What happens when you intentionally put yourself in a situation where quitting would be completely understandable? In this special family episode of Answers from the Stairs, Chris Vester is joined by Suzanne Vester, their daughter Avery Garrett, and Avery’s husband, Thomas Garrett, to unpack their experience at 29029, an endurance challenge that asks participants to repeatedly climb a mountain until they have accumulated the vertical equivalent of Mount Everest. But this conversation isn't really about climbing a mountain. It's about what the mountain reveals. Chris, Suzanne, and Avery began the challenge together, while Thomas stepped into the critical role of supporting them throughout the event. By the end, Avery was the only member of the family to complete the full challenge. Yet one of the greatest lessons of the weekend was that finishing isn't the only measurement of success. They talk openly about physical limitations, mental battles, knowing when to keep going, knowing when to step back, and the humility required to allow someone else to continue when your own journey looks different than you hoped. Avery shares what it took to continue climbing after already earning a red hat at a previous 29029. Without needing to prove she could do it, she faced an entirely different battle: choosing, ascent after ascent, to simply keep going until there were no more climbs left. Suzanne reflects on the privilege of choosing difficult things while you still have the ability to do them and how intentionally experiencing hardship can prepare us to better handle the hardships life chooses for us. Chris shares one of his biggest lessons from the mountain: sometimes going backward is actually what allows you to move farther forward. Turning around, resting, changing the plan, or choosing to support someone else's finish doesn't necessarily mean you've failed. Sometimes wisdom looks like recognizing that the original goal is no longer the most important one. And from outside the challenge itself, Thomas offers a powerful perspective on support, community, and learning what different people need when they're struggling. His role became a reminder that the person carrying the supplies, offering encouragement, paying attention, and simply being present can have an enormous impact on how far someone else is able to go. The family also reflects on the extraordinary community surrounding 29029, where everyone is racing the same clock, yet people are still willing to stop their own climb to help a stranger. It becomes a lesson that extends far beyond endurance sports: your village matters, and sometimes resilience means knowing when to lean on it. Perhaps the greatest takeaway is also the simplest: choose your hard. There will be difficult seasons in life that none of us get to choose. But when we voluntarily step into discomfort, challenge ourselves, risk failing publicly, and discover what we're capable of enduring, we build resilience for the moments when life doesn't give us a choice. You don't have to climb the vertical equivalent of Everest to do something hard on purpose. You simply have to be willing to find the thing that challenges you, step toward it, and when you think you're finished, ask yourself if you have one more in you. Because as they learned on the mountain, nobody regrets doing one more. In This Episode Chris, Suzanne, Avery, and Thomas discuss: Why intentionally choosing hard things can build resilience for life's unexpected challengesThe privilege of doing difficult things while you're physically ableAvery's mental battle as the only family member to complete this year's 29029Why everyone has to climb at their own pace, both on the mountain and in lifeSeparating accomplishment from the trophy at the finish lineLearning when perseverance means continuing and when wisdom means stepping backThe importance of family and community during difficult seasonsWhy support doesn't have to look the same for every personWhat failing publicly teaches you about yourselfHow difficult experiences expose strengths, limitations, and characterWhy sometimes taking one step backward allows you to take four steps forwardThe power of doing hard things together as a familyWhy your village mattersThe difference between pain you choose and hardship you don'tThe lesson behind 29029's simple encouragement: just do one moreThis episode isn't about convincing you to climb a mountain. It's about asking a bigger question: What hard thing are you willing to choose today that might prepare you for the hard things you don't get to choose tomorrow?
