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
Oct 7
The Big Burn | The Blow-Up | 2
As the fires spread, ranger Ed Pulaski tries to lead his men on a last-ditch effort to save the town of Wallace. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Soldiers race to build firebreaks around Avery, and head ranger Bill Weigle realizes he’s made a terrible mistake. Order your copy of the new Ag ... Show More
38m 11s
Sep 30
The Big Burn | The Driest Summer | 1
In the summer of 1910, a severe drought turned Idaho’s Coeur d’Alene National Forest into a tinderbox. Spot fires cropped up around the mining towns of Wallace and Avery and it was the job of forest rangers like Ed Pulaski to put them out. But when a massive windstorm swept throu ... Show More
41m 24s
Sep 23
Siula Grande: Over the Edge | Making Peace With It, With Simon Yates | 4
In 1985, high on Peru’s Siula Grande, everything went wrong, and two climbers made choices that became mountaineering lore. Simon Yates joins host Cassie De Pecol to talk about risk, survival, and being known as “the guy who cut the rope.”If you’d like to learn more about Simon's ... Show More
33m 50s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 8
Ruby Ridge Standoff | Visions of Armageddon | 1
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.Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, cura ... Show More
37m 43s
Aug 11
Surveillance and Sabotage on the Dakota Access Pipeline
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. Special thanks to:Alleen Brown and The Intercept (https ... Show More
44m 9s
Aug 12
The Massacre at My Lai | The Road to My Lai | 1
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.Be t ... Show More
34m 26s
Feb 2025
Buffalo Soldiers | The Brass Letters | 1
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 allow ... 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
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. Special thanks to:Where V ... Show More
47m 22s
Sep 29
A Killing Exposes the Dirty Side of Clean Energy
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 behi ... 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
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 survival ... 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