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Lisa Hassig

The Foundation for the Summit

By 29029 Everesting

January 16^th, 2026

I’ve always loved movement.

Running track as a kid, skiing and snowboarding in the winters, cycling through the summers… I was never drawn to a single sport. I just loved feeling alive in motion.

Growing up in Austria, being outdoors was natural. But learning to slow down and build rhythm? That came a bit later.

I work in sports partnerships at AG1, a brand that believes in small daily choices that can help build something bigger.

That same mindset - showing up, building habits, trusting the process - is what first drew me to 29029.

Two of my AG1 colleagues had come back from 29029 Snowbasin and 29029 Stratton, raving about their experiences.

The challenge.

The community.

The atmosphere.

It looked like an endurance test, but also a mindset test. It wasn’t necessarily about speed, but staying power.

In the past, I’d been focused on cycling and triathlons.

Structured, measured, and data-driven.

In 2025, I decided I wanted something different.

Something that scared me.

Something that I wasn’t sure I could finish.

I asked to climb at 29029 Whistler on behalf of AG1.

That year, life was fast. Work travel kept my training scattered, to say the least. I didn’t follow the training plan perfectly, but that was part of the point.

I didn’t need to.

AG1’s philosophy isn’t about perfection. It’s about being prepared and doing what you can to show up as your best self every day.

If your foundation is solid, you can show up ready when it counts.

That’s what I was about to prove to myself.

When I arrived in Whistler, the mountains felt alive.

Steep. Forested. Still.

The morning air at the start was cool and calm.

I lined up near the front, and when the start horn went off, my day began.

The first ascent was beautiful, forest light shifting with each step as hiking poles clicked through the loam, rocks, and wooden steps.

Before I knew it, I was at the top.

That was one.

With a daunting seven to go.

But I didn’t think about the math again.

The mountain worked best one step at a time.

As the day unfolded and the ascents ticked by, I started to understand why people talk about 29029 with so much emotion.

It wasn’t just a challenge. It was a meditation.

The mountain demanded presence.

The headphones I’d brought stayed in my pocket.

The forest was enough, each step reminding me of focus, patience, and pace.

It felt like the physical manifestation of AG1’s philosophy.

Foundational. Intentional. Simple.

Late in the day, fatigue started to creep in.

Thankfully, I had a secret weapon to beat it back.

A friend back home had given me some advice in the weeks leading up to 29029.

“Go caffeine free before the event. Then, when you need the boost, have some coffee and you’ll feel like a rocket!”

I’d gone 17 days without coffee or caffeine before showing up to Whistler.

And now, on my fifth ascent, it was time.

I grabbed a cold brew from the aid station.

And it was on.

Energy came rushing back, and I smiled.

Sometimes the smallest things - a sip, a breath, a rhythm - can completely change the story.

As the sun set and the mountain fell into darkness, things changed.

The noise quieted. The trail became less busy.

Headlamps clicked on, illuminating the mystical trail through the cedars.

I didn’t stop for sleep.

Restarting would have been harder than just staying in motion.

And besides, I was riding that caffeine wave.

For a while, I didn’t even turn my headlamp on.

There was just enough ambient light to guide the way.

It felt calm, almost spiritual.

It’s what I’ll remember most. The stillness inside the effort.

The way something so demanding could also feel so peaceful.

At 4 am, I reached the summit for the final time.

Eight ascents.

29,029 vertical feet.

Everest.

Just me, my husband waiting at the top, and a couple of 29029 crew members cheering in the dark.

It wasn’t loud.

It was quiet, like an exhale.

I’d done it.

There wasn’t a single dramatic moment that stands out from the mountain for me. Just rhythm, focus, and trust.

29029 Whistler was the longest event I’ve ever done, yet also one of the calmest.

That’s what endurance means to me. It’s not necessarily intensity, but longevity. Not always speed, sometimes steadiness.

That’s what I’ll take with me, and it’s the same lesson we believe in at AG1.

A strong foundation is what you need to play the long game.

So you can keep climbing. Creating. Performing. Believing.

Greatness doesn’t come from extremes. It comes from what you do consistently.

On the mountain, that meant moving steadily, fueling intentionally, staying grounded.

In life, it meant showing up, again and again, until belief becomes habit.

I came to Whistler to test myself, but I left with something else: a deeper appreciation for what consistency and intention can create.

When you climb long enough, the summit may not surprise you.

It might just confirm what you already believed.

You were capable all along.

Footnotes

Voice: Lisa Hassig. Story: Evan Wishloff. Photos: Megan Dunn, Brendan Ladd, Evan Wishloff

Button Label

FootNotes

Voice: Lisa Hassig. Story: Evan Wishloff. Photos: Megan Dunn, Brendan Ladd, Evan Wishloff

Wei-Li Shao

Lisa Hassig

The Foundation for the Summit

FootNotes

The Edge

Do One More

No Emotion, Just Motion

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