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Sun Valley Recap

The Mountain That Made Us One

By 29029 Everesting

June 19^th, 2025

Every Story Starts Somewhere

The 2025 Season of 29029 began like all great stories… full of nerves, excitement, and a mountain full of possibility.

For 70% of the start line in Sun Valley, this was a brand new journey - their first 29029 mountain.

For others, it was a return to familiar ground, but with new goals, deeper purpose, and maybe even a Black Bib in sight.

Whether it was your first mountain, your fifth, or your fifteenth, Sun Valley offered something more than just a climb.

And whether you showed up alone, or with your crew - kids, parents, partner, or friend - by the time the start horn sounded, the entire 29029 community felt like one big family.

One big family standing at the base of a challenge that would be faced together.

Magic in the Morning Light

Day 1 started in daylight with early sun rays breaking the horizon by the time the start horn sounded.

Golden light spilled out across the Sawtooth Mountains, and fields of lupine flowers near the summit lit the way.

It was pure magic - like the hills were singing as you wound your way up the trail.

With each step on that first ascent, the views opened wider, the air felt fresher, and - at least for now - the challenge felt oddly joyful.

Where Joy Meets Grit

Of course, that early joy came with a price.

At Sun Valley, that price was called The Wall.

And it didn’t care how many hours you’d trained.

It didn't care how badly you wanted the summit.

It just sat there in your way, daring you to climb it.

It was steep.

It was loose.

It was relentless.

It was where your joy gave way to grit.

And it never got easier.

15 laps meant 15 battles with The Wall, and no matter how many times you greeted it, it always asked the same question:

How bad did you want this?

This was where the people around you mattered most.

Climbing with your family, your coach, your partner, or your new friend became more than just meaningful - it became essential.

Because when your legs burned and your breath shortened, sometimes the only thing to keep you moving was having somebody climb alongside you.

Two Mountains

When you signed up for 29029, you probably thought you only had to conquer one mountain.

That’s the one you trained for.

Long days of endurance work, early mornings, sore legs, tired lungs… You did everything right to prepare for the physical test.

But there’s a second mountain.

And it didn’t show up on any elevation profile.

It showed up in the silence between aid stations.

It showed up in the hours after the first few laps, when your legs started feeling heavy and your brain started negotiating.

When doubt crept in, you were forced to answer:

Who am I when things get uncomfortable?

If you wanted to reach Everest, you'd find out the answer to that question.

If you wanted to reach Everest, you'd have to climb both mountains.

Adjusting the Lens

At 6 am, the lens of your mindset was wide open.

The mountain was fresh and magical.

The aid stations were buzzing.

You were thinking big - about Everest, Red Hats, and how it would all feel when you crossed that finish line.

But hours later, everything changed.

The novelty faded. Your energy dipped. The effort started to take its toll.

That’s when the second mountain demanded your full attention.

You couldn’t look too far ahead anymore. The summit was too far away.

You narrowed your focus.

Not on how many laps were left…

Just the next step.

The next breath.

The next aid station.

And sometimes, the voice of somebody from the 29029 family beside you.

Mindset isn’t always something you muster alone. Sometimes it’s something you borrow from the help of another, just long enough to take that next step into the night.

No Shade, No Shortcuts

Day 1 gave magic: golden light, gentle breezes, and some of the friendliest weather from any 29029 mountain.

But Day 2? It brought the sun. Intense sun.

By mid-morning, the soft sunrise had vanished, and in its place was heat.

Relentless, high-altitude heat.

There was little shade to be found. Few clouds to ease the effort.

Just the sun, the dust, and the climb.

But you didn’t stop.

Poles in hand, grit fully engaged, you kept moving upward.

Who You Become Up There

When you finally reached the summit, it was about more than climbing the mountain.

Yes, you climbed through fatigue.

Climbed through doubt.

Climbed when you weren’t sure you could anymore.

But through that, something shifted inside you.

Because 29029 doesn’t just test your body.

It reshapes your mindset.

Some of you found that self-belief in your strength.

Some of you found the courage to let other people in to help you achieve your goals.

Some of you faced the fears you’d been carrying for years, and left them on the trail.

Every transformation looked a little different, but they all shared one thing:

They were earned through moments shared on the mountain.

This wasn’t just a physical Everest.

It was a mindset summit.

And you made it, alongside the 29029 family.

The Mountain We Share

This mountain wasn’t just climbed by individuals - it was climbed by families.

Every 29029 event builds community, and that 29029 family grows larger with each summit.

But here, that sense of belonging was shared through deeper connections, too.

The mountain was sewn into family ties, shared between generations, and felt in every high five, every cheer, and every shared step up the mountain.

Here are a few of those stories.

A Family of Finishers

Moe and Todd Pierce had climbed 29029 mountains before.

But this time, they were ready for a new experience: climbing with their four sons.

Six family members.

One start line.

One shared goal.

It wouldn’t be easy. Each of them struggled at different points, but they stuck together, helping each other through the good times and the bad, like any good family should.

And on Saturday, the whole family walked the Red Carpet as one.

Six Red Hats.

One unforgettable memory.

One incredibly strong family.

Side by Side

Tim Clark - known to many as Tortuga Tim from his past 29029 climbs - has seen his fair share of mountains.

But this one was special.

He and his son, Brennan, who now lives states away, decided to reconnect the best way they knew how: side by side on the mountain.

Step by step, lap after lap, they climbed together.

15 times up The Wall.

15 times past each aid station.

14 times walking past the Red Carpet, and then, finally, walking it. Together.

Pulling on their Red Hats.

Together.

Steps of Support

When Blake Irvan set out to earn his Red Hat, his wife, Shayna, wasn’t just cheering from the sidelines - she was digging in.

A past participant herself, Shayna noticed a steep, dusty stretch of trail giving climbers trouble.

She grabbed a shovel and started carving steps.

One by one, shovel after shovel, she made the climb a little more manageable.

Not just for Blake, but for everyone.

That’s the true 29029 spirit: once you’ve Everested, you turn back and help pull others up to the summit.

Just like Shayna.

The Story Continues

Sun Valley didn’t just kick off the 2025 season.

It reminded us why we climb.

To see what we’re capable of.

To push past doubt.

To find out what we’re made of when things get hard.

But more than that, it showed us that we climb together.

Whether it was your first mountain or fifth, this weekend reminded you of what it means to belong to something bigger.

You’re now part of a community that shows up, digs deep, and helps each other summit mountains.

Husbands and wives. Parents and kids. Siblings. Cousins. Lifelong friends, and now, brand new ones, perhaps made at midnight on The Wall.

It’s what makes 29029 more than just a challenge.

It’s a movement.

A family.

A shared belief that we’re all stronger than we think, and we can go further when we go together.

So until the next one, keep showing up.

For yourself.

For others.

Keep chasing the best version of yourself.

And keep lifting others up.

Keep climbing.

Footnotes

Story: Evan Wishloff. Photos: Megan Dunn, Brendan Ladd, Evan Wishloff.

Button Label

FootNotes

Story: Evan Wishloff. Photos: Megan Dunn, Brendan Ladd, Evan Wishloff.

Lance Friedman

Sun Valley Recap

The Mountain That Made Us One

FootNotes

Do One More

No Emotion, Just Motion

Brian Goldstein

The Foundation for the Summit

Tom Turcich

Higher Together