Podcast Summary
Blind, Alone & Near-Death on Mount Everest
Imagine Heaven Podcast with John Burke
Host: John Burke
Guest: Brian Dickinson
Date: January 8, 2026
Overview
This episode features an extraordinary survival story: Brian Dickinson’s solo summit and blind descent from Mount Everest. More than an adventure tale, it’s a testament to faith, the power of surrendering control, and the reality of miracles. Host John Burke explores Brian’s harrowing climb, his near-death experience (NDE), and how faith and the spiritual practice known as the 60-60 experiment helped shape—and save—his journey. The episode concludes with reflections on NDE terminology and a challenge to listeners to embark on their own 60-60 experiment with God.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Introduction to Brian Dickinson’s Everest Journey
[01:30] – [04:47]
- Brian is the only human documented to solo the summit of Mount Everest and make it back down during a blind descent.
- He contacted John Burke after reading his book, Soul Revolution, and practicing its 60-60 experiment during climbs of Denali and Everest.
- Brian’s near-death experience isn’t typical—he didn’t clinically die or visit an afterlife—but divine intervention was clear in his survival.
"At 30,000 ft, the highest summit in the world, something went terribly wrong and Brian said he had a near death experience...the most fascinating story."
— John Burke [01:30]
2. What Is the 60-60 Experiment?
[04:47] – [06:40]
- Brian’s church participated in the 60-60 experiment, which involves reconnecting with God every 60 minutes as an exercise in continual spiritual awareness.
- For Brian and his wife, it created a “triangle” of connection: each connecting with God and thereby drawn together, especially during his long absences.
“Every 60 minutes we would check in with God and just prayer...it kept us connected while I was gone, but as proxied through God.”
— Brian Dickinson [04:47]
3. The Realities of Climbing Everest
[07:36] – [21:19]
- Climbing Everest is a two-month ordeal: half the time is spent acclimating to survive the Death Zone (above 26,000ft, where there’s only a third of the atmosphere's oxygen).
- The journey involves traversing the deadly Khumbu Icefall, navigating crevasses using ladders, and sleeping in tents on sheer ice walls.
“If we were to pluck our bodies as we are right now, unacclimated, put you on the summit of Everest, we would both pass out and die.”
— Brian Dickinson [07:36]
"You gotta find a reason to take a step forward. For me, I just kept repeating my wife and kids' names...that was kind of my 60-60 at that point."
— Brian Dickinson [20:50]
4. The Summit Attempt and Crisis
[23:04] – [37:08]
- At 23,000ft, Brian’s goggles cracked and fogged, risking snow blindness. Miraculously, some Sherpa returned his goggles after they fell—a rare occurrence.
- Despite the compromised gear, Brian pressed on, solo after his Sherpa, Pasang, had to turn back due to altitude sickness.
- He became, by database accounts, one of just two people to ever solo the Everest summit on a single day.
“I’m one of two people in the Himalayan database documented to have ever soloed the summit of Everest on a given day.”
— Brian Dickinson [28:21]
- The summit ridge featured a two-foot-wide cornice with a two-mile drop on either side. The infamous Hillary Step rock climb followed.
“On the right, it is a two-mile drop into Tibet. On the left, it’s a two-mile drop into Nepal. I mean, it is straight two miles on each side.”
— Brian Dickinson [31:07]
5. The Blind Descent: Near-Death on Everest
[39:11] – [54:47]
- After a brief stop at the summit, Brian began his descent, but within 10–15 feet lost all vision—total snow blindness set in.
- Alone, blind, and still high on Everest, he relied on touch and memory, methodically feeling for the right ropes and anchor points while traversing deadly terrain.
- Miraculous moments: Finding his lost crampon after a fall, surviving a slab avalanche by gripping a rope (which burned through his glove), and narrowly missing running out of oxygen.
"Immediately I just—I went snow blind...The entire time, I never ever once felt alone. It was this peaceful presence." — Brian Dickinson [39:11 – 41:21]
- Despite extreme adversity and critical danger, Brian never panicked, crediting both his military training and a sense of God’s tangible presence.
"I never felt such a tangible presence in my life ever." — Brian Dickinson [48:55]
- At his breaking point after 33 hours climbing blind, out of oxygen, he finally prayed for help.
"I just dropped to my knees and prayed. It was simple. I just said, God, I cannot do this alone. Please help me." — Brian Dickinson [50:22]
- Instantly, he felt lifted, found energy, and was able to use a previously malfunctioning oxygen bottle—at the same time that loved ones around the world reported being unexpectedly stirred to pray for him.
"We just witnessed a miracle. I mean, I felt like...someone lifted me up...I had this unexplained energy." — Brian Dickinson [51:32]
- Eventually, he reconnected with his Sherpa, Pasang, and made it back to camp, though it took over a month for his eyesight to recover.
6. Processing Trauma, Survivor’s Guilt & Purpose
[55:15] – [57:40]
- Brian shares candidly about the hidden aftermath: PTSD, survivor’s guilt, and resurfacing childhood/military trauma.
- He highlights how people focus on the survival story but often overlook the survivor’s continued struggles.
“Everybody loves a survival story, but they don’t much care about the survivor and what they’re going through.”
— Brian Dickinson [55:15]
- He now uses his experience to connect with others about trauma, faith, and the power of surrender—often side-by-side with his wife, a Christian counselor.
7. Spiritual Lessons: Surrender and Faith
[57:46] – [61:19]
- Brian’s biggest takeaway: Stop trying to brute force life—surrender and let God do what only He can do.
- John Burke relates how the 60-60 experiment grew out of his own struggles as a pastor and the realization that continually surrendering to God’s will is transformative—for addiction, anxiety, grief, or any struggle.
“A lot of what God’s taught me is to get out of my own way, stop trying to do it on my own, quit taking credit for everything he’s done...I pivoted on Everest. There’s Brian 1.0 and 2.0.”
— Brian Dickinson [57:46]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
Brian on prayer and presence, blind on Everest:
"The entire time, I never ever once felt alone. It was this peaceful presence...I’ve never felt such a tangible presence in my life ever."
— [41:21],[48:55] -
On reaching the summit, then learning nobody knew he was solo:
"That's when my friend got on the radio—he's like, congrats. You and Pasang, be safe on your way down...That's when I realized no one knew I was alone."
— [36:20] -
Surrendering at the end of self-reliance:
“I just dropped to my knees and prayed. It was simple. I just said, God, I cannot do this alone. Please help me.”
— [50:22] -
John Burke—on spiritual connection and letting go:
"If we disconnect, if we live disconnected from God in His spirit, we can do nothing. Now, we can do lots of things. But what he means is nothing of spiritual significance, nothing of eternal value."
— [72:10]
Timestamps for Key Segments
| Timestamp | Segment | |----------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:30–04:47 | Introduction to Brian and the 60-60 experiment | | 07:36–21:19 | Climbing Everest and acclimatization | | 23:04–29:09 | Summit attempt, gear failure, and solo ascent | | 36:20–39:11 | On the summit, realization of isolation | | 39:11–50:22 | Blind descent; survival, spiritual presence, and prayer | | 55:15–57:40 | Aftermath—PTSD, processing trauma, and survivor’s guilt | | 57:46–61:19 | Major life/spiritual lessons, surrender, and encouragement | | 61:48–71:42 | John’s reflections on NDEs vs. after-death experiences, 60-60 intro|
Reflection on NDE Terminology & The 60-60 Challenge
[61:48] – End
- John clarifies that while Brian’s story is a near-death event, it is not a classic NDE (no clinical death or afterlife vision). He explains terminology and the purpose behind his research focus.
- He details the origins and effectiveness of the 60-60 experiment—checking in with God every hour for 60 days as a way of forming a new habit of spiritual connection and surrender.
- Listeners are challenged to try the 60-60 experiment as a New Year’s resolution for greater joy, guidance, and overcoming life’s “impossible mountains.”
“Just go read the free Soul Revolution chapters one through three and decide if you’re going to do it, and I'll be doing it with you as we start this new year.”
— John Burke [78:29]
Final Thoughts
While this episode differs from prior “Imagine Heaven” accounts—focusing on miraculous survival rather than afterlife vision—it stands as a stirring call to surrender, resilience, and daily connection with God, both on and off the mountain. The 60-60 experiment is highlighted not just as a spiritual practice but as a lifeline for anyone facing overwhelming challenges.