#136 Jam McManus: Climbing Lhotse Without Supplemental Oxygen

Join coach Larry Goldie for a conversation with Jam McManus. Jam is a high-altitude mountaineer who recently summited Lhotse without the use of supplemental oxygen, making him the first Irish person to do so. He has now set his sights on becoming the first Irish person to climb Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, in 2027.

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Episode Guide

00:00:00 Introduction

00:03:25 Jam’s early experiences with climbing

00:10:50 First experiences climbing in the Himalayas

00:12:36 First no oxygen 8000 meter peak attempts

00:15:14 Lessons learned from climbing without supplemental oxygen

00:24:34 How being above 8000 meters without oxygen feels

00:34:23 History of altitude exposure quickens later acclimatizations

00:41:22 Attempting Lhoste instead of Makalu in 2026

00:44:35 Jam’s training and preparation for Lhotse

00:52:20 Mental training

00:58:34 Risk calculations while guiding

01:03:15 Learning from failure

01:06:11 Big picture lessons from climbing and training

01:11:43 Outro and thanks