Photo courtesy of Sherri Weissman.
Sherri Weissman stands at the finish line after completing the 29029 Everesting challenge in August.
Have you ever wanted to climb Mount Everest but just couldn’t find the time to fit it in? That’s how Sherri Weissman, the owner of Weissman Orthodontics, felt until she came across 29029 Everesting.
Weissman, a Mountain Brook resident and lifelong avid hiker, stumbled upon a Facebook video about 29029 Everesting, which hosts events that simulate the experience of climbing Everest.
“I started researching it,” Weissman said. “I was like, ‘Wow, that’s the equivalent of hiking Mount Everest without going to Mount Everest. And it’s a weekend event, and I can fit that into my life.’”
29029 Everesting events are held at ski mountains in locations across the United States and Canada. Hikers have 36 hours to vertically ascend 29,029 feet and earn the right to say they’ve Everested.
Weissman and her husband, Jeff, attempted the hike last year at the Snowbasin location in Utah, but they were unable to complete the task after Jeff became dehydrated. This year, she took on the challenge again, but at the Whistler, British Columbia, location.
“This was kind of my redemption hike,” Weissman said. She spent 20 weeks training by hiking hills all around the Birmingham area to prepare herself.
The Whistler route requires eight ascents, with 3.9 miles and 3,900 vertical feet covered each hike and 31.2 miles covered total.
After each ascent, hikers take the gondola back down and start again, branding their names on a board to mark each completion. Weissman said the event started at 6 a.m. on Aug. 22, and it began pouring rain 30 minutes into the first ascent and continued for over 24 hours.
“I was trying to just be present each time and even the rain, initially I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I cannot believe it’s raining.’ And then I was like, ‘You know what? I’m not gonna let this be a distraction. This is just part of my story,’” she said.
Weissman embarked on the adventure with her daughter, Gabrielle, but she crossed the finish line alone after Gabrielle dropped out following the fifth ascent. Her grand prize? A red hat, and a sense of achievement.
I went in one person, I came out different. I came out stronger, believing in myself and my ability […], but also knowing that sometimes it’s OK to rely on your community for support.
DR. SHERRI WEISSMAN
“I went in one person, I came out different,” she said. “I came out stronger, believing in myself and my ability to achieve goals that I set for myself, but also knowing that sometimes it’s OK to rely on your community for support.”
Weissman says that support is what kept her going.
“I think it helped me be successful and achieve my goal this time, having the support of their coaches, some of the other people that I talked to on the trail, the text messages that I got from friends, family, the staff here [at Weissman Orthodontics],” she said.
As for what’s next, Weissman promised herself she’d enjoy the moment of this accomplishment.
“There will be a next,” she said. “I just haven’t figured it out yet. I’m trying to be very intentional about where I focus my energies, but there will definitely be something.”
