Spark Notes:
Saturday: Kirkwood and slackcountry to Emigrant Lake
Song of the Trip: Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) (Spotify)
Usually I pick a "Song of the Trip" because it was something that I particularly liked while on the road, or have been really enjoying that week. This week, however, I'm dispensing some advice: spring skiing means harsher sun and longer hours, and I have a goggle tan burn to prove it. I really ought to remember that lesson year to year. So, yeah, wear sunscreen.
Despite the burn, I'd say the day was still worth it. I got to Adam's at 1:00 on Friday night/Saturday morning and crashed on the couch. We were up at 7 and out the door early to try to catch first tracks. Why bother in April? Believe it or not, fresh snow in April! Kirkwood had been blessed with over 2 feet of snow in the previous 3 days and no terrible thawing temperatures.
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| Rusty shredding inbounds. |
We rode lifts and hiked inbounds all morning to get as many fresh turns as we could. By the time the afternoon rolled around, most of the resort was tracked out, so we skinned along the ridge to the south of the top of Sunrise (Chair 10, I think). Completely untracked slopes led down to Emigrant Lake just below Melissa Coray Peak. I ended up skiing with two new folks (friends of a friend) and had an awesome time. Definitely a highly recommended slackcountry destination on days with good snow stability, especially since the tour back to the lifts is pretty mellow, too.
We'll see if there's more skiing this year, hopefully the freeze/thaw cycles will line up for some good corn snow. I may just get too excited for climbing though...
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