logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2025
44m 5s

ENCORE: Rock Climbers Abducted | Breakin...

Wondery
About this episode

When the Americans finally act out and decide to fight for their lives, they’re left alone in an inhospitable mountain rage full of rebel militants and a trigger happy army. Far more than just a rescue mission, the climbers have to cross miles of treacherous terrain in the black of night with hopes that they won’t be mistaken for an insurgent militia by the Kyrgyz army. And if they do make it back to civilization, will they be able to make it all the way back home to the US. And if they do will anyone believe their story?

Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter

Listen to Against The Odds on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Experience all episodes ad-free and be the first to binge the newest season. Unlock exclusive early access by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial today by visiting http://wondery.com/links/against-the-odds/ now.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Apr 2025
In Their Own Words: Fallen on Mount Whitney | 1
<p>In April of 1982, Jean Muenchrath and her boyfriend had nearly completed a 230-mile cross-country ski trip through California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. On the final day of their journey, they planned to hike the highest peak in the lower 48 states: Mount Whitney. But on the s ... Show More
46m 41s
Apr 2025
Family Shipwrecked in Alaska | Home | 1
<p>It’s February 13, 1979. Elmo Wortman and his three children are sailing home to Alaska across the frigid North Pacific after a routine orthodontist visit in Canada. But this time, they get caught in a freak storm—80-mile-per-hour winds and towering 20-foot swells rip their hom ... Show More
47m 16s
Apr 2025
Family Shipwrecked in Alaska | The Raft | 2
<p>After a powerful storm destroys their sailboat and leaves them stranded on a remote Alaskan island, Elmo Wortman and his children build a raft, determined to reach a friend’s cabin 25 miles north. Elmo expects southeastern winds to carry them there in a day or two, but the jou ... Show More
40m 44s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2025
Ruby Ridge Standoff | Visions of Armageddon | 1
<p>Radical Christian survivalist Randy Weaver moves his family into the remote mountains of Idaho to wait out the Apocalypse. But his growing involvement in a local neo-Nazi group draws the attention of federal investigators.</p><p>Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podc ... Show More
37m 43s
Aug 11
Surveillance and Sabotage on the Dakota Access Pipeline
<p>When activists Jessica Reznicek and Ruby Montoya take drastic measures to halt construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, they have no idea that a shadowy private security contractor called TigerSwan has them in its sights.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Special thanks to:</p><p>Alle ... Show More
44m 9s
Aug 12
The Massacre at My Lai | The Road to My Lai | 1
<p>In late 1967, the young men of Charlie Company arrive in Vietnam – ill-prepared, poorly led, and thrown into a brutal, confusing counterinsurgency. As frustrations mount and the enemy remains unseen, the stage is set for one of the most infamous atrocities of the Vietnam War.< ... Show More
34m 26s
Feb 2025
Buffalo Soldiers | The Brass Letters | 1
<p>In the spring of 1865, with the Civil War finally over, American lawmakers began to debate whether Black soldiers would have a permanent place in the peacetime Army. Some 180,000 Black men had fought in the Union ranks, but never before in the nation’s history had they been al ... Show More
38m 35s
Feb 2025
The D-Day Con
In the tense months leading up to D-Day, a daring plan was set in motion to mislead the Nazis about where and when the invasion would take place. British intelligence recruited a motley crew of double agents, including a Spanish chicken farmer, a Serbian playboy, and a temperamen ... Show More
46m 56s
Aug 18
The Activist Who Defied Nigeria’s Oil Dictatorship
<p>For decades, oil companies like Shell operated with impunity in the Niger River Delta, supported by a string of dictators. Then, an Ogoni activist named Ken Saro-Wiwa became the David to Shell’s Goliath – until Nigerian authorities framed him for murder.&nbsp;</p><p>Special th ... Show More
47m 22s
Sep 29
A Killing Exposes the Dirty Side of Clean Energy
<p>In the aftermath of a right-wing coup in 2009, Honduras invested in several new clean energy projects, including a hydroelectric dam on a river sacred to the local indigenous population. When activist Berta Cáceras opposed the project, she had no idea how powerful the forces b ... Show More
47m 23s
Sep 9
Fan Favorite | Culture Clash
Following the epic crossover between MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries and Redacted: Declassified Mysteries, hosted by Luke Lamana, we’re revisiting some of our favorite episodes where the line between medical mystery and dark conspiracy becomes blurred.When a quiet town in Oregon is ... Show More
31m 22s
Oct 2024
Jamestown | A Hell of Darkness | 2
<p>In January 1608, fire blazed through the English settlement in Jamestown, Virginia. Nearly every building was reduced to ash. The destruction meant that the colonists would have to brave the winter with nothing but the clothes on their backs. More than ever before, their survi ... Show More
40m 34s
Feb 2025
Genghis Khan | Survival of the Fittest | 1
As a young boy on the Mongolian steppes, Temujin (not yet Genghis Khan) shows promise. He’s a wily hunter, a skilled rider and a keen falconer. He needs all those skills when his father’s death casts his family into the wilderness. In his fight for survival, he begins to attract ... Show More
47m 52s