The 29029 Podcast

What is 29029 TRAIL? Is it like a 29029 mountain event or totally different? 

If you haven’t yet, we encourage you to pause right here and go back to Part 1 of this episode with Abe Abich.  It’s important that you know how we got to TRAIL with these two brothers and their close friend Jay. 

Since an invitation was made by the legendary Thomas Zebley back in 2022 the effect that first mountain experience had on Abe rippled through this crew and now they found themselves at the Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe at NorthStar ready to take on 3 mountain marathons in 3 days. 

That’s 80 plus miles not just up, but up and down and around this iconic resort. 

Oh….and Jay invited his wife Sarah this time. 

They were all in for a life-changing experience, once again, led by the infamous Thomas Zebley. 

Watch out because you might just fall in love with a different kind of challenge and magic the 29029 community created in October 2024.     

You’ve probably thrown a small stone into a still pond before.  The small rock breaks the glassy water into ripples that reach out from the rocks entry point seemingly forever if uninterrupted.  This ripple effect in nature is the perfect example of what happens within the community at 29029. 

Thomas Zebley is a 29029 original, a legend on the mountain.  He has climbed and finished 12 mountains since 2018.  But you don’t reach legendary status in this world showing your own strength and endurance.  The legend of Zebley is less about his red hat collection and more about the impact those red hats have had within his circle of influence.  It would be hard to put a number to how many 29029 participant’s journeys began because of an invite from Thomas Zebley.  He’s kind of like Kevin Bacon that way.  If he didn’t talk you into climbing, someone he talked into climbing, talked you into climbing.

The ripple effect.  It’s real! 

This episode isn’t about Thomas Zebley….but it did start with him. This is about Abe Abich.  Abe said YES to Thomas Zebley’s invitation to climb Snowbasin 22.  That climb was the stone thrown into another pond and the ripples started again. 

In 2023 Abe would be joined by his brother Josh and close friend Jay at Whistler.  In 2024 they have plans to complete 3 trail marathons in 3 days, 29029-style. Let’s go back to the original ripple, Snowbasin 22 and let Abe, Josh and Jay tell you their stories.  

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Find out more about 29029 Everesting HERE

Every episode we start by asking “What’s your Everest?” or your biggest goal or challenge in life.  BUT there is another question that lies beyond the pronouncement of a goal or something you want to accomplish and it’s a bit more complex. Why?

Why do you want to challenge yourself?

Why do you want to sacrifice time and money?

Why is THIS so important? 

Why?

I was scrolling through my instagram feed the other day and came across this post by 29029 alumni, LeAnne Rodriguez. 

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I was struggling with my WHY the other day. 🤍

You know the “why are you climbing again?”🤍

I used to laugh and say it’s my drug. 🤍

But last week I made a promise to myself that I would stop joking to hide the pain. 🤍

Why do I want to be back on that mountain every year? 🤍

Because on that mountain …

-no one cares about my past

-no one is gossiping

-EVERYONE is cheering each other on every step

-your mountain friends will love you FOREVER.

-there’s no snide remarks or jealousy on that mountain. We are all in awe of each other.

-no one really cares what you do for work. They just want to know why you are on the mountain.

-the mountain makes you realize that you are amazing all by yourself

-the mountain stories will be ones you cherish forever

So the next time you wonder why someone is doing something make sure you are also truly wanting to know. 🤍

Find your mountain my friends.

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I had watched LeAnne climb Snowbasin and then Jackson Hole and knew I would see her again in Sun Valley this season.  She always radiated light and hope, but I knew there was something behind her words in this post.  I wanted to know more. I wanted to know Why?  Every mountain has a beginning, so let’s start there……

Find out more about 29029 Everesting events and our incredible COMMUNITY by clicking the links.

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The boxer Mike Tyson once said “Everyone has a plan until you’re punched in the mouth”

This feels like a truth we all understand; that things in this life are not going to unfold the way we want or expect them to.  They never have and they never will. Yet, we go around creating our perfect plans and end up shocked and disappointed when our plans fail. 

On the mountain we know how many laps we need to do before lunch, what we will wear to start and the intervals at which we will change our socks and eat our meals.  We know how long we will sleep and ride the gondola.  We plan for showers and slow downs overnight.  We’ve seen spreadsheets and laminated cards laying out minute-by-minute all 36 hours.  Then the airhorn sounds and we start climbing.

Noah Pines was a 3x alumni trying his hand at the newest mountain in the 29029 fleet - Jackson Hole 2023.  He had 3 hats on his shelf back home and now he wore a black bib on his back.  At 6am on Friday morning he began to work his plan to pull on his 4th red hat.  

No one ever plans to get punched in the mouth……except for if you are MIke Tyson.....Noah sure didn’t until it happened.  

What do you do when nothing goes to plan? 

What happens when you are faced with a choice that you never imagined you would face on the mountain?

What of your goals? 

Your success? 

What if you can’t reach Everest?  

No one likes to talk about it, but we are going to talk about it in this episode.

Sometimes the world feels so big and overwhelming.  There are so many people in so many places with so many opinions, values and path.

......But something happens on the mountains and the trails, on long bike rides and over monotonous hours of endurance training.

There’s something within endurance sport that acts like a binding agent reaching across borders and cultures, filling in the gaps of humanity until we all seem to be a bit more similar…….because aren’t we all simply people, who strive to be the best versions of ourselves?

Hannah Waters first climbed 29029 at Whistler in 2022.  She showed up alone and left with a red hat and 4 new friends.  Those friends met again on the mountain at Jackson Hole in 2023. 

Hannah had flown across the world to Jackson Hole from her home in Saudi Arabia, the flight taking almost as long as it would take her to earn her second red hat. 

Four friends grew to 5 on that mountain and Hannah added another dot to her global map showing how sport connected her no matter where she traveled.  

There is no doubt when you watch Hannah that she is an athlete. Endurance sport is as big a part of her life as her career. She doesn’t train to win.  She isn’t gunning for the top spot (though you will most likely find her there). 

Hannah loves the process of endurance sport. She loves the community.  Sport makes her feel like she’s a part of something no matter where in the world her life has taken her……and it’s taken her on quite a ride! 

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The mountain has a way of checking our soul, of challenging us on multiple levels all at once.  

We met David Allen at Snowbasin this year.  He was strong, fit and capable, a gym owner, former athlete and powerlifter..  He always smiled when we referred to him as “Dr. David Allen” when he would return to the base of the mountain to brand his board.  (Sidenote: David’s not a “doctor” but his name sure made us think of one from a daytime soap opera.)

At the Ascent Board, we see participants multiple times.  At Snowbasin, participants come through the base as many as 13 times in their quest to conquer Everest.  

We didn’t think much of “Dr. David Allen” other than a guy with a great smile going home with a red hat on his head……until Colleen received a DM from him the following Tuesday……David wanted to connect with Coach Derek who had helped him on the mountain.  Colleen asked him how he was feeling and made a “Doctor” joke……..His response took her back….He said……"My body feels fine, I’m a little sore but not any more than a normal workout.  Emotionally I’m completely wrecked.”

David had been invited by a friend to take on what he thought would be the physical challenge of climbing 29,029 feet.  He was shocked to find himself emotionally torn open by the experience and really wasn’t prepared on where to go from there.  

Listen and subscribe for more inspiring content from our 29029 Community. Learn more about 29029 Everest events https://29029everesting.com/https://29029everesting.com/.

Editor's Note: We aren't just talking about climbing 29,029 at one of our 6 - 29029 mountain events (though we are going to do that too)......We are talking about THE REAL MOUNT EVEREST! Enjoy!

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Let’s talk about your dreams and ambitions……I know you have some!  Maybe they are in the form of a bucket list item that you want to check off before you leave this life behind.  Maybe they seem unattainable but for some reason you still can’t get them out of your head. 

What if you actually got off the couch and started making those dreams happen?  Where would you start?  How would you get there?  Would people support you?  What would it feel like to look back and realize you made that dream a reality. 

Grace Lee was tiny and mighty when she showed up to 29029 Stratton in 2021.  She had an easy smile and a giggle and a wide-eyed wonder for the challenge in front of her. 

Little did any of us know that just a year earlier, Grace was sitting on her couch when she decided she was going to climb the Seven highest summits on the seven continents of the world.  She had watched a documentary….she was inspired.

Oh, but Grace isn’t a mountaineer.  She didn’t ever go to the gym or play sports. She disliked the cold, camping and heights.    

Grace is literally working herself from the couch to Everest.  What is it going to take?  Who will support her?  How is she going to make this dream a reality?  You’re about to find out, but watch out Grace’s dreams are contagious…..

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Learn More about 29029 Everesting HERE

If I can climb 29,029 feet in 36 hours, with very little sleep and live to tell the tale…..What else can I do? 

If you are signed up for 29029 get ready to ask yourself this question when you get home from the mountain.  It’s inevitable.  Doing hard things is a key that unlocks future potential.  We gain a great perspective of what might be possible when we take on the seemingly impossible and find success. 

The tale we have to tell you today didn’t actually start on the mountain, but the mountain was pivotal in setting the course for this adventure.  

Ben Towill and Charlie Layton have a close relationship.  They are friends and business partners, but this test had nothing to do with business and everything to do with rowing a two-man boat thousands of miles from the Canary Islands across the Atlantic to the tiny Western Caribbean Island of Antigua.  

It’s probably important to note that Ben isn’t a rower, neither is Charlie.  They jumped feet first into a challenge that most people would say they had no business even attempting.  

Not to spoil the ending, but they make it and pull out of port wearing a 29029 RED hat!  

So let’s go back to that red hat, the first one Ben earned in Snowbasin 2021, when Ben and Charlie were still testing their relationship.  

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Learn More about 29029 Everesting HERE

Most 80 year old men you find sitting comfortably in a recliner surrounded by their grandchildren telling stories of adventures long past.   Jim Fisher is not one of those 80 year old men.  Jim is still seeking adventures, still climbing mountains and still living his life to the fullest.  

In 2021, 29029 Alumni Chuck Fisher invited his parents to climb with him in Snowbasin that year.  Jim and Mary Fisher were 78 almost 79 years old when they pressed that red registration button.  

Jim was an instant celebrity on the mountain.  He was the source of a new kind of inspiration in our community.  Jim was almost 80 years old but Jim was climbing. 

He didn’t complain. 

He didn’t stop. 

We all watched in awe as he chatted and smiled his way step after step up and down those slopes. 

2021 Snowbasin was a challenge for many reasons for Jim and when he left without a red hat a new fire burned inside of him.  He had to come back.  He needed to find his Everest.  

And oh did he come back……..

In June 2022 at the start of our 29029 event season, we invited Jim to speak to our community on a special zoom call.  Jim’s message and motivation is just too good not to share with the world. 

We hope you are as inspired as we are by Jim Fisher.  We hope his message resonates to help you keep climbing your own mountains and seeking out new summits whenever you can….regardless of the birthday you are celebrating this year!  

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Have you ever watched a great athlete perform?  They can look flawless.  Light on their feet.  Perfect form.  They make everything look effortless. 

Whether it's at 29029 or another endurance event it’s easy to see the “front of the pack” and think “how can this be so easy for them”.....”and why isn’t it that easy for me”

I’m not sure what it is that makes us think that those who are winning the races and climbing in front of us are somehow having an easier time.  No matter your ability, everyone is covering the same distance and even the best of us have underlying struggles, not visible to the outside world, that threaten to derail our performance. 

Amber Conlin was the first woman to find her Everest at Snowbasin #2 in 2022.  She was fast and fit, completing 29,029 feet of climbing and 30 miles of distance just after midnight 19 hours after beginning the challenge. 

If you were standing at the summit in those dark, early morning hours, you would have seen a mom being greeted by her 4 children, her husband Tyler and her in-laws.  All of them beaming and overflowing with pride. 

But this 29029 finish was not the only Everest Amber climbed on her way to this point.

We may not always know the battles and challenges that rage on the other side of a smiling face and a brilliant performance, but as we dig below the surface what we uncover can teach us things for our own journey. 

Amber can teach us what true happiness is and how she finally found it……not on the mountain…….but within herself!