The 29029 Podcast

If you’ve listened or followed this podcast before you know we talk a lot about “the why”.  Why do we climb?  Why do we choose to voluntarily put ourselves in a position to struggle in order to climb the vertical feet of mountain Everest.   Every single participant who presses that red registration button on the 29029 website is there  for a different reason.   We have participants show up with perfect clarity as to what they are seeking to find and accomplish through their 29029 experience.  Others seem to find their why as they train over 20 weeks.  Sometimes the realization of “why” develops as the 36 hour clock begins to count down on that Friday morning.   We see these “whys” all over the mountain.  They are written on the back of t-shirts and pinned to hydration packs.  They are carried in pockets or opened from envelopes.  We’ve seen them written on arms and tucked tightly into hearts.   29029 isn’t about climbing a mountain over and over again, it’s all about why you are choosing to be there.   Mike Parnell had a why!  He was going to climb 29029 vertical feet at Stratton Mountain in Vermont October 2021 and he was going to do it in the name of his young daughter Ryan who suffers from a rare autoimmune disease.   Though he raised over 100,000 dollars in Ryan’s honor, Mike didn’t really find out why he was on the mountain until after he left.   A chance meeting and an off-handed comment at the awards dinner would propel Mike through a door he never knew existed.....nor did he realize that 29029 was the key. Want to hear more inspiring stories! Subscribe or you can read more stories HERE

When you create something new like 29029 you never know what will happen.  It’s hard to tell if people are going to buy into the idea that climbing up a mountain for 36 hours over a weekend to try to reach the vertical gain of Mt. Everest is a good idea or not.   In 2017 when 29029 was launched, it was a small group of people who were known for enjoying crazy experiences.  They loved it!  Of course they did.  In 2018 as the brand expanded to include an additional location in Snowbasin Utah a larger community had the opportunity to experience this new everesting concept.  By 2019 and the pandemic year of 2020, 29029 Everesting had a full-blown community.  There were alumni returning to the mountain each season.  Those alumni were wearing their red hats and 7 summit triangle shirts.  29029 was growing.  Sitting here years later, it’s impossible to imagine our summers without the mountain.  What started as a crazy idea that may or may not have work has become our passion.   Jenny Levison (or Souper Jenny as many of her Restaurant customers in Atlanta know) is one of those individuals who has been there since almost the very beginning.  She too didn’t know quite what this 29029 experiment was…… But in the years between Jenny’s first climb in 2018 to today, as she is preparing to take on the mountain for her 4th time, she’s found something she can’t quite let go of….. Jenny is going to take us back to the early days of 29029 and recount the moments and lessons the mountain has provided in her life.  Though Jenny has never had the opportunity to place a red hat on her head……yet……..she comes back for more than that token of completion.  She climbs for herself and for the people who tirelessly show up ascent after ascent and year after year as she’s chosen to just keep climbing.   Learn more about 29029 HERE Subscribe to the 29029 Podcast to stay inspired to find your own Everest!

Beginning in 2017, we have had a front-row seat to 1000s of individuals who have found their way to their own personal Everests while climbing 29029.  We can share story after story of participants who found a bigger and better version of themselves in 20 weeks of training and over those 36 hours struggling up the slopes of a mountain.  It’s inspiring to see people literally transform before your eyes into more than they ever thought they could be.   Over the past few seasons we’ve seen the reasons why people choose to climb, broaden and expand.  While self-mastery is still a big motivator to take on the challenge of climbing 29,029ft, participants are showing up for far greater reasons than just themselves. We’ve seen people raise 100s of thousands of dollars for charitable foundations and personal causes.  The impact of their 29029 experience rippling throughout their communities and the world.   Participants are using their own physical and mental strength not just to change themselves but to motivate all of us to step up to the challenge of creating a better world.   Dayna Boshard came to the mountain from a small town in Southern Utah with a big purpose.  Her goal was to help children and families who lived, literally, in the shadow of Mt. Everest. Her climb would benefit their daily climb…. She had seen the faces of the Nepalese children struggling for basic skills and opportunity.  They hadn’t signed up for the mountain they were asked to climb every day of their lives.  But Dayna did and she was able to use 29029 to build something life-changing in a country she’s never stopped foot in.    Eternal Hope International

It's 5:30pm on a Saturday in mid August 2019. 250 individuals have used the preceding 35 and 1/2 hours to test themselves on the slopes at Snowbasin Resort, Utah. Each attempting to complete 29,029 feet of vertical gain or mimicking the vertical accumulation of climbing from sea level to the top of Mt. Everest. Though the event technically has another 30 minutes until its official 36-hour cut off time, most participants are back at their tents, showered, eating dinner and many are sporting new red hats. They completed the event. But the mountain is far from empty. There is still one participant on that mountain. He left the base aid station just over 15 minutes ago and is attempting to complete his fastest lap of the last 36 hours before that clock rolls over to 6:00 pm and his time is up. He is not alone. Flanked by volunteers, 29029 staff, friends and colleagues, 29029 Co-Founder Marc Hodulich and Head Coach Brent Pease if he's going to make it, he is going to have to run. What transpires in the next 30 minutes has become legend in the 29029 Community. Even those who weren't there know this story and are heard asking, "Did you hear about that guy in Snowbasin 2019? What was his name?"  His name is Kyle McClung and this is his 29029 Story! Subscribe and never miss an episode! Read more stories of inspiring people Want to find your Everest? JOIN US

In 2021, Colleen, the host and emcee for the 29029 events, stepped off her flight to Albany, New York on the way to Stratton Mountain for another epic weekend.  As she made her way down to baggage claim without realizing that two sets of eyes were following her gray 29029 hoodie down the escalator.    The owners of those eyeballs soon found some courage asked her if she was, in fact, Colleen "The Voice of the Mountain" at 29029.  They introduced themselves as Joe Curtain and Mario Minnaert.    At that moment a friendship was forged, a selfie was taken and the first of many jokes about Mario’s choice in luggage….it was a full-fledged lady-bag you’ve seen your grandma using.....began.  Colleen watched Joe and Mario conquer their Everests at Stratton that year and then watched Mario take the mountain and continue to climb.   Whether with his coaching business, his new podcast or the 100 mile race he would go on to complete….The lessons of the mountain went with Mario when he flew back home and they should remain with us too! The powerful experiences that 29029 creates for participants, volunteers and even spectators are ones that can help propel each of us up the next mountain we will face.......because we all know there are always more mountains to climb. Don't miss an episode of the 29029 Podcast.  Click to subscribe.  Want more inspirational stories from the mountain.  Find them here.  

How many times in life have you been willing to commit to doing something that you didn’t know the outcome? I’m talking about committing to a project that you didn’t know if you could handle.  A deadline that would stretch you so thin you risked failure.   Generally, we don’t commit to things we are not confident we can complete.  But that’s just our comfort zone.  Where’s the growth in that?  If we only set out to do things we know we are good at and we can “finish” we miss all the things we could be successful at. 29029 is a safe place to fail.   It’s not that we don’t love red hats and celebrating climbing the vertical feet of Mount Everest.  It’s that we recognize a finish line doesn’t define anyone.  In fact, some of the most powerful lessons we’ve learned over the years aren’t from participants donning red bibs and hats.  They are the lessons we’re taught by the people who are willing to push forward despite no hope for an Everest summit. Meg Louvin has never worn red in her two times on the mountain.  She doesn’t know what it feels like to crest the mountain on her final lap.  What Meg does know just might be more powerful....that 29029 is not just about Everest, it's about all the summits in between.   We don’t go to battle against anyone else on the mountain except ourselves. If you are willing to take a giant step outside of your comfort zone you can redefine every other challenge in your life. Just ask Meg……. Want to read more stories?  Find more stories here.   Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss our monthly podcast episodes! 

We all are acquainted with grief.  It’s rare to leave this life without the pain and suffering that comes with our human experience. Grief is different for everyone and the ways we move through our grief are as unique as the reasons why people sign up to climb a mountain over and over again for 36 hours to reach the vertical gain of Mt. Everest. But the thing about choosing to climb a mountain with a partner like grief is that you can’t hide.  The mountain will cause you to face whatever it is that lies just beneath your surface.  If you let it, the mountain will crack you open and then gently put you back together; creating something new.   The mountain isn’t afraid of our grief.  It’s actually quite comfortable sharing space with wounded hearts. Maybe that’s why those wounded hearts find 29029. Meredith Coviello or "Mere" as we would come to know her on the mountain at Snowbasin was acquainted with climbing with her grief.  She was 34 and suddenly a widow. This is the grief that Mere brought with her to 29029, but this isn’t just a story about loss, Mere’s 29029 is about friendship, self-discovery and a new chapter in the same book.  Some how there is beauty in grief but maybe only if you are willing to stop and look back to see how far you’ve come. Subscribe to listen to more stories from the 29029 Community Follow 29029 Everesting on Instagram and Facebook Find out more about 29029 Everesting here

In 2022 29029 Everesting celebrated our 5th anniversary of challenging individuals to set an Everest-sized goal. I was scrolling through old photos and came across images from our first event in 2017 at Stratton Mountain Vermont.  Some things looked different, like the ascent board and the bibs.  Some things operated differently, like the gondola and the schedule.  But there was something familiar in those old photos, something I’ve noticed ever since my first time on the mountain in 2019.   It was something about the faces!  Not that I recognized the faces because many of them I had never met, but it was a look.  A countenance.  This was a group of people who were all-in.  They were determined to find that Everest.  Many things may look different these days at a 29029 event, but that look on those faces and that determination remains the same. Adam Hyncik was one of those faces I saw in those 2017 photographs.  How did he get there…Well he accepted a simple invitation. In 2022 Adam was on the mountain again for his 4th time.  4 times he’s pressed that red button at registration and said YES to whatever the mountain had in store for him that year!  What brings someone back to 29029 and what was it really like in those early years?  Adam had a front row seat and these are his stories. Subscribe to listen to more tales from the mountain or go to the 29029 website and read more stories.   KEEP CLIMBING! 

Let’s flip the script today. Instead of worrying so much about the worst case scenarios and what to do to when they happen…… let’s shift to a different, more positive mindset.   Casey Gilbert has traveled the world for years as an online trainer sharing his love for fitness and words of wisdom though the screen on your workout machine.  He seems to have limitless energy and strength, but have you ever thought that there might be struggles on the other side of the camera? Trainers and coaches like Casey are not immune from the demons of negative self-talk and comparison, in fact, we'd argue they have more experience with those things than most of us. Being a fitness professional on-camera is demanding work.  It’s through those experiences and Casey’s journey as an athlete that has shaped the man and trainer we met on the mountain in Snowbasin at 29029 this year. In this episode of the 29029 podcast, Casey shares his personal stories and some mindset tools that can change your life.  What if you quit focusing on the worse case scenario and started asking "What if it all went right?"

If you’ve lived on this earth for more than a few days, you are pretty familiar with the fact that life doesn’t always travel the easiest path.  One moment you are on the summit of the mountain enjoying the view and the next you find yourself lost in the deepest valley you’ve ever had to navigate. Kacia and Seena Ghetmeri signed up for 29029 with fire in their bellies.  They were getting out of their comfort zone and they were ready to grow. Newly engaged.  Blazing new paths.  Budding entrepreneurs!  29029 was perfect! Little did they know that the growth they were about to experience wasn’t going to come in the form of weekend long workouts put together by Coach Brent.  Their growth was going to be closer to home and the mountain wasn’t going to be a workout, it was going to be cancer.  Seena’s dad would pass away just weeks before they were supposed to climb Snowbasin.   Though this is a story about loss it’s also one about recalibration…..A story showing how hard seasons are worth navigating because they make the view from the next summit even sweeter. Find about more about Kacia & Seena and listen to their other podcasts here.