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29029 Snowbasin Recap

More Than a Mountain

By 29029 Everesting

August 14^th, 2024

Known as the Beehive State, Utah’s moniker symbolizes a history rich in the hard work, cooperation, community, and perseverance it took to settle in a state with a notoriously harsh topography and climate.

Nestled in Utah's rugged Wasatch Mountains sits Snowbasin, one of America’s oldest ski resorts - a fitting venue for an epic challenge.

Just like the early Utahns, you - a participant at 29029 Snowbasin - alongside over 300 others, had to embody that same spirit of relentless perseverance and community.

Over the next 36 hours, you were going to be tested to your limits.

How Do You Respond to Hard?

That’s the kind of question likely to bring somebody to Snowbasin. The mountain represented a chosen struggle - a struggle you willingly undertook. But the lesson here wasn’t solely about climbing - nor doing hard things.

The lesson was about proving to yourself you can handle the hard, even when it chooses you. 29029 Snowbasin was just your proving ground.

In the early hours, each footstep towards the summit cemented a sort of internal proof.

Proof you could handle hard.

Proof that when life throws challenges your way, you can tackle them head-on.

Tools to Handle the Hard

When you come to battle a mountain, your physical strength is only part of the equation.

The other part is mental.

Thankfully, mental strength is always easier to call on when surrounded by a community - surrounded by your hive - and at Snowbasin, over 300 other participants were willing you towards your summit.

More than just fellow participants, the coaches, staff, and volunteers offered support whenever you needed it most, or in the case of Coach Chris’ Thursday afternoon Mindset Minutes Speech, prepared you for the challenge before the start.

These 4 principles - the 4 C’s Coach Chris spoke of - offered up some ammo to lean on during your 36-hour quest for the summit.

Challenge

At Snowbasin, the challenge began with the highest start line of any 29029 mountain, and finished with each summit bringing you above 8,000 feet.

The thin air made every breath count, and the scorching high-altitude sun only intensified the struggle. But you knew this challenge wasn’t supposed to be easy.

You were prepared for it - when the mountain went blow for blow with you, it wasn’t surprising.

It was expected.

The greater the challenge, the greater the reward.

Control

No matter how you frame it, 29029 is a monumental undertaking.

13 ascents of Snowbasin is no small feat.

36 hours is no small feat.

29,029 vertical feet of climbing is no small feet.

Those numbers were all daunting. With so much distance, so much elevation, and so much time for things to go wrong, the only solution was to focus on what you could control.

When thunderstorms forced a gondola closure, that was out of your control. The weather was part of the mountain’s arsenal, making each ascent that much more of a challenge.

Your mindset, however, was entirely up to you. Only you could decide what kind of attitude and level of effort you wanted to bring to the occasion.

When the storms passed, you got back out on the mountain.

You were determined to finish what you started.

Commitment

There isn’t a single moment on a 29029 mountain where your commitment isn’t tested, but overnight might be the most dramatic.

In those dark hours, as your body screamed for sleep and your mind wavered, your commitment to your goal was truly tested.

Climbing above 8,000 feet again and again and again - while the rest of the world slept - showed just how deeply committed you were to reaching the summit.

You kept climbing.

Confidence

As the final hours approached, your fatigue continued to build. Sleep-deprived and muscles aching, the mountain’s unchanging slope seemed more imposing than ever.

But even at your most exhausted, your confidence carried you forward.

You believed in your ability to reach the summit - to achieve your goal. And that confidence was the difference between simply climbing the mountain, and conquering the mountain.

Confidence was the guiding light, lifting you towards the summit - footstep after footstep and ascent after ascent.

Redemption

The only true failure in life is the failure to try.

At 29029, the mountain isn’t just a physical challenge - it’s a crucible for growth.

For some, Snowbasin was a chance at redemption - a chance to prove that failure doesn’t define them. For others, it was another opportunity at the ultimate goal: Everesting.

Failure isn’t falling short of a goal that truly stretched you - failure is giving up before you reach your potential.

You didn’t just climb at Snowbasin, you confronted your fears, pushed past your limits, and found redemption in the struggle - whether it was your first time or not.

For many, Snowbasin was the ultimate chance at redemption. Understanding the difference between failing and failure, those who had failed to achieve their goals at a previous 29029 mountain refused to give in to failure. They were back, climbing towards more.

Here are a few of those stories.

Willpower Redefined

Last year, Lisa Buoy pushed her limits at Snowbasin, climbing as high as Denali, but her heart was set on red. As she processed failing at reaching Everest, she realized that the only failure would be giving up, so she signed up to return.

The mountain wasn’t the only test, as she battled personal challenges like the loss of her job in the lead-up, but her determination never wavered.

She was one of the final finishers to cross the line Saturday evening, earning her a Red Hat.

Her journey was one of perseverance as she proved that she had more than enough will, grit, and determination to not only climb mountains, but conquer them.

Redemption Realized

Russel Goldstein’s journey at Snowbasin was one of redemptive growth. After making an error in hydration in 2023, Russel’s attempt was cut short, having climbed 9 ascents up Snowbasin.

This year, he was back.

He had a fear of not finishing - not achieving the goal he had set out to conquer last year - and contemplated hiking through the night, even though deep down he knew taking a brief rest would probably be best for him.

In the end, his wisdom won, and Russel climbed - time and time again - before taking a brief rest in the middle of the night. On Saturday, Russel was back on the mountain, finally conquering his goal - finally pulling on his Red Hat.

The Power of Quiet Grit

At 69 years young, Kay Covington - Cov - is an embodiment of quiet grit. Her journey was one of powerful persistence.

In 2022, Cov climbed at Snowbasin - achieving 4 of the 13 ascents. No small feat, but that wasn’t what Cov was looking for.

In 2023, she signed up for Whistler - a drastically different mountain. She had put in the work, and being more prepared, courageously conquered the mountain 5 times, only 3 ascents short of Everest.

Although soft-spoken, Cov’s actions spoke volumes back in Snowbasin for her third attempt at Everesting.

This time, her determination, strength, and resolve were a beacon of inspiration, showing that it’s not about how loudly you proclaim your goals, but how steadfastly you pursue them. With each ascent, Cov redefined what it meant to keep moving upward, and when the dust had settled, she’d proved that age is just a number, and she did it by pulling on a Red Hat.

The Summit of Achievement

As you crossed the finish line one final time, whether it was your Red Hat lap or not, it signified more than just reaching the top of Snowbasin.

No matter how many ascents you completed, each one was a testament to your grit and resolve. The real accomplishment lay not just in the number of ascents or the Red Hat, but in the courage to start, the resilience to continue, and the strength to endure.

In the end, 29029 Snowbasin was more than just a mountain - it was a mirror, reflecting back the best that a community can achieve when they push beyond their limits.

Remember, the true measure of success is not just found by reaching the summit, but in the determination to keep moving forward, no matter the obstacles.