The Quest for 250-Part 2-Warren Peak-Pintlers Posted by dmglue

A week passed following my last attempt that left me 1300 feet short of my goal.  I tried to come to grips with not completing a goal, but being a very goal driven individual I could not shake the disappointment.  Even though it was a silly goal that meant absolutely nothing it irritated me that I would let almost 8 months of working towards an outcome fall short by less than a percent of the end goal.  I had to see it out.

I set a day on the calendar and I was going no matter what.  Luckily my good friend Cody was up for a day in the Mountains and was excited to join me on my final attempt.  We decided with a reasonable forecast to head out to Warren Peak in the Pintlers.   This would prove to be a fitting place to get one last day in for the season.  I was obsessed with Warren Peak many years ago and finally rode it with Cody the year I met him on our third tour that season.  To this day it was still one of my fondest memories in recent years.  Setting a goal of riding a peak and finally getting to experience the satisfaction of pulling it off.   It only seemed fitting to make the final attempt in this location with a good friend on almost the 5 year anniversary of our first successful trip.

Big ole' Warren was just as impressive as it always is,  countless good memories flooding my mind as we approached.  This would mark the first time I have ventured back to the area since the burn a few years ago, and this new scenery, although different than I remember, opened up beautiful views to the peak on the approach that previously did not exist.  The back basin and the boot up the north wall are still beautiful, engaging moments in the alpine that I really should make an annual event.  After our previous outing, front pointing firm icy snow through the pinch, we both opted for double axes.  Although much softer than the last time we rode it, the ice axes made for a faster more enjoyable climb of the run.  Looking back at the scenery for time to time we were both smiling ear to ear during the climb.

Eventually topping out we made a quick run up to the summit and enjoyed a beautiful, warm, wind free moment looking at all the surrounding peaks, quietly plotting other adventures for the future.  It was so nice to be in the alpine with such nice weather after so many rough outings this spring.  I felt incredibly lucky to be experiencing it.

We eventually made our way back to our boards, strapping in to drop the steep ramp into the run.  The snow was in great shape and just as engaging as a remember as we descended down to the beautiful unnamed lake in the tight cirque.  What a great run and a hell of a way to end a season.

On top of the euphoria of getting such a classic run in that day, I was also stoked to have reached my goal.  All of the struggles and doubt melted away like the snow on the rocks we sat on looking back at our signatures on the mountain.

At the end of the day the tour and experience far outweighed the goal, and honestly I did not think about vertical accent the entire day.  I mostly thought of how fun it was to be skiing in such a beautiful place with a good friend on such perfect day.

This marked my final tour for the 2018-2019 season bringing an end to my vertical ascent goal and leaving my season total at 252,708 vertical feet.     

What I learned is that although challenging at times having a goal got me outside more even when my motivation was low.  Skinning through rain, questioning my sanity,  I was always happy after making a few turns and thinking to myself without a goal I likely would not have skied today.  It made me get more creative with my tours.  Going to areas I would not have before, and squeezing in an enjoyable tour in a time slot I may not have considered before.  I learned that access and personal free time become large limiting factors and in the end you flat out need the time to skin.  If one had endless amounts of free time I think any goal could be achieved, however at a certain level I think it would become monotonous and mentally draining. The key is keeping it fun.  I thought after this season I may set another goal next season but I am unsure that I will.  I think perusing a larger goal may take away some of the enjoyment of the sport and the reasons why I head out, which in the end is for the experience and excitement.  Going skinning just to skin sometimes takes you away from that want to go feeling and turns it into that gotta go feeling. In the end it was a great personal experiment and experience that I took a lot away from and will never forget.