WARRBuilt Games 2026 Recap
Five days in the Uinta Mountains of Utah. Eight men. One tribe.
The modern world doesn't test men anymore — it coddles them. From October 1–5, 2026, the WARRBuilt Games pulled eight men out of that world and into the mountains near Oakley, Utah, for five days of rucks, climbs, cold water and hard conversation around the fire.
The WARRBuilt Games is not a retreat. It's a proving ground. Here's what went down.
The Games at a Glance
Dates: October 1–5, 2026
Location: A mountain cabin near Oakley, Utah, in the Kamas Valley at the edge of the Uinta Mountains
The crew: 8 men
Marquee challenge: Amethyst Lake Trail — 13 miles round trip with roughly 2,000 feet of climbing
Also on the docket: loaded rucks, a full-day UTV expedition, sandbag-and-mace PT, cold plunges in the Weber River, exploring Park City, and nightly firesides
Built on Four Totems
Every WARRBuilt man builds his life around four totems: Family, Fitness, Finance and Fortitude. The Games put all four to work. Each evening's fireside took one totem in order, led by a designated brother rather than open mic, and Saturday's trail stops touched all four on the climb.
The Five Days
Day 1 — GATHER (Thursday, Oct 1)
The men rolled into the cabin by late afternoon, unpacked and walked the property. Within an hour the work had started: a PT session with sandbags, kettlebells and maces to knock the travel off. Dinner was Dutch oven chili and cornbread, cooked by the men themselves — every man cooked and cleaned at least one meal all week.
Day 2 — EXPLORE (Friday, Oct 2)
Coffee at 6:00, packs loaded by 6:30. The day opened with a 3–4 mile ruck around the cabin site — nothing heroic, just consistent. After breakfast burritos and a gear swap, the crew headed out on a full-day UTV expedition into the mountains: trail riding, scenic overlooks and lunch on the trail.
The fireside opened the totem sequence with Family. Each man named, out loud, the one objective he came up the mountain to get.
Day 3 — ASCEND (Saturday, Oct 3)
The marquee day. Wake-up at 6:00, on the road by 7:00 for the drive up the Mirror Lake Highway to the Christmas Meadows Trailhead. By 9:00 the men were climbing the Amethyst Lake Trail — 13 miles round trip, steep and rocky in the first two miles, and well beyond cell service.
Along the way the group stopped at multiple points to reflect and ponder. At Amethyst Lake, about 6.5 miles in, they ate lunch on the shore, cold plunged in the frigid waters and talked through one question: what did this climb prove you can carry?
Day 4 — REFLECT (Sunday, Oct 4)
Tired legs got a recovery-focused PT session before the most important hour of the week: Tribal Council, where each man stated one commitment he was taking home.
The afternoon went lighter on purpose — a recoverry hike near Park City’s historic silver mines and a team-based PT session. After a send-off dinner, phones went away for the closing fireside on Fortitude, the emotional core of the Games.
Day 5 — RETURN (Monday, Oct 5)
Coffee, an all-hands cabin clean-out with a leave-no-trace check, breakfast and goodbyes. No one left the WARRBuilt Games the same man who arrived.
What the Men Took Home
One objective named on night one and pressure-tested all week
One commitment spoken at Tribal Council, with brothers who will hold him to it
Calluses, clarity and a tribe that has his back long after the mountain
Where It Happened
The Games were based out of a cabin near Oakley, Utah, about an hour from Salt Lake City International Airport. The Kamas Valley sits at the doorstep of the Uinta Mountains, with the Mirror Lake Highway, the Weber River and Jordanelle Reservoir all within reach — terrain that tests men without needing to fly them across the world.
Be at the Next WARRBuilt Games
The WARRBuilt Games happen once a year, and the men who show up are the men who've been doing the work in a WARRBuilt tribe all year long. The next Games will be announced to members first.
Iron sharpens iron. Brothers build legacy.