My Sheep Slam Journey

I never set out to complete the Sheep Slam.

In fact, chasing all four North American wild sheep species — Dall, Stone, Rocky Mountain Bighorn, and Desert Bighorn — wasn’t on my radar when this journey began. My motivation wasn’t the Slam itself, but something much more practical: I needed to prove that our gear could survive the brutal conditions of sheep country. If we were going to stand behind our products, we would have to put them through the real thing, the worst weather, the roughest terrain, and the most unforgiving hunts.

The first leg took me to Alaska for a Dall sheep. It was a brutal backpack hunt — the kind that pushes you to the edge both mentally and physically.

The Desert Bighorn in Sonora, Mexico was luxury compared to the others. The terrain was different, the climate was dry, full of thorn and razor sharp rock but the spirit of the mountains was the same. This hunt was based out of a ranch house and we had access to vehicles as the ranch had road systems throughout. Most of the roads were 4x4 traffic but roads nonetheless. Any road counts when you're used to hiking or riding horses.

From there, I headed to British Columbia for the elusive Stone sheep. That hunt and the next, the Rocky Mountain Bighorn in Alberta, both demanded serious saddle time: 126 hours on horseback, across some of the most rugged terrain I've ever encountered. We didn’t get it done on the first hunt in Alberta due to a nasty winter storm that nearly had us hit the rescue button, but we went back into the Wilmore the next year and got it done.

Somewhere along the line, without ever intending to, I realized I was closing in on the Slam. But more importantly, I was gaining something much greater than a checklist of species.

The sheep mountains taught me about adversity, resilience, and humility. They revealed the value of true teamwork. And they reminded me that discomfort often leads to the most meaningful experiences. Those remote peaks didn’t just shape my understanding of the gear we build — they shaped me.

I went into the mountains to test equipment. I came out with stories, scars, friendships, and a deep respect for the wild places that still challenge us to earn every step.