Cool Conversations with Kenton Cool

Whilst at Everest Basecamp this year, Kenton recorded this episode with Mark Fisher and Erich Roepke who made arguably the most exciting Everest discovery of recent years when they found Andrew Cormyn (“Sandy”) Irvine’s boot on the North Side of the mountain late last year. It was almost exactly 100 years since Irvine and Mallory went missing on their 1924 Everest expedition and whilst Mallory’s r...

This week, Kenton sits down to talk to Jay Whiting at Everest Base Camp. Jay is not a professional climber or a professional athlete - he is a full-time solicitor in London - yet when this episode was recorded, he was preparing to take on an enormous Himalayan challenge. Jay talks to Kenton about his dreams of achieving the Everest Triple Crown this year - climbing Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse in on...

In this special episode, Kenton interviews Karl Egloff at Everest Base Camp as they both prepare for their Everest expeditions. Karl is an extreme mountaineer, mountain guide, runner and speed climber with a host of impressive Fastest Known Times (FKTs) to his name. Later this month, he is aiming to become the fastest person to move from Basecamp to the Summit and back to Basecamp with no oxygen....

If you like running, this week's episode is for you! Kenton sits down to talk to Hem Rana, a remarkable man who 'got the running bug' after going along to a park run six years ago and has since completed multiple ultras. Hem talks to Kenton about his childhood in Nepal and his application to join the Gurkhas. He remains a serving Gurkha today and has lived in the UK for 27 years working for a vari...

Mark Evans has been leading expeditions for over 40 years and he speaks to Kenton from Oman, where he has lived for 25 years. He has very recently completed a 30 day expedition through the Empty Quarter, travelling by foot and by camel, following in the footsteps of Bertram Thomas who first made this journey in 1931. Mark shares numerous stories with Kenton, almost as if they are sitting around th...

Belinda Kirk is a researcher, campaigner, and author who is a huge advocate for adventure. When you tune into this episode, you will quickly realise that Belinda is a force of nature who is deeply passionate about what she does. Belinda founded Explorers Connect, encouraging people to engage in life-changing outdoor challenges and she has written a book, Adventure Revolution which delves into why...

Aged 19, Jude Kriwald cycled from England to India, a journey that he describes in vivid detail in this week's episode of Cool Conversations. From embracing Iranian hospitality to sneaking through Tibet, his first major adventure left him with many stories to tell, and a taste for more. Jude Kriwald is an adventurer and a volunteer. He founded adventurementor.org to support others in their quest f...

For most people, running a 100 mile race is an enormous undertaking, that requires months of diligent training. This week's guest, Basil Heaney, takes a different approach. He enjoys racing more than training, which means that he runs multiple ultra-distance races every year. Most recently, he ran the Winter Downs 200, the Winter Spine race (268 miles), and the Arc of Attrition (100 miles) within...

In 2005, Lorraine McCall left her house to 'go for a walk' on her 40th birthday and didn't stop until she had walked up, and between, all 284 Munros in Scotland (2 Munros have since been downgraded, so there are now officially only 282!) This was a journey of 1,500 miles on foot. Ten years later, Lorraine tackled all 222 Corbetts to celebrate her 50th birthday, and most recently, Lorraine became t...

This week Kenton dives into (excuse the pun!) a fascinating conversation with wild swimmer, author and journalist, Ella Foote. Ella has been swimming outside since her childhood, when her parents used to take her to the seaside and they spent hours in the sea. These days she is editor of Outdoor Swimmer magazine, she is founder of Dip Advisor - a company that takes people on swim adventures - and...

This week's podcast guest is Lise Wortley who has been on some fascinating journeys, conceived out of her curiosity about adventurous women from history. Lise has chosen to follow in the footsteps of women who 'pushed the boundaries' in the world of adventure in the early 20th century and who unwittingly played a huge part in making adventure accessible to women today. She tells Kenton about the d...

It's the first episode of 2025 and we have a spectacular Tales from the Trails (TFTT) for you! Kenton recorded this whilst he was trekking to Everest Base Camp in November and it is the perfect way to brighten up a cold January day.  Kenton shares colourful descriptions of the people, valleys, rivers, views, animals and landmarks that he passes as he treks from Namche Bazaar to Everest Base Camp w...

Whilst trekking in the Khumbu region recently, Kenton bumped into 'super guide' Lakpa Rita Sherpa, and took the opportunity to interview him for the podcast. Lakpa Rita was born in Thame, a small village high in the Himalayas, and followed in his father's footsteps becoming a mountain guide and Sirdar. Lakpa Rita has lived in Seattle since 2000 and has led multiple expeditions all over the world....

Melissa Arnot is a mountain guide, Everest summiteer, adventurer and co-founder of The Juniper Fund. More recently, she has taken up ultra-running and in this episode of Cool Conversations, Kenton talks to her about her experiences in the 450km Tor des Glaciers race a few months ago. Melissa didn't finish the race and has taken a lot of learnings from her unfortunate DNF. She continued for far lon...

This episode of Cool Conversations is a very special one because Kenton sits down with his close friend and Number One Sherpa, Dorjee Gyelzen. Dorjee grew up in Pangboche, Nepal which sits at 4,000m altitude. Life in the high Himalayas is challenging, but through hard work and commitment Dorjee has forged a career in mountaineering and Kenton rates him as one of the best! Dorjee has climbed Mount...

This week, we welcome rugby legend, Lewis Moody, to Cool Conversations! Lewis was a member of the 2003 World Cup winning England rugby squad and he amassed 71 caps for England during his career. Lewis talks to Kenton fresh from a 2003 team reunion, which, we learn, do not happen very regularly at all! Lewis talks quite openly about the stigma that was attached to showing vulnerability or weakness...

This week, Kenton talks to Sequoia Schmidt who is a remarkable business woman, climber, base-jumper, author and philanthropist. Sequoia started her business at 17 years old after an 'unstable' childhood that she discusses with Kenton. After nearly 20 years, she has now taken herself back to school and is fully embracing the Global Executive Leadership course at Yale, sharing her own experiences of...

Sid is a high-altitude mountain guide, a heli-ski guide and more recently a self-taught builder! Sid lives in The Cascades in Washington State and he is currently building a house in the middle of nowhere and thoroughly enjoying the process. Sid and Kenton met at Everest Basecamp in 2018 when they were both guiding there. Sid has summited Everest three times, from both the South Side and the North...

This week, Kenton speaks to Dr Sarah Ruggins who, it is fair to say, leaves him lost for words a few times! Sarah embraced academia when she was younger and she holds four degrees in four different subjects. Her interest in philosophy and economics led her to a career in finance where she now holds a senior position in one of the biggest wealth management companies in the UK. Sarah is also a pheno...

Benny Lieber is an accomplished climber and is also described by Kenton as 'the next generation of high-altitude mountain guides'. Benny and Kenton met at Everest Base Camp earlier this year and hit it off immediately with Kenton feeding off Benny's unquenchable energy. Benny is a product developer by trade, but gave it up for a life in the mountains back in 2016. He moved to Alaska and lived for...

A fellow mountain guide and mountaineer, Brent Bishop first summited Everest in 1994 and now describes himself as an 'aging climber'. He talks with Kenton about many of his mountain expeditions and how his family history helped to frame his experiences. Brent is a successful businessman and has juggled life in the mountains with his businesses. Last year he suffered a huge heart attack at his loca...

This week, Kenton talks to Ed Jackson, a former professional rugby player who sustained a spinal cord injury in 2017 and is now living a very active and adventurous life as an incomplete quadriplegic.  Ed's remarkable story is documented in his new film, The Mountain Within Me, which is released in cinemas later this week. Ed tells Kenton how the mountains have supported both his physical and emot...

Today we treat you to an extra six minutes of Kenton speaking to Ben and Georgie Ainslie. After they had finished their 'official' podcast recording, they continued chatting and the conversation was just too good not to be shared!

In this week's episode of Cool Conversations, Kenton speaks to broadcaster and adventurer Ben Fogle whilst they are both sailing through Alaska. Ben has lived an extraordinary life, completing ambitious challenges and travelling extensively - he has visited over 160 countries around the world. He regularly finds himself visiting people who live off the beaten track and his passion for learning mor...

Sir Ben Ainslie is a name many people will recognise. As Britain's most successful sailor, Ben won medals in five consecutive Olympic games from 1996, including Gold at the four games held between 2000 and 2012. Ben and his wife, Georgie, join Kenton today to talk about life after the Olympics. Ben and Georgie make a formidable partnership. Whilst Ben is Team Principal and CEO of Ineos Britannia -...