The Happiness Quotient
Thom Dharma Pollard hosts inspirational, intimate and unfiltered Stories That Inspire with guests and drawing from his own adventures around the world. The Happiness Quotient: connected, engaged, passionate people who inspire us.
The Happiness Quotient
Latest Episodes
Nepal Avalanche Tragedy: Himlung Himal Base Camp Buried Under Snow (27 Sept) + 16 Dead or Missing
An avalanche has buried the base camp of Himlung Himal in Nepal. We examine the latest reports from this unfolding disaster.On September 27, 2026, severe reports emerged regarding a massive slide that struck the base camp of Himlung Him...
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: How to Avert a Junk Show on the World's Eighth Highest Mountain, Manaslu
Today on Manaslu, climbing isn't just an expedition—it’s an active conveyor belt. Nearly a thousand people are on the mountain right this second, creating thousands of pounds of waste while operators collect royalties.But this is not a ...
THE INTERVIEW "My Guide Left Me to Die": How Russian Climber Survived Makalu Despite His Allegation that His Guide Wanted Him to Die
Surgery complete. Six of Konstantin Smirnov's fingers are gone. He believes the man whose job was to bring him down Makalu left him to die in the death zone. Today, for the first time, he tells the whole story — and he is not asking for your sy...
NEPAL FLOODS: The Mountains Are Coming Apart. And No One Is Safe.
On August 26th, the Himalaya came apart. The disaster began high along the Lende Khola near the Nepal Tibet border, then poured south into the Trishuli River system heading downstream toward the lower valleys of central Nepal. A wall of water a...
They Want to Rename Annapurna to 'Nimsdai Annapurna'? NOPE! And The Recent Floods and Chaos in China and Nepal
After the Broad Peak avalanche that took ten lives, the municipality where Nirmal Purja was born proposed renaming Annapurna I in his honor, to Nimsdai Annapurna. In this video I trace the epic of the mountain itself — the 1950 French first asc...
Fan Mail
Dear Thom. I've been following your Everest Mystery YouTube channel for quite a while now, sharing many of the episodes with my Canadian partner of 52 years, Penny. In 1973, a few months after meeting on a bus stop in Darwin Australia, we trekked to Everest Base Camp without guides or porters - two 25 year olds with an adventurers spirit. We subsequently climbed Kili, Mt Kenya, and Allalinhorn (by moon light) - just enough to experience the challenges of high altitude and the spectacular views from high places. These days we are delighted to be able to adventure vicariously through the wonderful films by you, Jimmy, Conrad et al. While searching for contact info I stumbled onto your podcasts, a medium I've never used. I see that there's a whole new set of stuff to listen to with your calm voice that has become so familiar to us. We'd like to pay a subscription. Which is better for you, YouTube or your podcast? We sincere thank you for all the work you put into keeping our mountain adventuring spirits alive! The Sandy Irvine discovery has certainly renewed our thirst for answers!
Victoria, BC
