2025 New Years Resolutions at Peace Outfitters
As we settle into 2025, people all around the world are setting, adjusting, and homing in on their New Years Resolutions. For some, these are very specific and precise goals; for others, they may be more of a broad intention or an idea to focus on throughout the New Year. Regardless of what one calls them – resolutions, goals, or intentions – they represent opportunities for growth and change.
At Peace Outfitters, our staff is already planning numerous ways to grow and improve themselves in the outdoors this year, and we believe these goals are worthy of highlighting. It is our hope that, beyond recognizing our amazing team, others can get inspired by these resolutions going forward.
Cooper
As our resident ropes expert, Cooper’s goal for 2025 is to climb The Mace in Sedona. With five pitches and an arguably sandbagged grade of 5.9+, The Mace is not only one of the most iconic spires in the area but also offers climbers the best of the best in Sedona climbing: huge chimneys, burly offwidth, and spacious belays. The final pitch even requires a leap of faith between the two spires. Cooper is excited at the prospect of climbing a classic Sedona route but says to achieve it, he’ll need to “get my trad game up, place not-to-pop pieces, and trust in spinning and protruding bolts.”
Kara
After recently moving to Flagstaff, Kara’s goal is to complete a Rim-to-Rim hike in the Grand Canyon in a day. After first visiting it a decade ago, she says that it stole her heart. She’s excited about experiencing the Canyon in a different way, as it will represent the next step in exploring what she sees as one of the most beautiful places on earth. She moved to Flagstaff from sea level, however, and claims she needs to up her cardio game at elevation before she’s ready to hike thousands of feet out of the Canyon.
Seth
Seth’s goal is a great example of a New Years intention: to snowboard smarter, not harder. He says that, overall, he would like to be better about stretching before and after days on the mountain, as well as deliberating warming up and cooling down and knowing when to not push too hard. For him, this is a crucial part of being able to snowboard for as long as possible, as it will help prevent injuries that could potentially significantly shorten his snowboarding days. To get there, he says he needs to “hold myself accountable” by doing research into what exercises and stretches are best for snowboarding and will keep his muscles and joints healthy on the hill.
Nadia
In 2025, Nadia has her sights set further west with the goal of hiking a section of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) this summer. The PCT is a trail that extends 2,650 miles from the California-Mexico border to the Oregon-Washington border. There are many iconic sections of the trail along the way, meaning that Nadia has a lot to choose from for her section hike; as of now, she is thinking either the Sierras in central California, or a section in central/northern Washington. She says it would be a huge achievement for herself, so why not go big or go home.
Kazi
Our owner, Kazi, has a big goal for the New Year: to run the Whiskey Row Marathon in Prescott in October. While running has been a newer hobby for him in the last half year or so, he has highly enjoyed the physical and mental challenge of pushing himself, both on the road and on trails. Running a marathon, he states, feels like the next big step in his running journey. He plans to use the Sedona Half Marathon in February as a training race and continue to build up his mileage and training from there.
Leo
In 2025, Leo is looking to challenge themselves in the backcountry. Their goal is to plan and complete a backpacking trip in the Superstition Mountains of Central Arizona, and to hopefully include off-trail travel requiring map and compass navigation. Until now, their longest backpacking trip has been two nights, so they are excited about being out there for a longer period of time. They are also bringing along someone who is very new to backpacking, so there is more incentive to do it right and responsibly. As of now, the main challenge is to do more research regarding water sources in the Superstitions, as they are a notoriously dry mountain range.
Markayla
As our disc golf buyer and resident disc expert, Markayla’s 2025 goal is to improve her rating and start winning more tournaments. However, she also notes that she generally wants to prioritize getting outside and playing more, even when she’s busy with work and other obligations. Disc golf has been a big part of her life in the last few years, improving her mental and physical health and bringing her an amazing community. To up her rating and win more tournaments, she says she wants to work on her putting, which she feels has been inconsistent as of late.
Ailin
Like Leo, Ailin’s goal is to tackle a big hike in the New Year. His wants to complete the Wind River High Route (WRHR), which is a ~100-mile backpacking route in the Wind River Range in Wyoming. He is excited about the WRHR not only because it is supposed to be spectacularly beautiful, but also because it is a rugged and challenging off-trail hike that will both test and improve his route-finding skills. However, because he is primarily a desert backpacker, he says he’ll need to dial in his setup and make gear adjustments suitable for a high alpine environment. Moreover, he needs to psych himself up to get comfortable hiking in grizzly country, which will be new for him.
Thank you for your support and patronage throughout 2024. Being a part of the Flagstaff community brings with it many benefits, but the sense of community fostered through local business is unparalleled. Whether you’re setting small intentions or big goals for 2025, let us know! We’re here to help you gear up, get outside, or just chat about all that Flagstaff has to offer. Cheers to 2025!