Emerald Peak

Quick report

Weather

cloudy, sunny, warm

Ride Type

alpineSlopes, mellowSlopes, sunnySlopes

Stayed Away

steepSlopes

Riding Quality

ok

Snow Conditions

crusty, heavy, powder

Low tide at Emerald Peak with 30-50cm HS from the lake until the alpine. Once clear of treeline, conditions improved with 10-15cm of F snow overlying the Feb 3 MFcr which persists to ridgetop. By midday the surface snow was becoming moist at treeline but remained dry in the alpine with cooler temperatures and light winds. We found no evidence of windslab in the lees but observed several old loose wet avalanches in steep rocky terrain up to size 1.5, likely from the weekend's warming event. There were lots of tracks in the alpine but still plenty of space to get some good fresh turns. Several sharks to watch out for but much better coverage than lower down. Treeline and below was fairly poor but sticking to the skier's L gully was a considerably better option than following the skintrack through the trees.