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Syanna Swyers

@badass_ventures

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A comeback in the making 🏔️
Big mountains, everyday adventures & Chilly dawg 🐾
Next up: Manaslu → Everest
📍 Vail, CO
Founder @badass.ventures.co

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Everyone posts the summit photo. Almost nobody posts the turnaround. 🏔️

So here's mine.

You've probably had your own version of a Manaslu.

The race you trained months for and didn't finish. The trip you had to cancel. The dream you put on the shelf because your body, your bank account, or life in general said "not this time."

It crushes your soul. 😭 And it's easy to decide that means you're done.

You're not. It just means the story isn't finished yet. 🔥

Next week I'm sharing the parts of Manaslu I've never told, and what I'm doing now to get back. 😎

What's the goal you had to walk away from? And are you going back for it? 👇

#Manaslu #Mountaineering #8000ers #WomenWhoClimb #JourneyToEverest taken in Vail, Colorado by @badass_ventures

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8

a day ago

I have to start over from square one..again.

For years I've been on a journey to climb Everest, training and climbing big mountains all over the world. 🏔🧗‍♀️🌏

Then on Manaslu, my first 8000m peak, my body and immune system went berserk. My climb ended far before the summit.

Getting my health back has been one of the biggest challenges of my life. I took a year off to recover, and I lost so much fitness along the way. The mental struggle has been real.

The easy choice was to give up. I chose to start over, one step at a time. 👣

So I'm rebuilding. Back on the journey to the Himalayas: Manaslu, then Everest. 🏔️

I'll share all of it here. The training, the setbacks, the funny moments, and the full Manaslu story I never posted.

Have you ever had to start over? Tell me in the comments. I read every one.

Badassery is a choice. 💪

#comebackstory #mountaineering #roadtoeverest #8000ers #manaslu taken in Vail, Colorado by @badass_ventures

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5 days ago

👀 What!?!? Is THAT an ice climbing beaver 🧊🦫

Everest training looks different for me 😂😂

Follow me on my journey to Everest 🏔🧗‍♀️ ....who knows what you'll see next 😂

Badassery is a choice 💪

#type2fun #journeytoeverest #womenwhoclimb #comebackstory taken in Ouray, Colorado by @badass_ventures

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3 days ago

Sometimes it doesn't matter how badly you want something or what timing you want it in. We can't control all the variables.

Life happens. So many other things may not go our way on our timelines.

It's been such a journey getting to the point that I felt safe and strong enough to start mountaineering training again on October 1st.

But an accidental consumption of gluten has knocked me on my 🫏 again and starting training will require a couple more weeks to rest and recuperate.

I've come so far in my recovery the last year and for that I am grateful. But more setbacks are hard.

It's humbling to start over building back up my physical strength and aerobic base.

But I'm so determined to follow through on my dream to stand above 8000m and to safely climb an 8000m 🏔

I don't know when I will be back to Manaslu but I've got to start somewhere. I have to delay my training start another week or two. But I put on my mountaineering watch after almost a year of being too sad to wear it. It's a mix of emotion.

There will always be a million reasons and continued setbacks to not do something.

It's how we CHOOSE to deal with them that matters.

So I will rest a little longer, feel all the feels and move through them, listen to my body, and restart.

We simply can't control everything but we can choose to keep showing up. Even when its hard. Even when its not fun. Even when we want it to be happening another way.

Badassery is a choice 💪

#8000ers #mountaineering #womenclimbers #badasseryisachoice taken in Vail, Colorado by @badass_ventures

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19 days ago

Investing in yourself is always worth it 💯💯 especially when it means you can potentially help save lives.

Completed 80 hours of intense training as a Wilderness First Responder to be.....

✅️ Better, more prepared mountaineering expedition teammate
✅️ Assist people in need in the wilderness and backcountry
✅️ Hopefully volunteer on the local Search & Rescue team

What a great experience and a big shout out to @desertmountainmedicine for all the training. 💯

I've seen a lot of crazy things in the mountains and especially on expeditions. So happy to be better prepared to help people 💯💯

#badasseryisachoice #mountaineering
#wilderness #womenclimbers #mountainlife taken in Vail, Colorado by @badass_ventures

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25 days ago

The only male consistently showing up these days is a bear 😂😂

3 times in a week....

🤔 Could be worse 😂😂🐻🐻

#mountainlife #vail #datinghumor #singlelife taken in Vail, Colorado by @badass_ventures

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a month ago

Dancing has become my new barometer. I can tell things are moving and shifting in my body in a positive way - and the better I feel the more I feel like dancing.

It opens up energy to be happy. To be creative. To be alive - not just pushing through everything.

Burn out is real. I don't even know how long my body has been stuck in FIGHT or FLIGHT mode, but it's been worse the last several years than ever. It caught up with me until everything collapsed.

This last year has been a journey of self discovery. To find a new way, a new path, a new version of me.

Better health. More resilience. Stronger. More sustainable. More happiness and joy. More creativity. More energy.

I can tell you the answer isn't always push harder. I learned the hard way. When there is too much friction for too long there is fire 🔥 and everything will burn down.

To everyone out there just pushing through life.....I see you, I feel you.

Work on your nervous system, self care and managing stress. Sometimes you have to slow down before you can speed up. The body really does keep the score.

It's not a linear journey, but I know I'm on the right path.

🙏🙏 to everyone who has helped me and encouraged me through my highest highs and lowest lows. ❤️❤️

Badassery is a choice 💪

#badasseryisachoice #badassery #resilience #womenclimbers #selfcare taken in Vail, Colorado by @badass_ventures

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a month ago

Dude that's my grill 🙉🙈😂😭

#mountainlife #vail taken in Vail, Colorado by @badass_ventures

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a month ago

A year ago today I was flying to Nepal to climb Manaslu 🏔🧗‍♀️, my first 8000m 🏔

I experienced something only 0.000573170732% of people on this 🌏 have done - climbed an 8000er.

But it was a failed summit bid for me. I topped out at 20,341 feet at Camp 2 on my acclimatization rotation. I went up for a summit bid and chose to end my climb at Camp 1. All I saw and felt was failure. But time changes that.

This last year has been the hardest year of my life, I thought it would break me.

Serious health problems that started 3 months before Manaslu, problems that worsened on Manaslu and followed me home have overwhelmed and dominated my life.

But I'm still here, getting better. Getting stronger. I have more resilience than I ever thought possible.

A year later I don't see leaving Manaslu with no summit as a failure.

I made a smart decision for my health and well-being.

I achieved my dream to be an 8000m 🏔 climber and become a part of the Himalayan Database (although they recorded me as 6 years younger 😂)

I'm someone who chased down my dream with everything I had. 🔥🔥

I showed up despite less than ideal circumstances and didn't let fear stop me from trying.

MY BIGGEST ADVICE - be the person who goes for it. Give it your all. Chase it down with everything you've got. Don't wait for perfect circumstances. Be proud of yourself for going for it, even if it doesn't turn out as planned.

The Manaslu season has started - I will be watching and cheering everyone on from the sidelines. 👏👏

For now it is still a time for healing, resting and getting back to top health. My time on Manaslu will come again.

Be the person who keeps the faith, who doesn't abandon your dream when things get hard and the path isn't easy and goes as planned. 💯

Be the person who keeps showing up 🔥🔥

Badassery is a choice 💪💪

#8000ers #Manaslu #badasseryisachoice #mountaineering #womenclimbers taken in Vail, Colorado by @badass_ventures

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a month ago

Immense sadness and grief for all the mountaineers lost to the tragic avalanche on Broad Peak.

My ❤️ goes out to all their families and to all the rescuers who dropped everything to bring the fallen team home. Bravery. Courage. Selflessness. You embody the true spirit of mountaineering.

Nims, you inspired me and changed the trajectory of my life. You taught us so much, and you brought the most magical group of people together to climb Aconcagua with you and your team. An experience of a lifetime. 🏔🧗‍♀️💯

Yukta, our paths crossed in Mendoza and we shared laughter, conversation and joy. ❤️

Kili Pemba Sherpa and Nawang Thundu Sherpa, I had the privilege to climb with you on Manaslu. We shared laughter, dancing, and memories I will never forget. ❤️

To those I didn't have the privilege of knowing, I wish our paths had crossed.

It's a dark time for families, friends and the entire mountaineering community. 💔😢

I continue to 🙏 for the safety of the rescue team as they bring everyone home.

#broadpeak #eliteexped #imaginenepal #mountaineering #8000ers taken in Vail, Colorado by @badass_ventures

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3 months ago

Paris for the weekend ✈️🇫🇷 taken in Bordeaux, France by @badass_ventures

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3 months ago

4th of July in Vail, Colorado!!

Happy 250th America!!

Pray to the snow Gods for a better winter 🙏🙌🏔❄️

#vail #colorado #mountainlife #skiing taken in Vail, Colorado by @badass_ventures

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3 months ago