29029 Whistler #1 Recap

A Legendary Mountain

By 29029 Everesting

September 22^nd, 2022

It only took a single ascent for Whistler to cement itself as a legendary 29029 mountain. The longest ascent of any 29029 mountain meant hours spent on the trail before catching a break on the gondola ride down.

This mountain wasn’t for the faint of heart, but then again, neither is climbing 29,029 feet. It’s what you signed up for - a challenge to check your soul. This was all about hiking a long ascent. Again and again and again.

This was about proving that you can do hard things.

8 Ascents

The longest ascent meant the shortest ascent board of 29029, featuring only 8 branding marks.

In only 8 ascents, the elevation of all 7 of each continent's highest mountains were covered. The checkmarks on your bib came fast and furious - proof of your accomplishments.

Into the Mist

For the morning of day 1, it rained, it hailed, and it snowed. Yet you kept climbing - your goal guiding you forward through the heavy mist. Mother nature wasn’t going to stop you!

You were too gritty to let a little precipitation hold you back.

A Magical Mountain

As the clouds started to part in the afternoon, your reward for pushing through the inclement weather was presented.

Vistas. Views. Scenery unlike anything you’ve ever seen, because no view is as fulfilling as the one you have to earn.

And earn it, you did.

Just because the rain, hail, and snow stopped didn’t mean the challenge did. You kept climbing.

256 Amazing People

206 of you climbed the slopes of Blackcomb Mountain 8 times, earning the coveted Red Hat.

On the longest 29029 mountain yet, you achieved the highest finisher rate ever at a 29029 event. There were more Red Hats at the awards ceremony than ever before!

50 more of the 29029 community emptied their tank on the mountain, achieving something equally impressive. There’s a lot of hype around the Red Hat, and rightfully so, but even if you only did a single ascent, you did something remarkable.

All 256 brave souls who climbed at 29029 Whistler did something few would even consider. You went far outside of your comfort zone. You pushed through cold, rain, and pain. Sore muscles couldn’t stop you. Fatigue couldn’t stop you.

You ran out the clock in search of fulfilling a momentous goal.

256 stories unfolded on the mountain over those 36 hours. Here's a sample of just a few of them.

Conquering Self Doubt

Rhonda climbed virtually with 29029 in 2020, and was at Utah #1 in 2021. Despite an incredible effort, she fell short of her goal and it gnawed at her all year long. Thoughts of self-doubt crept in. She was scared to fail.

But that didn't stop her from showing up to Whistler, ready to climb again.

Rhonda pushed through self-doubt, even when her pace started to falter. She broke down in tears, scared of not achieving her goal again. But she pushed through those feelings. She pushed through the night.

And after 35 hours, she pulled on a Red Hat. Rhonda had conquered Everest!

What Legends are Made of

Steve Brown is no stranger to tackling 29029 mountains. He participated in Idaho and Vermon in 2021. Steve had yet to achieve the Red Hat, but he had emptied his tank during both attempts.

In Whistler, he had a new game plan: no sleep, no matter what.

He would hike through the day. He would hike through the night. His goal was to not stop until time ran out.

And that’s exactly what he did. Even once Everest was out of reach, he kept climbing, spending every single hour climbing upwards. His unwavering persistence and courage marked the kind of inspiring performance that 29029 legends are made of.

80 Years in the Making

Last year, an error in doing the math meant Jim decided to throw in the towel early at 29029 Utah. He had achieved every checkmark except Everest, but thought he had run out of time to reach Everest. In hindsight, he realized he might have had enough time - it would have been close, but he could have tried.

At 80 years young, Jim came to Whistler determined to earn that Red Hat. There would be no math errors. There would be no quitting early. He was either going to pull on the Red Hat, or run the clock out trying.