sickness starts to take hold. Some climbers get stuck in the upper reaches of the mountain, while others get lost not far from camp. As darkness falls, the stranded face the terrifying reality of spending the night outside, whe...