The Many Empires of Mt Everest

The Many Empires of Mt Everest

From Everest.Lives by Rainshadow Films

December 10, 2025 · 49 min · Season 1 · Episode 2

About this episode

This episode explores the colonial history of Mt Everest and its implications on power dynamics today.

Everest has always stood at the crossroads of myth, power and ambition. In this episode, author and climber Ed Douglas unpacks the forgotten colonial history of Everest, from military invasions and mystical misconceptions to the birth of the expedition industry as a tool of Empire. We dive into how the mountain was claimed, named, mapped, monetised, and how these power dynamics still echo today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Guest: Ed Douglas

Topics covered

  • colonial history
  • expedition industry
  • power dynamics
  • myth
  • ambition

Keywords

  • Everest
  • military invasions
  • mystical misconceptions
  • mapping
  • monetisation

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Many Empires of Mt Everest

Places: Everest

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