300 Climbers Spent 36 Wet Hours on Crystal Mountain and Most Earned Their Hats

ENUMCLAW, WA—Crystal Mountain hosted something unusual recently: 300 athletes repeating the ski resort’s vertical gain on foot, over and over, in the rain, for 36 straight hours.

The event was the inaugural Rainier edition of 29029, a climbing endurance challenge in which participants ascend enough laps on a mountain to match the height of Everest. According to @29029official, the group completed 12 ascents each across the full event window while a steady Pacific Northwest drizzle kept Mount Rainier hidden behind clouds for nearly the entire time. The mountain broke clear for about 30 minutes before the clouds closed back in.

When the clock expired, 83 percent of the field had finished and earned a red finisher’s hat—a strong result for a brand-new venue, according to @29029official. Crystal Mountain sits about 35 miles from Enumclaw on Highway 410, and events like this tend to draw participants from across the region who pass through town on the way in and out.

Rainier eventually showed itself, briefly, then disappeared again. Apparently that was enough.

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