Against The Odds

On May 22, 2018, Claire Nelson set out on what she thought would be a four-hour hike in Southern California’s Joshua Tree National Park. An experienced hiker, Claire packed plenty of water and followed an established trail in a park visited by millions of people each year. But after taking a wrong turn, she slipped off a boulder and shattered her pelvis. Injured and exposed to the elements, she found herself alone in the desert in a fight for her life...

Have you ever wondered how some of the biggest companies like Chobani, OpenAI or Michael Kors got started? On the podcast How I Built This, Guy Raz interviews the world’s best-known entrepreneurs to learn how they built their iconic brands from day 1. In each episode, founders reveal deep, intimate moments of doubt and failure, and share insights on their long journey to eventual success...

In a final attempt to escape the Andes, Nando and Roberto have headed east to pursue safety. The men face a difficult journey as the weather takes a turn for the worst, and their food supply dwindles. Back at the fuselage, their teammates wait for rescuers to arrive. The remaining survivors have accepted their fate: they're all doomed if the two men don't find civilization. There is only one option left...

After escaping an avalanche that killed eight more passengers, the survivors of the Fairchild are starting to lose all hope. Many in the group are on death’s door. Time is running out. They can’t wait any longer for rescue. They must seek it out on their own. The expedition to find help and get off the mountain is more urgent than ever. Nando and Roberto will have to debate the best path to safety, but the men can take only one route. Listen early and ad free with Wondery+...

The remaining survivors of the Fairchild crash are starting to lose hope that rescuers will arrive after ten days of inactivity. Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa understand their only chance at survival is to send a small team through the Andes mountains and down into Chile for help. Unfortunately, they remain stranded, and their food supply has just run out. If they’re going to climb through the Andes successfully, they’ll need to build up their strength and make some tough decisions...

From Wondery and Bloomberg, the makers of The Shrink Next Door, comes a new story of incredible wealth, betrayal, and what happens when “doing good” goes really, really bad. When nerdy gamer Sam Bankman-Fried rocketed to fame as the world’s richest 29-year-old, he pledged to donate his billions to good causes...

In October 1972, an Uruguayan rugby team traveling to their next match in Santiago, Chile, crashes into the Andes Mountains after their plane strikes a glacier. Stranded on the snow-covered side of a mountain, they will have to do the unthinkable to survive.  Initially, 29 passengers survive the collision but they must endure freezing temperatures with no winter clothes and only a few light snacks for food. The landscape is barren, and as night falls, the temperature drops below zero...

Of the more than 500 Prinsendam passengers and crew, every one of them was eventually rescued and brought to safety. Today, two of those survivors, John and Malory Graham, join host Mike Corey to share their experience of the fire and rescue. Malory was just 13-years old when she boarded the ship for an adventure with her dad, John. We’ll also hear from retired Coast Guard Captain Stephen Corcoran about getting the call Prinsendam was in trouble, and what it was like arriving on the scene...

Rescue workers begin the painstakingly slow process of airlifting cruise ship evacuees one by one from their lifeboats. But a typhoon has turned the Gulf of Alaska into a raging sea, and as they await rescue, many of the passengers fear they’ll either drown or die of hypothermia. Just when rescuers think they’ve saved everyone, they realize they’ve overlooked one lifeboat. Amid rain and massive waves, and with darkness approaching, they worry they might never find it...

With the fire aboard Prinsendam now burning out of control, the captain gives the order to abandon ship. Passengers, some dressed only in pajamas and nightgowns, scramble into wooden lifeboats, which are lowered into the dark and frigid waters of the Gulf of Alaska. Meanwhile, rescue vessels – both military and private – rush to the scene. But with over 500 passengers and crew in need of saving, and a typhoon closing in, they’re in a race against time. Listen early and ad free with Wondery+...