Vermillion Peak - February 11, 2012

With the recent high-pressure ridge persisting, we have been experiencing a bit of a snow-drought in Western Canada. The exception is some recent snow in the coastal range, along with some snow down near Rossland & Nelson B.C. The lack of fresh snow combined with some warmer temperatures and sun over the past two weeks is making it tougher to find good turns.

That said, along with these weather conditions comes lower avalanche danger in Banff / Yoho & Kootenay National Parks, with avalanche danger rated as low today (even in the alpine). We took a drive to Vermillion Peak and found some decent snow if you stayed off the South facing aspects which had some sun-crust from the warmer temperatures.

The skin-track is getting quite icy from the lack of fresh snow, and as expected there had been quite a few people up in this area since the last snowfall. Vermillion peak is located in the middle of an older forest fire, so it has some great glade skiing, although a little on the tight side. It's not a good spot for early season skiing through, as buried deadfall can be a bit of an issue.

All-in-all, we had a fun day... But, we're ready for the next storm-cycle. You can find a few more pictures here.