{"id":1974925,"date":"2026-06-05T23:25:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T20:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1974925"},"modified":"2026-06-05T23:25:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T20:25:17","slug":"widow-sues-29029-everesting-challenge-organizers-after-husbands-death-at-snow-king-mountain-wy-alleging-fatal-medical-negligence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1974925","title":{"rendered":"Widow Sues 29029 Everesting Challenge Organizers After Husband\u2019s Death at Snow King Mountain, WY, Alleging Fatal Medical Negligence"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_405244\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-405244\" style=\"width: 950px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"wp-image-405244 size-full lazyload\" src=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAoAAAAGNAQMAAAC7dVIjAAAABlBMVEUAAAD\/\/\/+l2Z\/dAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAADZJREFUeNrtwQENAAAAwqD3T20ON6AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADgx9nQABSVEMNwAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==\" alt=\"Jackson Wyoming Snow King Mountain\" width=\"640\" height=\"397\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/snowking-e1780701239284.jpg?resize=640%2C397&amp;ssl=1\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/snowking-e1780701239284.jpg?w=950&amp;ssl=1 950w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/snowking-e1780701239284.jpg?resize=300%2C186&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/snowking-e1780701239284.jpg?resize=200%2C125&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/snowking-e1780701239284.jpg?resize=768%2C477&amp;ssl=1 768w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-eio-rwidth=\"640\" data-eio-rheight=\"397\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"wp-image-405244 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/snowking-e1780701239284.jpg?resize=640%2C397&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Jackson Wyoming Snow King Mountain\" width=\"640\" height=\"397\" data-eio=\"l\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-405244\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Snow King Mountain in Wyoming. | Image: Snow King Mountain Facebook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-1\" style=\"margin: 8px auto;text-align: center;display: block;clear: both\">\n<!-- GAM 71161633\/SNWBR_snowbrains\/article_hrec_1 --><\/p>\n<div data-fuse=\"article_hrec_1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>A wrongful death lawsuit following the Everesting challenge death at Snow King Mountain in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is making explosive allegations about what event organizers knew \u2014 and failed to do.\u00a0<\/strong>The widow of a Connecticut investment banker Slava Leykind, who died after participating in a grueling endurance challenge at Snow King Mountain last year, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit on May 28, alleging that his death was preventable and the result of catastrophic medical and organizational failures.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Related: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/snowbrains.com\/successful-connecticut-investment-banker-dies-during-everesting-challenge-at-snow-king-mountain-in-wyoming\/\"><em><strong>Connecticut Investment Banker Dies During Everesting Challenge at Snow King, WY<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Amy Leykind is suing 29029 LLC, its co-founders Jesse Itzler and Mark Hodulich, and the event\u2019s contracted medical provider Heed Health LLC over the death of her husband, Slava Leykind, 43, who collapsed during the <a href=\"https:\/\/29029.co\/\">29029 Everesting Challenge<\/a> in June 2025 and died days later in hospital. <\/strong>Filed in <a href=\"https:\/\/pa.fultoncountyoh.com\/\">Fulton County State Court<\/a> in Georgia, where 29029 is based, the lawsuit claims the organizers failed to properly respond to clear medical warning signs during the event and ignored known risks associated with endurance dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. \u201cSlava\u2019s death was not a random, tragic accident,\u201d the complaint states. \u201cHis death directly, foreseeably, and preventably resulted from a catastrophic breakdown in planning and care.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"mceTemp\"><\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_409332\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-409332\" style=\"width: 736px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"wp-image-409332 size-full lazyload\" src=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAoAAAAItAQMAAACTgVlQAAAABlBMVEUAAAD\/\/\/+l2Z\/dAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAEJJREFUeNrtwQENAAAAwqD3T20PBxQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAnBuwPQABjUk1wQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==\" alt width=\"640\" height=\"557\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_3758.webp?resize=640%2C557&amp;ssl=1\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_3758.webp?w=736&amp;ssl=1 736w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_3758.webp?resize=300%2C261&amp;ssl=1 300w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-eio-rwidth=\"640\" data-eio-rheight=\"557\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"wp-image-409332 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_3758.webp?resize=640%2C557&amp;ssl=1\" alt width=\"640\" height=\"557\" data-eio=\"l\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-409332\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The 29029 Everesting Challenge sees runners climbe the mountain 19 times. | Image: 29029 LLC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><strong>About the 29029 Everesting Challenge<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>The 29029 Everesting challenge is an endurance event in which participants repeatedly hike a ski mountain until they accumulate 29,029 vertical feet \u2014 the equivalent elevation of Mount Everest \u2014 within roughly 36 hours. <\/strong>At Snow King Mountain, that meant climbing 1,571 vertical feet 19 times, with a gondola returning participants to the base after each ascent.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Registration cost $5,995 and included accommodation, nutrition support, hydration stations, recovery services, and a training program. <\/strong>The 2025 sold-out event drew 277 participants.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>The Timeline of the Events<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>According to the lawsuit, Leykind began the challenge at 6:00 a.m. on June 27, 2025. <\/strong>By midday, after six climbs, he was already experiencing fatigue, brain fog, dizziness, and gastrointestinal distress. He visited the event\u2019s medical tent operated by Heed Health and was advised to rest and drink fluids.<\/p>\n<p><strong>His condition did not improve.<\/strong> By mid-afternoon, he returned to the medical tent again, where the complaint alleges he was once more told to hydrate and rest \u2014 without vital signs being taken or sodium levels checked. He also reportedly asked for medical staff to come to his hotel room but was told treatment could only occur at the tent.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Later that evening, he briefly returned to the course and was given fluids and a 500ml saline drip.<\/strong> The lawsuit later alleges that Heed Health claimed Leykind had refused to go to the emergency room \u2014 a claim the complaint directly contests. \u201cIn fact, Heed Health\u2019s own after-the-fact records admit that there was no signed refusal, as there was for other participants who refused treatment,\u201d the lawsuit states.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Around 11:20 p.m., he was found unresponsive in his hotel room.<\/strong> Paramedics were called and performed CPR before transporting him to St. John\u2019s Medical Center, approximately one mile away. A CT scan showed severe brain swelling consistent with acute hyponatremia. Leykind never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead on July 2, 2025.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_409331\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-409331\" style=\"width: 1594px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-409331 lazyload\" src=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAoAAAAFjAQMAAACXOyjRAAAABlBMVEUAAAD\/\/\/+l2Z\/dAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAADNJREFUeNrtwTEBAAAAwqD1T20MH6AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACAgwFwUwABA68WcQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==\" alt width=\"640\" height=\"355\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_3759.jpeg?resize=640%2C355&amp;ssl=1\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_3759.jpeg?w=1594&amp;ssl=1 1594w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_3759.jpeg?resize=300%2C167&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_3759.jpeg?resize=1200%2C666&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_3759.jpeg?resize=768%2C426&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_3759.jpeg?resize=1536%2C853&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_3759.jpeg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-eio-rwidth=\"640\" data-eio-rheight=\"355\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-409331\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_3759.jpeg?resize=640%2C355&amp;ssl=1\" alt width=\"640\" height=\"355\" data-eio=\"l\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-409331\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The extreme event was sold out in 2025. | Image: 29029 LLC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-2\" style=\"margin: 8px auto;text-align: center;display: block;clear: both\">\n<!-- GAM 71161633\/SNWBR_snowbrains\/article_hrec_2 --><\/p>\n<div data-fuse=\"article_hrec_2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><strong>What the Lawsuit Alleges<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>The lawsuit identifies hyponatremia \u2014 dangerously low blood sodium levels caused by fluid imbalance \u2014 as the cause of death. <\/strong>According to medical analysis provided by Dr. Anwar Osborne, associate professor of emergency medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, endurance exercise can trigger the release of antidiuretic hormone (ADH), which reduces the body\u2019s ability to excrete excess water. Combined with continued fluid intake, this progressively dilutes sodium levels in the bloodstream.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The lawsuit argues that repeated instructions to drink water, along with the IV saline drip, worsened Leykind\u2019s condition rather than improved it \u2014 each intervention further diluting his already dangerously low sodium levels. <\/strong>\u201cIn layman\u2019s terms, Slava\u2019s brain had swelled so much that it cut off its own oxygen supply, irrevocably damaging the areas of the brain responsible for controlling his breathing,\u201d the complaint states.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dr. Osborne concluded that medical staff \u201cgrossly deviated from the applicable standard of care\u201d and that earlier intervention would more likely than not have prevented the fatal brain injury.<\/strong> \u201cHad the standard of care been met, it is more likely than not that Slava would have had a materially improved outcome, including the prevention of the hypoxic-ischemic brain injury that ultimately proved fatal,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The complaint\u2019s most damaging allegation is not that event leadership was ignorant of the risks \u2014 it is that they knew them well. <\/strong>Co-founder Mark Hodulich is a veteran endurance athlete who ran cross-country at Auburn University and has completed multiple 100-mile trail runs, ultramarathons and Ironman events. He has spoken publicly about the specific dangers of hydration imbalance in long-distance racing. \u201cEither over hydrating or not having enough electrolyte\u201d is one of his \u201cbig fears\u201d while running, he once said. \u201cYou have to be mindful of having the right balance between sodium and water. Things can go wrong in the body if you\u2019re really not watching what you\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Co-founder Jesse Itzler \u2014 entrepreneur, author, former co-owner of the Atlanta Hawks and husband of Spanx founder Sara Blakely \u2014 has completed over 50 marathons and multiple 100-mile races.<\/strong> He also serves as \u201cchief hydration officer\u201d for Redmond Life, the parent company of Real Salt and Re-Lyte electrolyte products. Redmond\u2019s own website explicitly warns that \u201cdrinking more than your kidneys can handle can trigger a condition called hyponatremia, where your sodium levels get dangerously low\u201d and that \u201cpeople with hyponatremia can develop muscle cramps, muscle weakness, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, headaches, confusion, seizures, and even die.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Despite this institutional knowledge, the lawsuit claims event medical protocols did not require formal screening for hyponatremia even when participants presented with classic symptoms.<\/strong> It also alleges that assurances of \u201ctrained medical staff\u201d on site did not match the level of care provided \u2014 with Heed Health CEO Brian Stern himself stating the contractor was \u201cbrought in very late to supplement some coverage.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Who Was Slava Leykind<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Slava Leykind was born in 1982 in Minsk, then part of the Soviet Union, and emigrated to the United States with his family in 1988. <\/strong>He studied at the University of Michigan and spent nearly two decades in investment banking at CG Sawaya Partners, where he rose to become a senior partner and co-head of U.S. consumer investment banking. He lived in Westport, Connecticut with his wife Amy and their three children, aged six, 10, and 13 at the time of his death.<\/p>\n<p><strong>His <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greensfuneralhome.com\/obituaries\/Slava-Leykind?obId=43257468\">obituary<\/a> described him as deeply dedicated to his family, noting that while his professional success was significant, his role as a husband and father was his greatest pride.<\/strong> \u201cDespite his significant professional success at a young age, Slava\u2019s role as a husband and father was his greatest achievement, passion and pride,\u201d it read.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_409333\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-409333\" style=\"width: 1600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-409333 lazyload\" src=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAoAAAAFoAQMAAAD9\/NgSAAAABlBMVEUAAAD\/\/\/+l2Z\/dAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAADJJREFUeNrtwQENAAAAwqD3T+3sARQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN3HoAAEwzlS7AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC\" alt width=\"640\" height=\"360\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_3760.jpeg?resize=640%2C360&amp;ssl=1\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_3760.jpeg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_3760.jpeg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_3760.jpeg?resize=1200%2C674&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_3760.jpeg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_3760.jpeg?resize=1536%2C863&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_3760.jpeg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-eio-rwidth=\"640\" data-eio-rheight=\"360\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-409333\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_3760.jpeg?resize=640%2C360&amp;ssl=1\" alt width=\"640\" height=\"360\" data-eio=\"l\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-409333\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Slava Leykind. | Image: Slava Leykind LinkedIn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><strong>The Case Moving Forward<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>None of the defendants have yet responded in court filings.<\/strong> Mark Hodulich issued a statement on behalf of 29029 that did not address the lawsuit\u2019s specific allegations. \u201cAnytime something happens to one of our own, our 29029 community is there to support each other,\u201d he said. \u201cOur condolences will continue to be with the Leykind family and as always, our focus and commitment remains on the health and safety of our participants through coaching programs, preparation resources, frontline safety protocols, onsite medical services, and more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Heed Health has not publicly commented.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Snow King Mountain Resort is not named as a defendant.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The case is being closely watched across the endurance racing world.<\/strong> If the allegations are proven, it could establish significant new legal precedent around mandatory hyponatremia screening protocols at high-intensity events \u2014 and raise broader questions about the medical oversight standards that event organizers are required to maintain when participants push well beyond their normal physiological limits.<\/p>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 1 -->\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Snow King Mountain in Wyoming. | Image: Snow King Mountain Facebook A wrongful death lawsuit following the Everesting challenge death at Snow King Mountain in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is making explosive allegations about what event organizers knew \u2014 and failed to do.\u00a0The widow of a Connecticut investment banker Slava Leykind, who died after participating in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,267],"class_list":["post-1974925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-snowbrains-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1974925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1974925"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1974925\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1974925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1974925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1974925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}